China - Part 1

In June, I wrote a blog post about preparing to travel internationally.  I was in the throes of preparing for our family's upcoming and long awaited trip to China.  We have now returned from that trip and I wanted to share a few highlights with you.

We began our tour in Beijing where we spent 3 days touring different sites.

Day 1 - Temple Of Heaven

 followed by a Kung Fu Show in the evening.

Day 2 was quite wet and dreary but we still managed to see some great sites.  We began in Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City in deluge of rain and a sea of umbrellas. (Some of our clothes from that day were still wet when we returned home over 10 days later!)

Thankfully, the afternoon got a little drier as we had rickshaw rides and ate dinner in a local family's home.

According to our tour guide, the  three "must do's" of visiting Beijing are visiting Tiananmen Square and Forbidden City,  climbing the Great Wall and having Peking Duck dinner.  On Day 3, we completed that list!

On Day 4 we flew to Xi'an and went to see the Terra Cotta Warriors.

It was also my birthday and our tour guides special ordered my dinner - Longevity Noodle Soup to ensure my long and happy life.  It was delicious!!

On Day 5 we visited the Ancient Wall of Xi'an before catching our train to our next destination.

I walked along the wall and enjoyed the sights.  I especially liked observing this dance class in the park below the wall.

The rest of my family opted for a bike ride.  One on a tandem with a friend, the other 2 riding solo.

As you can see in the title this is only Part 1.  You'll have to check back next week for Part 2 You won't want to miss it.  There are  PANDAS and a River Cruise in beautiful China as well as some interesting sights of life in China.