Tian'anmen Square, Forbidden City, Hutong Tour

Today was ah-mazing! Completely and utterly ah-mazing.

Before I share what we did, let me do some quick housekeeping for my friends who are traveling soon. 1.) The VPN’s are not reliable. We downloaded Onavo and Express and it has been hit or miss getting a connection. This explains why my blog has been behind. 2.) I have not had any luck posting to FB other than 1 time. Not sure what is going on with that. If you have a group set up in FB, you *might* want to consider a blog as well, just in case, since it seems FB is completely blocked even with the VPN. 3.) Yes, it is true that the beds are harder than what we are accustomed to, but they are not THAT bad. 4.) In BJ, if you are a CCAI family, get bottled water BEFORE you get off the bus each time you depart for the day. The guides always have TONS of water and it will save you a trip to the store. The Sunworld will provide 2 free bottles each day and we use those for teeth brushing. 5.) Take TP with you everywhere you go. Some of the sites have a “Western” potty but they will not have TP for you (squat or not!). Trust me, keep a roll in your backpack. You’re welcome! J

Ok, back to our day. We woke up the first time at 2:30 AM, but went back to sleep within a few minutes. The jet lag has not been bad but I really think it is because I stayed up all night the night before and then slept off and on the entire ride over from Detroit. I also believe we woke up because we heard granpa trying to find his way to the bathroom in the pitch black. Don’t worry, we brought 2 mini flashlights and quickly got up and helped granpa find his way. We also left one of the flashlights in their room for them.  I don’t know if this is prevalent in all the hotels but in this one, in order for your room lights to work, your hotel room key must be plugged in to the wall. It is very interesting and also made for a great laugh when we first arrived to our room and were trying to figure out how on earth to get the lights to turn on. Ha!

When we got up for the second time at 7’ish we got ready and went to the breakfast buffet. Wow to the selection and from what I understand, we have not even seen the best of the breakfast buffets yet! We ate breakfast, chatted with and met some more of the families traveling in our group, and loaded up for TS. On the ride over our guide gave us so much history and information. Honestly I was on overload and couldn’t keep up with my note taking. I do have some to share with Lia though.

Our first stop was TS. Here are just some of the pics from there. Seriously, between the 5 cameras plus 2 i-products the teens had we had going, I am pretty certain we left with no less than 200 pics.

Then we went to the Forbidden City (Imperial Palace). That place is unbelievable! 72 acres of gorgeous architecture and rich history. Again, we were so much information and I wrote down what I could for LG to share with her in the years to come.

 

 

 

Our last stop today was one that I feel incredibly lucky to have experienced. We got on a rickshaw (which was fun!) and were taken through Old Be!jing, referred to as the Hutong. We were able to see how the people of BJ live and their culture. But the best part was eating lunch in a local home. The lunch was prepared by the homeowner. He lives in the home with his wife and baby boy. The home has been in his family for 60-something years and is over 100 years old. They live so simply and without many material possessions, and it made me think, “why on earth can’t we?” They were able to feed 8 families in their very small home and prepare the most delicious feast from what we might call a “third world” kitchen. The family was happy to host us and open up their home and was beyond gracious. The homeowner gladly answered our questions and you could tell he was happy to host us in his home. The love they have for each other and their baby boy was evident. And the food. Oh my stars! We were treated like royalty. The food kept coming and was soooooo good. Truly humbling experience.

The rickshaw ride to the home...

Ha- a reggae bar!

 

Walking into the home...

 Very narrow walkway between homes. They are kind of like villas. Many families live in a section and they share a shower house and bathroom.  

 

Here is the kitchen that all the delicious food was prepared in.

 

 And the cook...

As you can see it is VERY different than what we are accustomed too.

I seriously could have stayed in Hutong all day. Loved, loved, loved it! Lia Grace, you will be back someday to experience this with us.