China
Warning: I journaled during the trip so these posts will be wordy. I won't blame anyone if they go straight to the pix and skip my blah, blah, blah
We've been back since Thursday night and I'm just feeling capable of posting some pix and updates on our trip. I'll start off by saying we had a wonderful time! Fantastic really with hardly a hiccup. Things went smoothly, all enjoyed themselves and nobody got sick! Even though it was awesome it was also EXHAU...STING!!!
We've been back since Thursday night and I'm just feeling capable of posting some pix and updates on our trip. I'll start off by saying we had a wonderful time! Fantastic really with hardly a hiccup. Things went smoothly, all enjoyed themselves and nobody got sick! Even though it was awesome it was also EXHAU...STING!!!
21 days of travel which included 9 commercial flights, daily bus, taxi and shuttle rides, a train, dozens of subway trips, a ferry, two cable cars, a toboggan, and a rickshaw can definitely take its toll. Per my iPhone we also walked an average of 6 miles per day... that's right, we logged about 120 miles over 3 weeks!!
The Los Angeles to Beijing time change is pretty brutal to the body. Georgie was completely crashed out by 7 PM but wide-awake at 3 o'clock in the morning. We managed to lay around and try to sleep until about 530. After that it was time for breakfast.
We started out the day with a wonderful breakfast at the hotel buffet. I always find it interesting the broad assortment of options available at the Chinese hotel buffets. Everything from congee and scrambled eggs to vegetables and braised beef.
Hoping to reset our internal time clocks, we went for a walk to check out the area around hotel. Walking through a large city in the US is interesting but walking through a large city in China is more like an adventure. We've gotten pretty good at human Frogger which is what I call the activity of dodging cars, bicycles, scooters, and buses while attempting to cross the street.
We got a lot of stares but it's fun to stare back. Georgie doesn't seem to notice or if she does she hasn't said anything.
After a quick nap we caught a cab to the days activity; a Peking Opera makeover with a photo session for Georgie. It was something I happened upon a few months ago and once G saw the pix she was sold. We arrived to find that none of the employees spoke a word of English. There was much laughing while we made good use of our phone translators and made up sign language but were exceptionally fortunate that, about an hour in, an English-speaking Beijing native came in with her daughter and provided translation services. Lucky! The make up/hair application and costuming took two hours, the photo shoot about another hr.
G enjoyed every second and she was thrilled with her photos!
For dinner, we managed to venture out and find some yummy and exceptionally authentic Chinese food. Three plates, more than even our starving selves could eat, for 65 yuan. Or, about 10 bucks!! What is it about the veggies in China? They are absolutely delicious.
The Los Angeles to Beijing time change is pretty brutal to the body. Georgie was completely crashed out by 7 PM but wide-awake at 3 o'clock in the morning. We managed to lay around and try to sleep until about 530. After that it was time for breakfast.
We started out the day with a wonderful breakfast at the hotel buffet. I always find it interesting the broad assortment of options available at the Chinese hotel buffets. Everything from congee and scrambled eggs to vegetables and braised beef.
Hoping to reset our internal time clocks, we went for a walk to check out the area around hotel. Walking through a large city in the US is interesting but walking through a large city in China is more like an adventure. We've gotten pretty good at human Frogger which is what I call the activity of dodging cars, bicycles, scooters, and buses while attempting to cross the street.
We got a lot of stares but it's fun to stare back. Georgie doesn't seem to notice or if she does she hasn't said anything.
After a quick nap we caught a cab to the days activity; a Peking Opera makeover with a photo session for Georgie. It was something I happened upon a few months ago and once G saw the pix she was sold. We arrived to find that none of the employees spoke a word of English. There was much laughing while we made good use of our phone translators and made up sign language but were exceptionally fortunate that, about an hour in, an English-speaking Beijing native came in with her daughter and provided translation services. Lucky! The make up/hair application and costuming took two hours, the photo shoot about another hr.
G enjoyed every second and she was thrilled with her photos!
For dinner, we managed to venture out and find some yummy and exceptionally authentic Chinese food. Three plates, more than even our starving selves could eat, for 65 yuan. Or, about 10 bucks!! What is it about the veggies in China? They are absolutely delicious.
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