Day 1 - Our flight from Chicago took off on time and upgrading to business class was a super smart decision. Our seats were comfortable and converted into a bed, which, for a 13 hour flight, would be needed. After 6 hours of flying, we realized that our overhead lights were the only lights that were not shutting off. The flight attendant tried to reset them, but no luck. It was too bright to watch TV and we would never sleep this way, so they moved us to first class, but on opposite sides of the plane. Not something we wanted, but didn't feel we had a choice. This would not be a good start to our trip after all.
We landed in Beijing and easily went through customs and met our guide Yang (Kevin, after Kevin Costner in Dancing with Wolves). Easy ride to the Fairmont Hotel to find a spectacular room. Our toilet seat even had a wash and dry cycle! We would also find that each hotel room included a gas mask, which was very peculiar.
We were absolutely exhausted as we slept maybe an hour on the plane, so decided to eat in the hotel restaurant instead of going out. Two glasses of wine, two soups, fried rice and pad thai and a $92 bill. Wow! Back to the room and in bed by 6:30 p.m., only to wake at midnight, read for awhile, again at 3:00, read for awhile and finally got up at 6:00 a.m.
Day 2 - There was a nice breakfast buffet included with our room, which we would have at every hotel we stayed. Crazy servers kept whisking our plates away as soon as we finished something. The chocolate croissants were fantastic.
We met our other traveling companions and got on the bus for a ride to Tiananmen Square, which is one of the largest plazas in the world. The square is enormous and it was easy to visualize the tanks and soldiers in the square. Crowds were everywhere and it was a super hot day so our hats were necessary. We didn't visit Mao's tomb, but walked from one end to the other to head to the Forbidden City.
 |
| Group picture as we head toward the Forbidden City |
Our next stop was the Forbidden City which is where the emperor lived. The city is massive and only 45% was open to the public. Beautiful buildings everywhere with great stories by the guide. There were buildings where you could look inside to see furniture and relics, but the crowds were horrid so we just wandered around outside. We went from courtyard to courtyard, as it was never ending. We were only there a few hours, but you could easily spend more time.
 |
| 3 different type doors, for different classes of people |
Our next adventure was a pedicab ride to explore through a hutong, This is a traditional neighborhood that has narrow lanes and old courtyard homes. There are only a few courtyard homes owned by one family nowadays as the prices are so high. Now, several families live in the homes and share the courtyard. The homes are extremely small, 600 square feet and contain no bathroom. The streets have a bathroom which is shared by all residents. We had lunch in one of the homes and it was very good. They served us beer, rice, dumplings, a pork dish, celery, peanuts, beef and lotus root. The owner of the house hand painted on the inside of snuff bottles. It was beautiful work, but didn't feel a need to buy one. We took the pedicab back to our bus and then on to the Summer Palace.
 |
| Living Room of House, Bedroom just beyond |
The Summer Palace is where the emperor spent his summers with his family. The palace is situated on a lake and has great statues and trees all round. There is a beautiful LONG walkway that everyone strolls down. We then boarded a dragon boat that took us across the lake to meet our bus.
 |
| The Phoenix is very popular in China |
 |
| Long walkway, decorated beautifully |
 |
| Walkway from the side |
 |
| Dragon Boat |
 |
| Boat made of marble, just for decoration |
This was a very long day, and would end with a 1 1/2 hour bus ride to our Peking Duck dinner. The table was large and round with a lazy susan in the middle so that everything could be served family style. We would find that every meal on the trip was set up this way. There were endless dishes, including rice, sweet and sour chicken, eggplant, peppers and mushroom, tofu, beef and pepper, kung pao chicken, soup and finally the peking duck. The server demonstrated that you take a small pancake (really a soft taco) and take a piece of the duck skin and dip it in plum sauce and then smear the pancake with the sauce. Next would be to add duck to the pancake, add some celery, cucumber and onions and then roll it up like a soft taco. I wasn't impressed. Flavors weren't all that great and not at all what I expected.
Day 3 - Our trip today would begin with a drive to The Great Wall. This was one of the things I was looking forward to most. It was a one hour bus ride and once we arrived, everywhere you looked up on the hills, there were walls. The part of the wall that we started at was steps, and plenty of them. The steps were all uneven, some small, some tall and with a railing that was designed for short people, so it wasn't as easy for Greg. We went up about 550 steps to the first landing and took a break. There were boatloads of people and it really didn't make much sense to go higher, it was all going to be the same. Only one person has ever walked the entire wall and it took him 503 days.
