First we ate breakfast in our hotel. They had a giant spread with breakfast items from many countries. Then we met one of the two other families from Living Hope.
Today in Beijing in rained all morning long. Our guide bought rain ponchos for us because umbrellas alone were not going to do the trick. It was quite amusing walking around in the downpours. We look funny in the pictures as our bags and camera cases are under the ponchos giving us bulges where the certainly don’t belong. So in the rain we visited Tian’anmen Square, home of the well-known giant Mao portrait. Tian’anemen means “Heavenly Gate” as it is the gate to the Forbidden City. The Forbidden City was just that, forbidden to all commoners. In the Forbidden City lived the emperor, his family, servants, and concubines. We walked through the Forbidden City for quite a bit of time, almost always in the rain, though it had let up a bit by the time we were through. There were many intricately designed and decorated buildings, gates, and many courtyards. Interestingly, the Forbidden City was built in the early 1400’s, recent in respect to Chi*a’s ancient history.
We then had lunch with the owner of our adoption agency. We had a spectacular lunch which included Peking Duck, which we ate in pancakes-MuShu style. We also had Beijing style Sweet and Sour Pork, much better than the pink style we get at home. We had a fried dumpling with stuffing that included turnip, though I couldn’t tell. There was also a great beef dish with a slightly sweet sauce that was different than anything from home.
After lunch we toured the Temple of Heaven. It is actually a park where religious rituals were performed by the emperor. Today, many people go there to read, play games, and practice music. We also stopped by the Pearl Market which sold everything from shoes, purses, knick-knacks, tea sets, and of course every kind of pearl. The saleswomen were quite insistent and pushy. “Hey Lady, you want bag? Hey Lady, look at my necklaces.”
We then went to a Chi*ese Acrobat show. I quite liked the strength and flexibility of the acrobats. They did tricks with bikes, tetter-totters, and a giant structure that reminded me of the wheels in hamster cages. For dinner we ate at a Beijing noodle restaurant. We had meatballs with dipping sauces, middle-eastern style lamb, noodles with sauce, a sweet bean paste type of dumpling covered in sesame seeds. For dessert we had candied apples that had to be quickly dunked in ice water so they don’t stick together. I think our guide and driver were just amused with us Americans using the chopsticks. Mom and I have been good, though, and haven’t used our forks.
It’s now 9:30 P.M. and I am exhausted.
Today in Beijing in rained all morning long. Our guide bought rain ponchos for us because umbrellas alone were not going to do the trick. It was quite amusing walking around in the downpours. We look funny in the pictures as our bags and camera cases are under the ponchos giving us bulges where the certainly don’t belong. So in the rain we visited Tian’anmen Square, home of the well-known giant Mao portrait. Tian’anemen means “Heavenly Gate” as it is the gate to the Forbidden City. The Forbidden City was just that, forbidden to all commoners. In the Forbidden City lived the emperor, his family, servants, and concubines. We walked through the Forbidden City for quite a bit of time, almost always in the rain, though it had let up a bit by the time we were through. There were many intricately designed and decorated buildings, gates, and many courtyards. Interestingly, the Forbidden City was built in the early 1400’s, recent in respect to Chi*a’s ancient history.
We then had lunch with the owner of our adoption agency. We had a spectacular lunch which included Peking Duck, which we ate in pancakes-MuShu style. We also had Beijing style Sweet and Sour Pork, much better than the pink style we get at home. We had a fried dumpling with stuffing that included turnip, though I couldn’t tell. There was also a great beef dish with a slightly sweet sauce that was different than anything from home.
After lunch we toured the Temple of Heaven. It is actually a park where religious rituals were performed by the emperor. Today, many people go there to read, play games, and practice music. We also stopped by the Pearl Market which sold everything from shoes, purses, knick-knacks, tea sets, and of course every kind of pearl. The saleswomen were quite insistent and pushy. “Hey Lady, you want bag? Hey Lady, look at my necklaces.”
We then went to a Chi*ese Acrobat show. I quite liked the strength and flexibility of the acrobats. They did tricks with bikes, tetter-totters, and a giant structure that reminded me of the wheels in hamster cages. For dinner we ate at a Beijing noodle restaurant. We had meatballs with dipping sauces, middle-eastern style lamb, noodles with sauce, a sweet bean paste type of dumpling covered in sesame seeds. For dessert we had candied apples that had to be quickly dunked in ice water so they don’t stick together. I think our guide and driver were just amused with us Americans using the chopsticks. Mom and I have been good, though, and haven’t used our forks.
It’s now 9:30 P.M. and I am exhausted.
Mao’s Picture in Tian’anmen Square
Tian’anmen Square in a downpour