Dec

4

Day 2, Beijing, Tomorrow is Gotcha Day

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6:30am Beijing, China. Our alarm clock and wake up call came too soon we were wiped out. Somehow we managed to toss a few things in the back pack, shower and make it for breakfast before we had to get on the bus. We met our guide Kelly and Mike in the front lobby of our hotel and then boarded the bus to Tien Amen Square. We weren’t hallucinating last night these people were crazy on the roads. Mike gave us some background on the history of Beijing, China, the Chinese people and the Chinese way of life. Once we got to Tien Amen Square we were under siege from street vendors selling everything from postcards to 2008 Olympic hats and tee shirts. We stuck out like tourist taking pictures and walking in circles swarming Mike when he spoke. Basically the impression we got was that Tien Amen Square was a big concrete square with monuments. We asked where the tank was stopped in the square and Mike either didn’t want to talk about it or it wasn’t common knowledge to the Chinese people. Either way he was kind of evasive about it. We got a group photo in front of the Forbidden City. Then we walked under the road and to the entrance of the Forbidden City. Wow it was good to be the Emperor. The Forbidden City is huge. As we walked through we noticed that there were a lot of renovations being done to the buildings. The entire facility was open to the elements and it was taking a toll on the small detail work of the buildings. The Forbidden City seemed to just keep going on and on and on. Before we got to the Emperors quarters we passed a 5 star toilet. Apparently the Chinese rate their toilets and the 5 stars are the best. The Emperor’s quarters weren’t what we had expected. I expected something large and grand but it was small and cozy. The Emperor’s garden was very pretty even in December. There were rock gardens and 400 year old trees in the garden. Then we exited the back gates and got back on the bus to the Great Wall. Along the way we stopped at something called the Friendship Store. The Friendship Store is a government run store where the quality is guaranteed and the price is expensive. If we knew then what we know now I don’t think we would have purchased anything there. We did eat there and the food was really good. Try the fish it’s actually good. Oh and savor the drink that they give you because that’s all you get (I think it was about an 8oz drink, I had Coke). Once we were done eating the shopping frenzy began. We got pearls and a few Chinese outfits for Morgan (we had to guess on size). Then we piled back into the bus and then off to the Great Wall. You could see the effort being made to reduce the wind and erosion problem on the land. There were rows and rows of trees planted maybe a year ago. Once out of the city the landscape was kind of stark and since it was winter everything was light brown in color. Don’t get me wrong it was still pretty but I wasn’t used to the lack of trees (I think it was just me). When we drove up to the Great Wall it was impressive and we only saw a very small portion of it. Becky and I climbed about half way up to the second tower and that was all the further I was going to go. About half way up we were agreeing that we should have exercised and got in shape for this trip. I thought that if the Chinese could only get their enemies to climb this section of the wall there would be nothing to worry about China would crush them. I guess if they were being attacked by some overweight almost middle aged guys that plan would work. Some of our group, I think went all the way up to the top but I still haven’t seen pictures yet. Next time follow your guide. There is a stone monument on the wall that is about 100 yards from the start point where Chairman Mao said something like if you pass this point you’re a Chinese hero. The guides didn’t go much farther past the marker (guides are smart, tourist are not). We did get some great photos so I can’t complain too much. Once we got down the wall we staggered to the bus for some rest. Once the majority of our group was in the bus our guide dropped a bomb on us. Kelly our guide told us that we would be getting our babies the next day. That caught all of us by surprise since we all thought we would have a day to get ready for our girls. Don’t get me wrong I don’t think any of us were disappointed just pleasantly shocked. The bus ride back to the hotel Becky clenched my arm excited that we would get Morgan a day earlier than expected as I thought oh crap this is really happening. The reoccurring thoughts that I’m going to be someone’s Dad scared me, I didn’t want to screw it up. When we got back to the hotel we went to a grocery store across the street from the hotel. It was kind of like a Mom & Pop store except that there was someone to help you at every row. We were more of a curiosity than anything else the cashiers acted like it was an event that they got to wait on the Americans. Hey I was beginning to feel like a Rock Star or a known shoplifter. Every move we made was watched. It was great we were still in the “hey were in China” frame of mind and just didn’t care about anything else. Anything could have happened and we would have thought that’s the way it is in China. Anyway we got back to the hotel and posted another email. Then to the room where we ate snacks and got things ready for the flight to Nanchang. I tried our voltage converter and fried the surge suppressor and tripped the breaker in the room. It took me a while to get up the nerve to try the voltage adapter again. Note: Don’t use a surge suppressor with the voltage adapter. I thought I would be extra protected, wrong! Fortunately I didn’t have anything else plugged in to my contraption. Oh, the beds at the Sino Swiss were nice the comforter was the bed sheets and blanket in one, very cool and comfortable. We went to bed late that night dreaming of Gotcha Day.
Post #2 from China, Having Fun in Beijing!
Hey Y’all! Today we toured/walked through and on T’ien Amen Square, The Forbidden City and the Great Wall. LaWanna “It’s a wall”. We understand that comment now. We are wiped out. The weather was super, clear and cold. We had a great guide and really enjoyed the day. We got some really good pictures and realized that we are quickly running out of memory for our digital camera. We took about 200 photos. Oh, to all the SCDOT people, Becky should have some new ideas about driving and driving habits. These people are nuts on the road, but it seems to work for them. They’re going in every direction, merging from everywhere and are polite about it. The lane lines are meaningless!! The food is not as bad as we expected, actually it has been pretty good. At dinner last night, Becky order a pot of tea only to find out it cost $10 US dollars. We quickly got money lessons after that! Ready for some big news? We just found out today that in less than 24 hrs we will get Morgan. Our first response was, “Oh my God!”. We were expecting to get her Monday. So now the scramble is on to get everything ready for Morgan’s arrival. I can’t guarantee that we will post tomorrow because we expect our day to be busy becoming parents and saying “What the hell do I do now??” We are still wiped out so if this post sounds funny we are really tired. Kim, we met Cindy last night at the airport and gave her the photos which she appreciated. Kelly is our official guide for Great Wall. We miss all of you all, but rest assured, we are having a GREAT time. Our group has a lot of really nice families and we are enjoying every minute. Again, Auntie M, please call mom and dad. We’ll post again as soon as possible.
Love to All!
Pete and Becky