Poor Greg was sweating like crazy when we were done and sunscreen was running all down his face. It certainly was a workout, but worth every step. I was very proud of him as he hates heights, and at times, the steps were a bit scary. Another item we can check off our bucket list.
Our next stop would be a jade store which was interesting, but too expensive for our taste. Lunch was similar to the previous day. Back to the hotel, and we decided to not have dinner as we were still full from lunch and were happy to rest and pack for our flight to Xi'An.
Day 4 - Our flight to Xi'an was uneventful and our first stop was the Muslim Market. The weather was horrible as a typhoon hit Taiwan and we were receiving the rains. This stop was not at all what the itinerary said it would be and was a big disappointment. All we did was walk around and look at different food vendors while our guide explained what it was they were cooking or selling. The traffic in the area was crazy and people were riding motor scooters everywhere and weaving in and out. Not the safest place to be on the small roads.
After the Market, we headed to the Hilton in Xi'an, which was located within the old walls of the City. We were going out for a dumpling dinner tonight, followed by a show. The place was set up like a Las Vegas dinner show, with tables set for 8 or 4 and lined up toward the stage. They continually brought out steamers full of dumplings of every kind imaginable. If it was a pork one, they shaped the dumpling like a pig and the fish ones were shaped like fish. All very creative, and every one was as good as the next. I think I stopped after 12 dumplings and was done with them for awhile.
 |
| Fish filled dumpling....so cute |
Day 5 - Today started out with a trip to the Xi'An city wall. The wall was wider than the Great Wall and in great shape. Very interesting walking along the top and viewing guard barracks.
After spending a little while here, we got back on the bus to go see the Terra Cotta Warriors, which is something I think everybody was interested in seeing. This stop was amazing! To think that all these warriors were built to guard the emperor's tomb, and then became buried and stumbled upon when some guys were digging a well is incredible. The place was jam packed with people, but the area where the warriors were was huge. To see the warriors and horses lined up was phenomenal. There were 3 sections, A, B & C. A was the architect work area as they are still trying to dig up warriors, B was the broken warriors and C was the completed section.
 |
| Guard Barracks |
 |
| Street Vendors below |
 |
| Top of the City Wall |
 |
| Guard Spots |
 |
| Of course we had to be warriors. Check out Greg's face! |
 |
| This is how they make models to sell |
After a few hours, we had lunch at the museum restaurant and had the best noodles we had on the trip so far. They were served hot and fresh with some vegetables and a great broth. We also tried a tea tasting, and although the tea was very good, it was extremely expensive. The sales clerk wasn't very happy with me when I was ready to buy and forgot the "0", so instead of $3 it was $30 so changed my mind.
We visited 2 more pits in the museum which were not as interesting as the first one. Mostly broken pieces of warriors and undeveloped areas.
On the ride back to the hotel, we saw hundreds of persimmon and pomegranate trees. Each piece of fruit was encased with a plastic bag to prevent birds from ruining the fruit. It was a long, tedious job for workers.
Dinner was a buffet at the hotel where we enjoyed "mushed" potatoes. LOL
Day 6 - An early 5:45 start this morning as we head to the airport for our flight to Hangzhou. We think our guide screwed up our departure time because the minute we walked through security we started boarding the plane. Our first stop was to a tea plantation and lunch. Traffic was horrendous getting there so we had lunch before they did the tea briefing.
The tea fields are beautiful. They are layered on the hillside and beautifully green. A local tea farmer gave us a demonstration on how to pick the leaves. He laughs that Americans drink tea from tea bags as it is not really the tea leaves, just the crumbled leaves that are left over.
Our next stop was a family owned tea house where they served us green tea, which wasn't all that good. It's amazing how small and barren the family homes are, yet the people seem happy living with many generations in a small area. A dog kept coming up and wanting attention and when we asked his name, the homeowner said he was a neighbors dog, yet he kept walking in her house. Greg made friends with a 2 year old who did a little dance for him.
Our next stop was West Lake for a boat ride. Sadly, it was rainy and overcast, so not the best day for a boat ride.
After the boat ride, we headed to the JW Marriott (joke between us as the guide kept saying JW Marriott, not Marriott). This hotel was again very nice, with a beautiful lobby and nice rooms. Dinner was on our own tonight, so we asked Roger and Terri to join us for some American food. We all wanted KFC, which we had seen everywhere throughout China. We had to walk a few blocks from the hotel and didn't realize how hard it would be to order food. After staring at the menu board above the register for a long time and trying to decipher the menu, they handed us a menu with some pictures and English. Roger used his app and the way it deciphered gravy was liquor flavored sauce! We still couldn't figure out what we were getting and Greg kept wanting to order a bucket of chicken for the two of us. Finally, another customer, who spoke English, helped us order food. It was a fun experience.
