Beijing!!

We took in a Chinese acrobat show...quite impressive. We were promptly escorted to the very front row, where all of the other Western tourists were seated. Each act lasted 5-10 minutes and varied from balancers to acrobats to people spinning fans on their toes to people balancing on their TEETH!

My friends Ginni and Sara just left this morning...they were here to visit me for almost two weeks. It was fabulous to see them, to show them around Hong Kong, and to spend time with people who know me so well. I took them around to all of my favorite restaurants and places here, and let them explore on their own the days I had to work.

I used my work personal days, so we took a 4 day trip to Beijing last weekend, and here are some pictures from that. It was fabulous to visit Beijing, but it made me glad to live in Hong Kong...it is much more comfortable here. Other highlights of our trip include: people asking to take our picture, pointing at our height, having the concierge ask if we were all twins, arguing with the taxi driver about the rate, going to the Pearl and Silk markets to bargain, going to the Temple of Heaven and watching all of the traditional games and park activities there, and eating Dairy Queen! That is one thing I cannot find here. We also met up with Suzanne, a friend from my old school, who is now teaching in Shanghai. She happened to be touring Beijing the same weekend with a friend of hers who was visiting.

Tiennemen Square

On our first night, we decided to dig right in and try Peking Duck. It was surprisingly good...chopped up in front of us and then served with plum sauce, cucumber, and onion, all rolled into a thin pancake. This was our most pleasant Beijing dining experience. We seemed to have trouble finding places to eat...not too many English or picture menus, and our guidebook led us astray on a few occasions. We wound up eating mostly in local restaurants and trying our luck. Every morning for breakfast, though, we were treated to a delicious buffet in the hotel, as seems to be the Asian custom for these package deals.

In the Forbidden City...a HUGE, sprawling complex. Quite impressive. We rented English audio guides along the way and I was reminded of how old and ancient this place is. I don't think I ever read much about it in my history books, so I found the whole place really interesting.

Entrance to the Forbidden City...Mao's picture is everywhere. Beijingers seem to be quite fond of him, as his portrait is found all over the place.

The Great Wall of China

Yes...I finally did it! I climbed the Great Wall. We hired a driver, Yao, to lead us the 2 hour journey from Beijing to the start of the Wall at the Simatai entrance. We wound through fishing villages, hills, factories, and road-side stands. Here are Ginni and Sara at the starting point.
Ginni and I on the way up.
On the Great Wall
Ginni, me, Sara
Part of the reason we went to this particular section of the Great Wall was to do this flying squirrel zip line...over a river and a valley. I felt a little like an "Amazing Race" contestant.