I'm not quite sure of the best way to go about sharing and documenting this trip. I'm taking SO many pictures and we're seeing so many incredible things that I'd love to share. If I feel like I'm experiencing China for my younger sisters, nieces and nephews then I suddenly see it through various eyes. I thrill at the art work for Brecklyn, I study the horses at the terra cotta warriors like Adalee, I laugh at the Coocoo cars and mopeds for Landen, and I thrill at all the hats like Dantzel. Hopefully, there's a pictures among the bunch that interest you!

We had ten minutes before the drum tower performance in Beijing to find lunch. Stan set out to find some noodles and settled on this busy corner cafe. Stan got his noodles and Tom and I had dumplings. Both Stan and Tom's were bland, but mine with the chili oil was spicy and filling. Not our favorite meal, but authentic none the less. Traveling with Tom's parents have made us realize two things: That we need to eat regularly, and that we're more foodies than we think. I can't imagine visiting a city without trying out the local cuisine, it just feels like you missed something if you don't. I love peeking in restaurants and analyzing street food. Food is such a huge part of life. I think the way in which people cook, the time they take- or don't take, and the ingredients they use says something about them. We are also running on more youthful metabolisms, and Stan and Pam's pronouncements every morning after breakfast,”I think I'm good for the day!” always shock us! Our protein bars have come in handy!

We by chance happened to visit the Drum tower right before a performance. It was an unexpected surprise, and a highlight of our stay in Beijing. Five drummers create a dynamic and energetic performance that resonated through the tower. The steps up to the tower were the steepest I've ever experienced, save perhaps for the next day on the Great Wall, where there was a section with similarly high and steep stairs.

The Beijing International Airport was astonishingly beautiful, and wait for it, HUGE! We were all super impressed by the cleanliness and newness, as well as the architectural beauty of the international airport and metro in Beijing. I was reminded of Farid Zakaria's book “The Post-American World,” and Thomas Friedman's “The World is Flat.” I haven't seen an airport or subway system in America that comes close to the sophistication and beauty of those in Beijing. One tour guide said they are building a new line every month! It's pretty astounding.

Shopping areas like this are plentiful across Beijing, we just kept coming upon them. We had our first real chinese meal here, Peking duck, vegetable dumplings and broccoli with mushrooms. Everything was scruptious. I didn't realize you eat Peking duck in a little crepe. You dip a few pieces of sliced duck in a scrumptious sauce, place them on a thin tortilla/crepe with a few thin slivers of cucumber and some onion-family item, roll it up and eat it. It's lovely. The dumplings were most and flavorful, but the broccoli and mushrooms won my heart- so juicy and delicious.

This is the Houhai section of town, known for it's many bars and vibrant night life, we walked through it by chance. It's evident that anytime the chinese realize that something or someplace attracts tourists it immediately jumps on it, and builds it up. Such is the case here. The historic hutongs were renovated updated and turned into a tourist trap. China feels like capitalism on steroids.

We rode a rickshaw through “Old Beijing” a collection of hutongs near the Drum and Bell Towers. It felt very strange to have a man pulling us as he strained on his bike. As part of the tour the drivers stopped at a local home so you could see what they looked like inside. There was an American tour group there at the same time who was having a special visit from a famous cricket fighter. The guy was hilarious, and it was fun to get a sense for what a small tour groups would have been like.

There was a lot of beautiful symbolism at the Temple of Heaven. The square base represents Earth, and the circular temple, heaven. The coloring was bright with a vibrant blue dominating. We enjoyed hearing the effects in the Echo wall, and the Resonance created on the Mound of Heavenly Peace. It was wild, when you stand on that piece of granite the sound rises up around you. The Emperor would come here and worship, and it was believed that by standing here he could better communicate with the gods. The effect however, is not heard by those standing around you.

We saw all this on our first day in Beijing. It was a VERY full day, and we were all exhausted and blistered when we were done. We rode buses, a rickshaw, a subway, and did LOTS of walking. We figured we might as well take advantage of our enthusiasm when it was fresh!