On the walk back to the hotel, we could hear music playing in the park. The first music we encountered had people dancing the waltz, the second was a sort of two-step, and the last one we first thought was tai chi because they were lined up, but turns out it was line dancing. Everyone was dressed up and it was very cool to experience.
Day 7 - This morning we drove 45 minutes to a 2000 year old town named Wuzhen. This is not a place where many Americans visit. We were approached by a young man who spoke very little English, but asked if he could have his picture taken with us by his Mother. We were stars! The town was one of our favorites. It is built on canals, with little walkways everywhere. They showed us how they make rice wine (and of course we bought some) and how they dye silk and make it into clothing and purses. There were lots of little shops around, but it was jam packed crowded, and raining, so not the best of circumstances. We had lunch in one of the little restaurants, and then headed back to the bus. We would have loved to spend more time exploring, but when you're on a tour, you're at their mercy.
 |
| Wine maker |
 |
| Silk sheets drying |
Our night would be spent at the Renaissance in Suzhou, which was our least favorite hotel on the trip. There was a big mall and grocery store across the street from the hotel so Roger, Terri and the two of us went over to check it out. We bought some silly cookies to take home for the kids and also bought moon cakes from a local coffee shop. Moon cakes are only made once a year during the mid-Autumn Festival, and we were lucky enough to be here when it was happening. They are considered an indispensable delicacy and come in many flavors. We tried many kind, but settled on green tea, chocolate and cherry to bring home.
Day 8 - Our first stop today would be a beautiful garden called the Garden of the Master of the Nets, which is a typical Chinese garden consisting of water, bridge, rock and trees.
When we went to meet our bus, it wasn't there. After waiting about 20 minutes and having our guide go looking for him, the guide came back and said we would need to take public transportation to our next stop as the drivers phone wasn't working. It was a great adventure having all of us board a local bus and ride 7-8 blocks and get off to enjoy yet another little town. We think this wasn't on the itinerary, but due to the rain, things had to be modified a bit. We were supposed to fly kites in a historic area, but the guide would laugh every time we mentioned it. We finally pinned him down and he said we would fly them in the parking lot after walking through the town. Not what we expected, but wanted to do it nevertheless.
After kite flying we headed to yet another restaurant for a typical Chinese lunch, but were thrilled when we found a wedding reception being held at the restaurant. Brides today don't really want to wear the traditional red dress, but to make their parents happy they do it for the reception. They wear a western style white dress for the ceremony. First weddings must have the ceremony completed by noon. This reception was large, with 10-12 tables of 8-10 people. Everyone was eating family style, talking and smoking (ugh). Really cool to see something traditional. Another highlight at lunch today was that Connie tried to use a clothes pin, which was attached to the plate, to serve food. Kevin saw what she was doing and yelled "no" and had big buggy eyes. The clothes pin is used to designate which chef cooked the meal. Terri and I couldn't even look at one another because we would have laughed our heads off.
After lunch, we had a 2 hour drive to Shanghai where we stayed in another Fairmont Hotel located in a perfect spot next to the Bund. Kevin took us all to the Bund just to give us an overview of the City. The Bund is just a walkway along the river, giving you a beautiful view of the tall Shanghai buildings. It's packed with visitors and is the largest attraction in Shanghai.
Dinner was on our own tonight and our hotel was located on 19th Street, which is a long street, lined with shops and restaurants and at some point becomes pedestrian only. It was super crowded because of the Mid-Autumn holiday, but we made our way down the street with Terri and Roger.
We were in search of some more American food because at this point we were getting really sick of Chinese food. We found an Italian style, outdoor restaurant and ordered beer, pizza and a hamburger.
Shortly after eating, the rain came pouring down and we were really far from our hotel. The little umbrellas we had helped a little, but we were all drenched. Roger almost got run over by the crazy drivers and he wasn't a good bargainer because he didn't walk away with a panda bear, but it's those little things we remember. We walked back to the Bund to see Shanghai all lit up, but it was raining so hard we couldn't take pictures.
Day 9 - Our first stop today was at the Shanghai Museum. Great stop as it was 4 floors filled with statues, artwork, coins, calligraphy, pottery, etc.
