Day 6-8: Hons take Beijing

Day 6

4am wake up call. We're like a pack of zombies boarding our bus for the 1.5 hr drive to the airport to catch our 3hr flight to Beijing. 

It's seems like the traveling from one place to another should have been miserable. Actually, it's become part of the great experience. We've been using all the down time to play games, tell stories, listen to the kids get on the mic, tell jokes and riddles and catch up on sleep. It's been pretty awesome to be shuffled from place to place with everyone you love being around and surprisingly easy. The kids are traveling super stars and have found ways to keep each other entertained in every circumstance.

After touch down in Beijing, traffic moving at a snails pace to our hotel in the heart of downtown, we dropped off our bags, went to lunch, then headed to the rick shaws.

Our rick shaws raced each other through the crazy streets of Beijing. Yaelle had a blast laughing and waving at everyone. 

In the news back home it seems like all we hear about is how polluted, crowded and dirty Beijing is. In reality, it's a surprisingly clean city. Ok, there's definitely pollution, but not as bad as I imagined. Being the Capitol of China, it's important for them to keep it extra clean and maintain a good image. After the Olympic Games, the local people learned even more about hygiene and lining up at the bus stop. You really won't see lining up any where else, except Shanghai. It's just not in their culture. You get a first hand experience of it going to the public rest rooms; People just swoop right in front of you even as you're entering the stall. 

In front of the opera house. Discovering new ways to use the iPhone panoramic feature. 

#nofilter. 

Just outside Tiananmen Square. We couldn't go in because the gates were closed. Tiananmen Square is the world's largest central square. Prior to the Tiananmen Square uprising in 1989 (which they don't acknowledge here), everything was controlled by the government -- food, clothes, salary, etc. No one really had courtesy for one another, customer service didn't exist, the mindset was just different. Within a few years after the rebellion things began to change and some salaries increased by more than 500%. The government will never admit it, but it was a wake up call that they needed to make some adjustments. 

The Chinese parliament where the communist party meets (10k members). It was built in 10 months in 1948-49 because they decided they wanted to celebrate some 10 yr anniversary.

Traffic in China is both hilarious and terrifying. Cars don't stop, and if you wait for a break, you may be waiting for hours.

At a Restaruant that has 365 different kinds of dumplings! We blindly tried 14 of them and it was a mostly pleasant surprise every time. 

Ending day 6 with a much needed foot massage. 

Day 7

As always, the day started off with a hearty breakfast buffet and then onto the bus slash our 2nd home. 

Kickin off the day with jokes on the mic. 

First stop, the emperor's summer palace. #groupshot

Tim making his temporary mark with a water brush. 

Making full use of my selfie stick. 

Shobab and the baby attracting crowds of Asian women every where we go. One even tried to take her out of my arms!

Lunch time at the former private residence of one of the princes. We ate a dish here that takes 9 months to prepare. #uneccessary

 Yaelle enjoying the garden. 

Back on the bus for another 45min ride to one of my most anticipated locations, the Great Wall. It was constructed in 221bc by 1M people of the 5M population at the time. It took 10 yrs and is a continuous 5000km long. It is estimated that more than 80% died during the construction of the wall, many of which were simply built over. 

With Papa Hon on the wall. 

Taking a break on these steep ass steps. 

After 500+ steps. We're both so hot and sweaty, terrible choice of clothing. 

After a quick drive-by visit to the Bird's Nest (where the Olympic games were held), we filled our bellies at this famous Peking duck restaurant. Seven stories of private dining rooms that can feed 5,000 people. 

Day 8

For the last activity in Beijing before we had to catch our flight to Shanghai, the Forbidden City was a must. There is a limit of 80,000 visitors per day, and it sells out every morning. Our guide was awesome enough to go super early in the morning to get our tickets so we didn't have to wait in line :)

Walking toward the Forbidden City. Flawless babe. 

All da kids. They have been soooo sweet to Yaelle and have kept her well entertained. She's going to be so bored when she gets home. 

Totally natural group shot ;) The Forbidden city is 1200x the size of the White House, has 8706 rooms, is all wood and was built without hammers or nails. The red color is repainted every 3 years with a mixture of pigs blood,whole wheat floor and dried grass. #skeptical

We love panos. 

Hon girls.  #pano

Ugggh. Stop it. 

Last stop before the airport, our 3 tables at the Yi He Spring Restaruant. We've been eating SO good this trip and this was the best food and service so far...which says a lot. 

Next destination: Shanghai. It feels like I've been traveling forever, but I also don't want it to stop.