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China Family Holiday Beijing
Author: Terri Berk
The last and final leg of our A&K China Family Holiday was bitter sweet for me. I was excited to finally see Beijing but I also know that the end was near. Arriving in Beijing early evening, our guide took some of us for a walk through the nightlife in the Dongcheng district of Beijing. The street felt alive and bustling with people and activity. If dinners was our interest there were open aired food venders selling skewers of chicken, fish, and pork. But by far the most interesting sights were the deep fried skewers of scorpion, silkworm cocoon, and sea horse.
As hard as it was, we passed on these delectable treats and instead chose dinner at a restaurant that was a little less exotic for our first night in Beijing. We started the first full day with a visit to Tiananmen Square. It was the perfect location for our group Photo op. and then off to see the Forbidden City. The Forbidden City was designed to be the center of the ancient walled city of Beijing. Later we were able to relax with a Pedi-cab ride through the Hutong district. Many of Beijing’s ancient hutongs still stand, and a number of them have been designated protected areas. The older neighborhoods surviving today offer a glimpse of life in the capital city as it has been for generations.
Our late afternoon would not have been complete with out the option to do some bargain shopping at the Hong Qiao Pearl and Wholesale market. Up early and on the road for our second and final day in China, we started at The Temple of Heaven. Our group learned a few steps of Tia Chi and then we were at our leisure to stroll around the grounds and watched as others exercised and even partake in these miscellaneous activities. Back on the bus and off to see the most impressive site in all of China, The Great Wall of China. After driving approximately 45 minutes, and taking a cable car, we walked up to a viewing area where we were able to take photos of this historical site. Finally my family and I were off to walk the Great Wall. As we were walking all the while we were all commenting, “when would we ever have the opportunity to this again”? Knowing the historical nature of its existence we felt we entered in the past. Feeling the intensity of the labor involved in its resurrection we were sweating with each step, not to mention the incredible heat and humidity. We walked as far as our feet would take us, or as in my case, my daughter was willing to walk. Then back to the viewing point, down the cable car through the relentless peddlers pushing their wears and all the way to our bus for the long ride back. We stopped for one last photo opportunity, the National Stadium and Aquatic Center fondly known as Bird’s Nest and the Water Cube. From there we road back to our hotel, readied ourselves and went to the farewell dinner
September 22nd, 2008 at 12:42 pm
Beijing was out of bound for new tourist visas because of olympics. Now i can plan a trip for next year. Any ideas and blogs will be helpful how to travel and where to stay in Beijing.
Debra
Houston