Day 5- Last day in Beijing, China

                                                                     Day 5
We slept well again and this morning was very smoggy.  We went to an Art Space called 798- the street address.  Many artists from around the world, including Chinese artists have their galleries and studios there.  Annie picked us up at 8:00 a.m. because our flight was leaving around 1:55 p.m. and she wanted us at the airport three hours in advance.  Only one of the galleries opened at 10 a.m. that we could go into so we walked around and looked at the sculptures and wall paintings.  I think Alex liked looking around.

We ended up tipping our guide and driver in dollars and appreciated all the explanation and way they took care of us during our time in Beijing.  We really enjoyed our trip!  So glad to be back in Japan though but well worth the trip.  Missed you, Rachel!

Day 4

                                                                 Day 4
We slept well in our hotel room with the window open again and ate downstairs at the breakfast buffet.  We met Annie at 8:00 a.m. to drive out to the Great Wall.  Michelle Obama and her daughters were going to the Great Wall that day too.  We drove about an hour out to a section of the Great Wall- with the most stairs.  Annie explained that much of the wall is not maintained by the government and cannot be visited.  Some of the wall is in the desert and ends by a river.  I couldn't believe how long it really was.  We had about an hour and a half to climb and take photos.  Alex bought a medal that said that he had walked the Great Wall of China.

The part we ended up walking was mostly stairs and very narrow.  It was very cool!  Alex bought 40 Great Wall and Beijing magnets for his classmates and basketball team members and had trouble going through customs on the way back to Japan.  Security thought he was taking back coins, not magnets.
After hiking, we visited a Jade Factory and watched how they carved jade into jewelry and sculptures.

We ate lunch and visited the Olympic Park to see the Bird's Nest and Water Cube downtown Beijing.

Later, we visited a Silk Factory where we were able to see the silkworms, silk and how quilts were made.  Ended up buying Januck a silk tie with dragon on it.  A nice souvenir!  We were asked if there was another show we would like to see or more factories but we were tired and returned to our hotel to rest.  Alex wanted to try McDonald's for dinner to see if the taste was the same as in the States, so we found one on a map and ventured out of our hotel and walked to one.  It did taste the same!

Day 3

                                                                       Day 3
    We slept well, except the hotel room was hot and when we called down to the Front Desk they sent someone up to our room to open the window.  We ate a breakfast buffet at the hotel before meeting Annie, our tour guide.
    She introduced us to our new driver, Mr. Huan and then we went to the zoo to see the pandas.  We ended up buying Alex a musical panda toy that moves in circles and it holds a basketball.

Next, we went to the Summer Palace.  It is where the Emperor and family used to come during the summer to enjoy the lake, gardens and long corridor.  We walked by the buildings, along the corridor and rode on a dragon boat on the lake.  Michelle Obama and daughters were going there that day as well but we didn't see them. Below is a photo of Annie, our guide and me.

After the Summer Palace, we went to a Pearl Factory and was told the way you can tell if you are buying real pearls are if you rub them together, they produce a powder. We went to have lunch and then were off to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City.  We were dropped off by our driver and walked for about two hours.  Could not believe how big both were.

Our guide, Annie was forbidden to talk about the student riots.  She did tell us about the different buildings of the Forbidden city and the number of concubines the Emperor was allowed to have- 72!

Vendors walked with us and tried to sell us anything from guide books, hats, Rolex watches to kites during our stay in Beijing.  They liked to be paid in dollars!
Then, we were taken to a tea house and tried four different kinds of tea.  We ended up buying two kinds- the ginseng oolong tea and the jasmine tea.  They showed a peeing statue boy where if you pour hot water over it, then it pees.  Of course, we got one of those for Alex.
After the tea house, we went to dinner to try Peking Duck.   We rolled the duck pieces up into a crepe with a type of BBQ sauce.  It was very good, but Alex's stomach was starting to hurt from all the new food, so he mostly ate white rice for dinner.  After dinner, we went to a Kung Fu theater to see a show.  Very fun and interesting!