Our next stop was a silk factory where they demonstrated how silk was made and then took us into their store for silk shopping. We learned how much work goes into making silk and that they kill all the little worms after they spin their cocoon. Silk is amazingly strong and holds up well under most conditions.
Greg bought a silk shirt which was beautiful and then Roger and Rick both liked it so they bought it too. It was agreed they would all wear them to dinner tonight.
Our next stop was a town called Tianzifang which had cafes, art galleries and stores, all set in ancient buildings which were restored. The area was a maze and our guide gave us a landmark to meet him. It was fun weaving in and out of the little streets, checking out shops, food and all the crazy wires above our heads.
 |
| So maybe Greg shouldn't make me pretend this is the Leaning Tower of Pisa |
Tonight was our farewell dinner which was in an amazingly huge restaurant. As designed, the guys all wore their silk shirts, which was a hoot.
 |
| Crazy fish dish |
 |
| Fried milk |
 |
| Terri, Roger and us on our way to the Bund |
 |
| The Bund with lots of people |
Shanghai is a beautiful city and these pictures don't do it justice. After our last view of the Bund, we went back to our hotel to the jazz bar for drinks and jazz. Nice end to this part of the trip with Roger and Terri.
Day 10 - We were the only people in our group that did the Hong Kong extension, so we headed to the airport for our next leg of the adventure. When we arrived at the airport at 9:10 a.m. for our 1:00 p.m. flight, we were told that our flight was delayed and that they wanted to put us on the flight that was boarding at 9:15 a.m. We raced through security and immigration and got up to the line and boarded our plane immediately, and only hoped that our luggage would be there as well. Our next dilemma was to reach our contact in Hong Kong as they were expecting us at 3:45. Greg managed to make some phone calls while sitting on the airplane and all worked out well.
Our arrival in Hong Kong found hot and humid weather. San, our guide, met us with a driver and whisked us off to the Mira Hotel where we would stay for 3 nights. She gave us a tip on an event that was being held tonight in a local park, which was part of the Mid-Autumn Festival. We were excited to be doing something since we were on our own. The metro was only 3 blocks from our hotel and she assured us it would be easy to use, and she was right. The only confusing part was when you got off at your destination, there were 5-6 exits and of course each one left you out on a different street corner. We had failed to note which exit we were supposed to take, and found ourselves in the busiest shopping section I have ever seen. Hong Kong is a high end shopping city, which is not my thing. After asking many people (and few spoke any English), we finally arrived at our destination.
We were greeted by lanterns, mostly geared toward children's stories and they were beautiful. There was also a group singing and playing drums. There were hundreds of muslim women sitting around having picnics, and we were to learn it is their only day off from their jobs as nannies.
Day 11 - Hong Kong tour started with a local bus ride to the Flower Market where vendors sell everything from fresh flowers to plants to fung shui decorations.
Our next stop would be the Bird Park which serves two purposes. First, you can buy any style bird you want, which is a more manageable pet in the small apartments where people live, and second, it is where many of the older men bring their birds and sit around and chat. The birds in all the cages was a little sad for me as they had no room to move or fly.
 |
| Crickets to feed the birds |
We next hopped in a taxi which took us to the harbor where we would take a ferry boat over to Hong Kong Island. Hong Kong Island is the financial center of Hong Kong and boasts many, many unique buildings. We then took a huge escalator up the side of the hill and walked through a bit of shops.
 |
| View of Hong Kong Island |
 |
| Ferry Boat Ride |
 |
| Large Escalator |
 |
| City views |
We stopped at a Buddhist temple that was undergoing restoration and smelled to high heaven of incense. It was very interesting inside.
 |
| Alter with offerings |
 |
| People write their wishes on the ribbons |
We then rode the Peak Tram up to the top of Victoria Peak for incredible views of the city and harbor. The views were beautiful, but also a bit smoggy due to the factories located upwind.
The itinerary showed us having lunch at the famous "Jimmy's Kitchen", but after we went in and sat down and looked at the menu, we asked if we could leave as there were only two choices, lamb and duck, and we weren't in the mood for either. We hopped in a taxi which took us down the hill where we stopped and had dim sum for lunch. San walked us around an area that had just been remodeled, and it was cute.
We then got on a double decker bus, which is what they use for public transportation since there are so many people. The buses reminded me of a Harry Potter movie bus. After the bus, we got on the metro and back to our hotel.
After a quick clean up, we met with Greg's former exchange student, Cindy and finally got to meet her husband Cris. They flew in from Manila to spend a day with us. We took the metro to a different area of town for a dim sum and peking duck dinner. The restaurant was beautiful and the food was good. This peking duck was so much better than what we had in Beijing.
