Friday, November 3, 2006

We had an incredible day. We were up early, because we’re still getting used to the time difference, and met up with travel group mates Lee & Juliet, from San Antonio TX, just after breakfast to go tour the hutongs. We didn’t really know what to expect, as we’d never done this before but understood that cars would be too big to fit down the narrow alleyways, and were pleasantly surprised to find that we would be renting bicycles for that part of our tour. That was an experience in and of itself, as we are all tall Americans and the bikes are not set up for people of our size, but we managed nonetheless.

So we hopped on the bikes and took off. No helmets, no rules of the road. We had a couple of near misses, but no one was harmed in any way. We had a ball, riding around like the locals (well, not exactly like the locals – that would be too scary!). The alleyways were like a maze, and we all were amazed that our guide knew his way around them. Even though there were no cars, there was still so much activity. These tight spaces were used for every purpose you can imagine (and some things you probably can’t!). People definitely make use of every square inch of space here!

After returning the bikes, we headed toward the Summer Palace. Built in the late 18th century as both a holy site and a getaway for the Empress Dowager. Incredible is the only word that describes it. Highlights were Longevity Hill, the Tower of Fragrance, The Tower of the Bells and the Long Corridor (which features over 14,000 scenic paintings both inside and outside on the beams). The architecture is amazing, the colors vibrant, the setting is awesome. All of the Summer Palace sits in the hills overlooking a beautiful lake, complete with islands and bridges galore. It appears to be a very popular destination in Beijing, as it was very crowed.

We got a fair amount of attention at the Summer Palace. Joe, especially (he’s our 15 year old son, who is 6’5”). One family excitedly asked to have their picture taken with ours, and then handed me their baby so they could take a picture of the baby with us. Not too long now, and we’ll be holding our own sweet Chinese baby (one that we don’t have to give back!).

So, now we’re back resting up before we head out for Peking Duck at the Da Dong Restaurant. We’ll be meeting some Beijing friends of ours for dinner (we know them from Crystal Lake, back in Michigan).

We’re having a great time, and know tomorrow will be another memorable day for our family.