Ni hao everyone! Sorry I've been MIA again, but I have a good excuse this time...my mom and sister came to visit me! They were here for 2 weeks and we had such a good time together. I am so happy they were able to make the long trip out here and we got to spend some family time together (although we did miss ya Pops!). Anyways, they flew into Beijing on June 4 and we spent a week there, before heading to my city, Huangshi. I will do two posts about their time here. Up first is our trip in Beijing!
Camryn and I outside of our hotel doing the China pose!
Tiananmen Square
The three Morgan girls in Tiananmen Square. I have been to Beijing twice before, but it was always so cold. It was nice to see flowers blooming and the sun shining, although it got super hot!
The three Morgan girls in Tiananmen Square.
Mom and Cam posing!
Forbidden City
Day 1 in Beijing consisted of Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City and a park behind Forbidden City! I had them on the go the whole time in Beijing, but we got in everything we wanted to!
Outside of the Forbidden City
Inside the FC
At the end of the tour of the Forbidden City! This was my third time to go, so I wasn't too excited about seeing it again. Thankfully, my mom and sis aren't big history buffs so they were good with a quick tour!
Our usual pic!
This was at the park behind the FC. It looks out over the entire FC! It's a great view and worth the climb!
Also at the top of the park is a place to dress up in traditional Chinese gear! Mom was the queen and we were the princesses! So fun!
Chinglish at it's finest!
Mom chilling by a tree!
The Great Wall
Day 2 was our conquer the Great Wall day! On the way to the Wall our driver was a little crazy! I have gotten pretty used to how crazy taxi drivers can be in China, but this man took it to a new level. I think my mom and sis had a small heart attack, but we survived and started our adventure to the Great Wall!
Ski lifting it up! We went to the Mutianyu section of the wall, which I like better than Badaling because it is less touristy.
Bang! A cannon!
We made it to the top!
At the entrance!
Best part was tobogganing down the side of the Great Wall!
Summer Palace
The next day we headed to the Summer Palace, which is the largest royal park in China. It was a beautiful area of Beijing I hadn't been to before, beginning with a steep climb and finishing with a large lake including dragon boats you could take for a ride.
Mom having a rest.
There were so many great views of the city once you got to the top.
Dragon boat behind us on the lake!
Olympic Park
During our trip we went to Olympic Park twice. The first time felt like the Amazing Race because we were trying to get there before the tours for the inside of the bird's next closed. We thought we had until 6pm and we left our restaurant at 5pm. Unfortunately traffic at this time is awful, but once we got there Camryn took of running for the entrance...we still had 15 minutes to spare...and we lost! Boo! The ticket booth was closed, but we decided to look around anyways. As we are walking around the area, the foreigner photo shoot began! I am used to this by now, but Camryn and my mom were not. They enjoyed it at first, but realized how tiring it can get. My mom got some shots of people taking pics with us below.
These men wanted individual shots with us and then a group one and paid one of the professional photographers at the park to do it! haha
This family was so cute!
Cam and Mom swimming in front of the Water Cube!
The Bird's Nest
Day 2 at Olympic Park
Inside of Bird's Nest
Cam and Mom making U.S. with their arms
The Olympic characters from Beijing
The Olympic torch in the background
Inside the Bird's nest
Pretty flowers at Olympic Park
Acrobatic Show
After going to the Olympic Park the second day, that night we headed out for their first real Chinese meal! They were a little hesitant at first, but I think they enjoyed it! We ordered sweet and sour chicken, fried rice, and apple dumplings. It was a very Westernized first Chinese meal, but it counts! After dinner we met up with some ladies and their daughters that go to our chrch in Louisiana. The girls, Carlee and Karen, had been volunteering at Mr. Mai's Coffee shop in Wuhan for 3 weeks and were hitting up Beijing with their moms before heading home. We all went to see an Acrobatic show together that night then took a short tour of snack street after. It was fun getting to hang out and see people from back home in China!
Camryn getting ready to use chop sticks for the first time in China!
Not sure what to expect...
Karen, Camryn, me, and Carlee outside of snack street!
Mom, Mrs. Jean, and Mrs. Lisa getting ready to go on!
Shopping
Any free time we had during Beijing was either spent resting in the hotel (since Cam and mom were jet lagged a bit) or SHOPPING! My mom and sister are great shoppers. They love to bargain and get a good deal! I don't mind shopping sometimes, but it is not my favorite thing to do. I was a trooper though and went with them on all of our shopping excursions. We hit up the Silk Market a few times, the Pearl Market, and an Antique Market. I did most of the wheeling and dealing since I know a little Chinese. At first the shop keepers mark up the prices to a ridiculous amount, some tourist fall for it, but not us! haha It is actually quite fun to see how far you can get the price down, which is probably the only reason I enjoyed shopping so much.
At the Pearl Market
Mrs. Lisa, me, Jack's cute pregnant wife, Jack, Camryn, Mrs. Jean, and Karen
The last dinner of our trip in Beijing! After dinner we headed for the train station and took an overnighter to Huangshi!
Overall, we had a wonderful time in Beijing, despite the hot weather and the crowds! Next up, mom and Cam in the "Real China" aka Huangshi!
Thanks for the detailed account. Great photos too!
ReplyDelete