Spring Vacation to Beijing, China- Day 1 and 2

                                                                   DAY 1 and 2
 It was our first trip without our daughter, Rachel so it was bittersweet.  Januck, Alex and I decided that going to the Great Wall would be pretty cool so we thought about going to Beijing and found out we could go on a 72 hour free visa and booked out flights and an English tour.  About one week before leaving, Chinatour.com informed us we would need a visa to enter China.  Fortunately, we worked with a Japanese travel company that got all our paperwork into the Chinese embassy and we expedited our visas.  We got them two days before we were to depart for China.
  We decided to drive to Narita airport and stay in a hotel where we could park our car.  It was a good plan until a highway in Tokyo was shut down and it took us about 5 1/2 hours to drive from Numazu to the airport hotel.  Usually the trip takes about 2 1/2 hours.   Had a good rest and took the shuttle for a morning flight out to Beijing connecting through Shanghai.  Alex forgot to take out a pair of scissors out of his pencil case so the security check resulted in opening his backpack, his scissors being measured by a ruler and then later being confiscated.
   When we arrived in Beijing airport, our bags were not at the baggage claim but at an international baggage claim so there was some confusion.  We met our guide, Annie and got our bags before getting in our van with the driver.  They took us into the city to our hotel, the Oriental Bay.
Driving was a bit scary in Beijing.  No apparent rules about lane changing and many drivers would honk at each other regularly.
   Annie welcomed us and gave us gifts.  She explained that we were on our own for dinner and she would pick us up the next day at 8:30 a.m.  We met with a staff member's wife and kids that were visiting Beijing for dinner.  We had a feast of really good Chinese food!  The best being the sweet and sour pork, looking and tasting nothing like what we order in the States.

Alex made the local Sports Newspaper!

Alex was interviewed by a news reporter and this is a translated version of the article.  Thank you, Kumi!  We think it is hilarious how an arrow is pointed at him in the picture like it isn't obvious!  His name is also written in big blue letters on the right hand side.

"It has been 2 years since Gyoshu High has made it to the best 8 of the region.  There is a player who is from the country of basketball, the U.S.A.  His name is Alex Polikaitis (Gr. 11).  You would think that he must have trained intensively to play basketball in the U.S.A however, he started playing basketball when he came to Japan.  He is an unusual player.  Even though he has not played before, he uses his height well and he is now a core player on the team who has led the team to win.  He is close to 2 meters high. Basketball suits him the best more than anyone. Everyone thinks that he is from overseas and he must have been playing basketball for the longest time.  "I started playing basketball when I came to Japan" Alex said.  He entered Gyoshu because his parents were hired by the school.  He came to Japan in term 2　of  Grade 9.  One of the teachers recommended that  he join the basketball team and he did. Coach Kano knew straight away he could and would be using him in the team greatly.  However, he was tall but he was a beginner basketball player then.  The coach said, "He was not a good player at the beginning.  The more he played in the games, the better he became."  Alex still misses shots but he has grown and improved so much.  The coach said," He has improved lots and scores a lots too. Alex  has played a big role in this tournament and as a result my team has made it to the Shizuoka Prefectural level."  His favorite player is Pau Gasol. We thought that his dream was to become a basketball player.  Alex's dream is to become a film director.  Many things about him are unexpected surprises.  They will be playing against Hamamtatsu Shojo School.  "I will do my best there."  Alex said.  He is a great player and he has led the team to the prefecture level."

Hakone for a Day!

Since we have a car now, we decided to drive to Hakone for the day. We used the Navi in the car to get us there and it took us up a road that was the road from hell. It turned into a small winding road but we got to Hakone in record time. We wanted to go to the Open Air museum so we parked by the lake and used the ropeway. We had a great time and stopped by the black egg place on the way back. Oh, and Mt. Fuji was beautiful!

We could have taken the nice highway up to Hakone but instead took this two lane backroad.

The gondola at the bottom.

The girls on the ropeway.

Going down!

Ready to go in.

At the museum!

 The sulfur vents.

 The man getting the boiled eggs.

The eggs turn black in the water. The boiled eggs are supposed to be good for you.

 Beautiful!

Love this shot!

Fuji!