The Great Wall: Mutianyu

So we headed out this morning to the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall.  And if I could sum up today with one word, it would be AWESOME.  We met up with our guide Grace and the Howard family from Texas.  Caleb hit it off right away with their youngest son, Nate, who is 7 1/2 years old.  All four boys were pretty great, if you ask me.  So were Jenna and Mark, as the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.  

We had a great time chatting on the drive out to Mutianyu.  This section of the Great Wall is known for having a cable car ride up and a toboggan slide going down.  It did not disappoint!  In fact, when we reached the bottom, Madeline asked if she could go again, as if it were a ride at Disney. lol  Sorry honey.  I wish it was that easy.  Having been to the Badaling section of the wall 5 years ago, we can easily say that this section was far better.  Not only was it not crowded (perhaps due to the longer drive from the city center), but there were far less vendors selling their stuff along the wall.  AND the toboggan was such a huge hit!  This is definitely the section of the Great Wall to see, if you're planning a future trip.  

Anyway, we also had the chance to stop by a cloisonne factory on the drive back to the hotel.  Patrick has been asking to "go back" ever since we went to one 5 1/2 years ago.  Needless to say, he enjoyed shopping.  lol We picked up a few small pieces for the kids before heading back.

Today's photos are pretty self explanatory, except at the very end.

Enjoy!

 No, you're not seeing things.  I took this shot straight on. The steps really were that slanted.  And no, we didn't climb them. lol

In these last two shots at the cloisonne factory, you can see how the copper is applied to the pieces and the pigment is added.

Beihai Park

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, we wanted to see Beihai Park on our "free day."  We headed out around 9:30am.  There is a subway station is right outside our hotel.  The concierge told us it would be 5 stops.  Easy enough.  And it really was.  Everything is written in Chinese and English.  We were able to purchase our tickets with no problem, and a nice Chinese man from Toronto helped us make it through the turnstiles and confirmed we would get off in 5 stops.

It was about a 20 minute walk north from the subway station to Beihai Park.

We walked through the hutongs.  It was lovely.  The air was cool (though smoggy), and the streets were tree lined. Since we knew we would be walking a lot, Patrick carried Madeline in one of our carriers for a bit.

We finally arrived and purchased our entrance tickets.  Caleb couldn't get over how many people ride their bikes or scooters.

Our first stop was Jade Island, where the White Dagoba is located.

We made our way through the Yong'An Temple to the top.

There were a lot of steps to climb.  And if you look closely, you can see the dumplings reactions to another set of steps.

We made it to the top where some small cannons were, and they pretended they were Izzy and Jake from Jake and the Neverland Pirates.

Then it was time to head back down.

Patrick wanted to rent a boat.  Thankfully they had both power boats and peddle boats.  We opted for power.  Caleb and Madeline had fun taking turns driving the boat.  There was a nice breeze out there, and it gave our legs a rest.

After our boat ride, we decided to get some lunch overlooking the lake. It was lovely to sit outside and watch the boaters go by.  The bird watching was fun too, until they wanted to poop on me.  They did that twice.  Seriously, what are the odds of being pooped on twice?  Patrick switched seats with me and put on his hat.  Lunch was delicious!  We had fried chicken, shredded pork, and schezuan chicken.  I tried some fried milk too, a bit sweet but fine.

After lunch, we headed toward the north gate of the park.

The walk around the lake was covered in trees. We really enjoyed it.

We eventually made our way to the Nine Dragon Wall.

Then it was time to head back south around the other side of the lake.

There are people dancing everywhere.  Madeline had been asking Caleb to dance with her since we first entered the park.  He's a bit shy and kept declining.  But eventually, he agreed.  It was the cutest thing ever!

Fortunately, we were able to take a ferry back to Jade Island near the Five Dragon Pavillion.  Otherwise, it would've been a much longer walk.

It was another 20 minute walk back to the subway station.  The hutongs were more crowded in the afternoon.  We actually passed right by a school as it let out.  I had "what ifs" flash before me.  Madeline and Caleb could've been one of these kids if God didn't have other plans for them.  We stopped to get some more drinks and lollipops for the kids.  The lady tried to rip Patrick off, but he wasn't fooled.

We finally made it back to the hotel around 4:00pm. We were spent, but the dumplings really wanted to swim.  So we ventured down to the pool.  Let's just say the water temperature isn't quite what it is at home.  They swam for a little bit, and I was thankful we didn't have to purchase swim caps for them.  We headed back up to the room to wash up.  Patrick ventured out for some dinner and to find Madeline some sneakers.  Yep, we left her sneakers at home.  Since our hotel is so close to the Silk Market, he headed over there and picked her up a pair.  When he returned, she was asleep on the bed.  It was an early night for everyone!

Another family with our agency arrived yesterday.  We were originally told that we would tour the Forbidden City today, but when our guide called, she mentioned the Great Wall.  So I guess we'll soon find out where we're actually going. lol

Summer Palace

 Mornings in China start off early, and yesterday was no different.  The sun rises around 4:30am, so there's no convincing little ones to go back to sleep for another hour or two.  They're itching for the breakfast buffet to start at 6:00am. So cookies and chips from the day before hold them over until breakfast service begins.

After breakfast, we met our guide, Min An, in the hotel lobby.  It was a nice drive over to the Summer Palace.  We stopped by a pearl shop to look around and use the facilities because they're cleaner there than at the Summer Palace (Madeline and I experienced that truth first hand.)  We entered through the East Gate and exited a little further south near the Seventeen arches bridge.  We passed by the Hall of Longevity and Benevolence and walked along the Painted Corridor.

It was a little hot for the dumplings, so we picked up a hat for Caleb and an umbrella for Madeline.  Personally, I thought the weather was beautiful.  The rain that fell for a few days prior to our arrival took with it all the humidity.  It was crisp and pleasant to walk around.

 The Long Corridor, or painted corridor, has over 14,000 paintings.  It's truly amazing.  Along the corridor are four pavillions, one for each season.

 We stopped for some hot dogs on a stick and popcorn.

 In the center of the Summer Palace is Kunming Lake.  We took a boat across it.

 On our way back to the hotel, our driver took us past the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube where some the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic events were held.  Our hotel has this little manmade stream running through it.  So Caleb and Madeline like to look out at the fish swimming as we make our way back to our room.

 I stayed back with the kids as Patrick walked around to find some lunch.  He picked up some rice and noodle dishes that were a big hit.  The kids also thought it was fun to pretend drinking tea in the cups provided in our room.

 Eventually the food and the time zone caught up with them, and they laid down for a little nap.

Today is a free day for us, nothing scheduled.  When we were here 5 years ago, we ventured over to Beihai Park with some of our travel group but without a guide.  So we'd like to do that again.  This time, though, we are going to take the subway.  We are really enjoying our time here together as a family.  China is so exciting and always an adventure!