Beijing Impressions

It was amazing to land in Beijing. We traveled on Hainan Air direct from Seattle to Beijing. Bapa Pete kindly dropped us off with our 4 rolling duffles and we were on our way. The flight was delayed by an hour so we were there 4 hours early instead of 3 but we passed the time having a good meal and settling in to travel mode.

Hainan Air economy class was great. We had a whole row with Minlan's empty seat so the boys were able to stretch out and sleep for the last two hours of the almost 12 hour flight. Mom slept a little but Thom and I just couldn't sleep. By the end, I think it was 3:20 in the AM, our time, and we were appalled that we couldn't get ourselves to rest. Oh, well.

We were met at the airport by our fantastic guide Lee from Beijing Xin Hua tours (tours@tour-beijing.com). I found the company through reviews on Trip Advisor and it really paid off. She was amazing. She took us to our comfy Mercedes van driven expertly by Mr. Zhang and we entered the suburbs of Beijing on our way to the city center. The city is laid out just like the city of Moscow, Russia with the main cultural and historical wonders at the center and multiple giant Ring Roads encircling the city and going out from the center.

Our hotel, the Marriott Beijing City Wall was glorious. Right next to an old section of the former city wall that has been preserved but amongst all kinds of modern buildings. The hotel was constructed or updated for the 2008 Olympics. A five star hotel in China costs what a standard Marriott does in the US.

In Beijing, we had an amazing day with Guide Lee and Driver Mr. Zhang. While he drove like a very safe version of James Bond, Lee taught us a great deal about the culture and history of China. We took a cable car up to the Mutianyu portion of the Great Wall and walked from that Watchtower to one much farther along the wall. The boys were enthralled and Mom was a trooper. She showed everyone what a person with low vision is capable of as she braved the very uneven and often steep terrain of the wall. Lee and Thom physically guided Mom along the whole way and she went well beyond the duties of a guide. We were so grateful to work with her. Mom wants her to join the family!

I can hardly express how phenomenal it was to actually be on the wall after dreaming of and planning this trip for so long. I kept looking and thinking that it was definitely even more impressive and crazy than I could have ever imagined. It is this huge stone/brick raised roadway on the tippy top rims of undulating mountain peaks way out in the country. Just fantastic to be there. We thanked Lulu for getting us there because we wouldn't have been there if we weren't on our way to adopt her.

We got to drive individual toboggans down the mountainside. Mom was terrified at the idea but did it anyway and loved it. Quin had to ride with me due to his age and I had to keep reminding him that the "slow" signs meant he had to use the brake a bit. He just wanted to read the "lean into corner" signs.

After the Great Wall, we went to lunch and toured a cloisonné factory owned by the government. The lunch was great for the grown-ups and fine for the kids. The factory was an added benefit to not knowing where the restroom was and me accidentally finding the beginning of the tour. Lee said we had time to take it and we got to see some artists at work and purchase a few lovely items.

Afterward, we toured the Summer Palace and saw Kunming Lake, the dragon boats, the marble boat, the 8000 paintings of the long corridor, and the area in which the last emperor was imprisoned for 10 years. We felt like movie stars because people kept coming up to us and asking to take their picture with us because we were so tall and the only non-Asians in a huge area packed with people. People also decided that Dec and Quin must be twins. I heard the word "gao" so many times, I knew it must be the word for tall. Not sure what else was said but it seemed to make a lot of people happy to take our photos with them, their kids, their mother, their aunt, etc.

After a very full day, we had dinner at the hotel and collapsed into our beds.

Today we flew from Beijing to Guilin. This is Minlan's birthplace and likely her current home. We are staying at a tiny Inn on the River called Guilin Riverside Inn. I wanted us to experience a bit more of China than just the isolated fancy hotels. Not to knock their comfort and style but this is lovely and much simpler. For perspective, I'd also like to share that the Inn costs 1/6th what the Marriot cost for our two rooms. Our entire dinner for five tonight cost the price of one room service entree at the Marriott.

This city is vibrant, hot as heck, and bustling with life amongst gorgeous bright green almost pointed slender mountains that rise straight out of the ground but with a small base. hopefully I can post some photos soon. The natural landscape is spectacular.

Tomorrow we will see Yao Mountain, learn about tea making, go to Seven Star Park and see Pandas, and visit Minlan's finding place. Oh, and we have some shopping plans too.

More tomorrow. I can hardly believe we are here and will meet Minlan 4 days from now. It feels like a long time right now but it is nothing compared to the forever we are looking forward to.

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