Day 12 - This is our last full day on this trip and Greg made arrangements for a food and cultural tour with a guide named Mandy, who was full of energy and a great guide. We told her we wanted to get a feel for the culture, so we hopped on the metro and went to the Shek Kip Mei Public Housing Estate. The buildings were run down, but it felt very safe and were clean on the outside. The apartments only cost residents $300 a month and there is a 5-7 year waiting list to get in them. They are approximately 300 square feet, but people are happy to be able to move there. They have their own little city as there are restaurants, markets and shops. We stopped at the Cha Chaan Teng restaurant and tried their french toast, which was amazingly good. It was big and thick and filled with peanut butter and eggs.
We went through the market, which was horrible as they were selling live fish, frogs, etc. They also sold, which amazed me, paper products for peoples burial. The Chinese don't want to send their loved ones off with nothing, so they make paper money, paper clothing, paper anything that was meaningful to the person and they burn it along with the body and believe it follows them where they go. Very interesting.
Our next trip on the metro would take us to the Nan Lian Garden which houses The Chi Lin Nunnery. The gardens were absolutely beautiful and although we were just next to the city, it was peaceful and quiet.
 |
| My love |
 |
| Interesting contrast with city in the background |
 |
| The Nunnery |
 |
| Playful Greg |
The Buddha statues throughout the buildings were beautiful, but we were not allowed to take pictures. We did see a group of Buddhist nuns, but again, no pictures. In America, families are proud when their children become priests or nuns, but in Hong Kong, it is not the same. Since children are expected to care for their elderly parents, and the nuns give up all contact with their family, they are not seen in the best light.
From this temple, we went to another temple which housed beliefs of Taoism, Buddhism and Confucianism. There was a much different energy here and many more people. When you enter the temple, you must touch the foot of the female lion and when you exit, you touch the foot of the male lion.
Many people praying and giving gifts of incense as well as shaking their bamboo sticks to receive their fortune. We have determined that Greg was born in the year of the snake and Cindy, Cris and I, the pig.
 |
 |
| People praying to Buddha |
 |
| Bamboo sticks shaken for fortune |
 |
| This is the Buddha of wealth |
We stopped for yet another dim sum, which was not my favorite, and then we bid farewell to our guide, and walked Cris and Cindy back to their hotel as they were heading home. Great time and nice visit with them.
This was our last night in Hong Kong and couldn't stomach anymore Chinese food. Off to Pizza Hut for us where we had a chef salad and six cut pizza for $39. Again, wow! We went to the night market, which is a flea market only open once it gets dark. Many stalls filled with trinkets, t-shirts, etc. We bought a small backpack as we had been looking for one anyway. There were also many tables set up where locals were cooking food and serving to anyone interested.
We decided we wanted to see Hong Kong Island lit up at night, so we walked all the way down to the Harbor, while first stopping at Kowloon Park which was right across the street from our hotel. It was around 9:00 and people were swimming, playing tennis, etc. There were statues all over, which we loved.
After a long hike to the harbor and getting bothered by all the people selling fake Rolex watches and Coach purses, we arrived to find a guy making huge bubbles for all the kids and having a blast doing it. There was also more anime lining the street.
The views were pretty, but not as pretty as Shanghai.
We walked back to the hotel, underground through the metro, and packed for our return flight home.
We both loved the trip and will have fond memories in years to come.
Here are a few items we learned:
1) Chinese people never ask another Chinese person how old they are, but instead ask them what zodiac sign they are. They then decide "by their face" whether they are 26, 38, 50, etc.
2) The parents of the groom are expected to put a 30% payment down on the first house their son buys.
3) Many people believe the year of the dragon is the best year to have a child born, so hospitals are overcrowded with births during that year, which occurs every 12 years.
4) Driving in Beijing is a nightmare, and due to the overcrowded roads, license plates are monitored and you can only drive on certain days, dependent upon the last number in your license plate.
5) In Beijing (and maybe other major cities) there is a lottery to determine who can get a car registration every year.
And lastly, here are some other interesting photos that didn't fall anywhere in particular.
 |
| Man taking recycling to center |
 |
| Fish dish |
 |
| Need I write anything? |
 |
| Cell phone....too funny |
 |
| Love different signs |
 |
| Motorcycles and bikes, everywhere |
We arrived home after a long journey to find that the Chalk Bandits (Liz and Deb) had hit our driveway with some great notes for us. Filled our hearts with joy to know that we have such good friends who care.
