I can’t tell you how great it was to have a private tour bus to our selves for the entirety of our trip. It was perfect for the three little ones. They enjoyed coloring, playing, snacking and even on occasion napping on our tour bus.
Stopping to take one last picture before attempting to climb the Great Wall of China. You can see the wall in the background. Doesn’t look too intimidating, right?
We visited the Badaling portion located about 45 min. outside of Beijing. It’s one of the most well maintained portions of the wall restored to it’s original Ming appearance in 1957.
Halfway there! And still lots of climbing ahead.
The Unibomber visits China on his Daddy’s back...just kidding! That boy is too sweet to ever be compared to the Unabomber. He may have looked silly, but at least he stayed toasty.
Okay, this has to be one of the funniest pictures I’ve ever seen. How many women do you know who decide to go climb the Great Wall of China when they’re 7.5 months pregnant? We joked that at least she could tell their baby boy he’s been to the Great Wall of China…even if it was in utero.
I like this picture…it gives you a pretty clear idea of exactly how high we climbed (did I mention we each had a baby strapped to our back?).
Isn’t this view breathtaking? You would think we were high above the Earth in a helicopter to get a view like this, but we weren’t, we had actually climbed to this height!
King of the hill. First (along with Kevin and a couple dozen other tourists) to reach the top.
Our little family on top of the Great Wall of China!
How wonderful that we got to experience one of the 7 Wonders of the World with such dear friends. I’m sure neither family will ever forget this trip.I think the kiddos got the best end of this deal. They got to see the Great Wall of China from the comfort of their parent’s backs. Sterling rode on Michael’s back, Ella on mine and Evie on her Daddy’s back (Sarah carried baby Collin in her tummy…I think she got the next to best deal to being carried on a back).
Isn't this little boy just precious? This morning we woke up to the sickening thump and scream of this baby falling out of the pack-n-play. I guess we under estimated how tall he's gotten, and what a good climber he is. He managed to fall head first onto the hotel room floor. Poor thing...he regreted that decision. He was actually shaking when I grabbed him off the floor. Not such a nice way to start the day! Luckily he avoided any goose eggs or bruises.
Just another picture of our family on the Great Wall of China. Hey, if you’re going to visit something as monumental as the Great Wall, you have to expect a picture overload, right?
After a nice little trip up the wall, Evie, Sterling and Ella got out of their carriers long enough to run a few laps and pose for a few pictures. What lucky little travelers these three are to have such good friends to accompany them around the world!
We stopped at a government owned jade factory where we were given a tour and saw the process involved in making jade jewelry and decorations. Interesting little fact…white jade comes from the mountains surrounding Beijing.
Ella’s still working to use chopsticks.
Sterling on the other hand has different idea about how chopsticks should be used…as drumsticks!
We saw the Beijing Olympic stadium, home of the 2008 Summer Olympic games.
After our long climb up the Great Wall, it was decided we would postpone touring the Forbidden City and instead take a rickshaw ride through the Hutong neighborhood of Seoul. Yes Mom, I rode in a rickshaw, aren’t you impressed?
The rickshaw was…well…interesting. First off, it was really, really cold and the sun was starting to go down. Secondly, I felt really, really bad for our rickshaw driver (or should I say dragger?). Admittedly, it was nice to be literally carried from one place to the next. We got to take in a lot of the back Lakes area this way. We would ride for a ways, then stop and get off to look around. Like I said, it was interesting.
Exploring the Back Lakes (Shicha Hai) of Beijing and its Hutong village was a real treat. The Hutong is an intricate network of homes located in the Back Lakes that you could easily get lost and never be found in. The alleyways between these tiny living quarters are often tight spaces sometimes no bigger than 20 in. wide. I don’t mean to sound degrading, but it reminded me of a rat maze. The rickshaws carried us to various places in the neighborhood where we could stop to get off and walk around. It is an incredibly beautiful and old neighborhood dating back to a time when the waterways were used to bring lumber to the Forbidden City.
We were lucky enough to visit two families’ homes in the Hutong. The first home we visited was really beautiful. All the kids were really excited to see the little finches in the corner. Who cares I we’re in Beijing? We could’ve taken them to a pet store and they would’ve been just as happy! Sheesh.
Enamored with the birdies.
The second home we visited wasn’t nearly as beautiful, but the residents were extremely gracious and served us tea and treats for the kiddies.
Ella fell asleep on my back during our ride, but Sterling had a great time. He thought this whole rickshaw idea was quite fun. Neither Michael nor myself could believe he enjoyed it as much as he did…it was freezing!
I think Eve and Sterling had the best view of the Back Lakes from atop their Daddy’s shoulders.
The lake this area is known for. As I mentioned, prior to the fall of the last Emperor these waterways were used to transport lumber to the Forbidden City.
There was lots of shopping to be had in the Back Lakes. I think Sarah and I were both a little dismayed we weren’t able to browse through all the different stores we passed. I did get to buy some Lichee tea and a beautiful tea set while we were there.
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