Beijing and the Great Wall

CHINA DAY 2: Transfer to Beijing…
Today we woke up in Shanghai and flew to Beijing for our real exploration.  We checked into our ‘fashion suite’ at Kapok Hotel right by the Forbidden City and were so excited about how perfect the hotel turned out!  We grabbed dinner right across the street at a local restaurant and had the best sweet and spicy peanut chicken ever!! We even went back another night it was so good!  Then, we headed to an acrobat show that our hotel booked for us.  We ended up sitting right in the center of the 5th row and had a great view of these AMAZING tricks.  Tiny little girls were thrown around like dolls and ladies piled on bicycles 10 at a time! Men jumped through 7 foot tall hoops and climbed 30 foot poles like they had sticky feet!  The experience was like Cirque de Soliel!!  We all kept gasping amazed at what they could do.  Exhausted and tired we headed in early that night for a big day the next day!

CHINA DAY 3:
Saw one of the eight great Wonders of the World today!!  Our morning started early with a stop at the quick-mart across from the hotel for some Oreos and packaged croissants for breakfast. We met our tour guide, Will, and headed out to our first stop of the day- The Ming Tomb.  This huge tomb was perfectly positioned with the best Feng Chui possible- a mountain protecting the back and a lake in the front.  There were gorgeous views from every angle.  We made our way to a Jade Factory where we learned about the different types of Jade, how to tell if its fake, and the very detailed process of carving.  For lunch we had the largest assortment yet… luckily our guide ate with us and was able to tell us what everything was.  Over lunch we spoke about family structure, taxes, sustainability, work, and much more.  Full from lunch, we made our way to a Cloisonné pottery factory and learned about the multiple steps involved in making this gorgeous art.  Finally, we made it to the Great Wall.  We toured a section that was higher up in the mountains and less trafficked by tourists.  There were very few other people when we were there and there was snow all around.  Luckily, we came prepared with hand warmers, gloves, multiple jackets, and hats to layer throughout the day. The Great Wall was truly spectacular.  It continued on as far as the eye could see and was so grand.  We hiked to highest point and took spectacular photos.  The whole way, our guide told us about the history and significance of the wall.  It was a fantastic day and a tiring one.  After returning from our full day, we tried a Beijing delicacy for dinner- Hot Pot.  Truthfully, it was disgusting.  The waitress forced us into ordering the most expensive preset meal and was not polite in the slightest.  Hot Pot is like the Chinese Fondue.  You cook your individual bite in the hot water piece by piece.  The jellyfish heads, mysterious goop, and tofu didn’t quite do it for us so we cooked the raw meet and left for a true American dinner- McDonalds French fries and ice cream cones!  To salvage our night we went to a popular evening area in Beijing to see the crowd and enjoy a drink.  This bar area surrounded a frozen lake and was glowing with holiday lights on every traditional style building.  Locals were out playing games and fireworks were going in every direction for the New Year.  The girls and I found a great piano bar and enjoyed a bottle of wine to end the long day.