We all love Beijing. And while the sights have been remarkable, we also just really enjoyed being part of this city for a few days. There's just this cool vibe in the city and the people are super eclectic and proud. I could people watch here all day. Every time we ride the bus around the city I just lean my head against the window and take in people going about their daily lives. It's endlessly entertaining for me.
This morning we did a whirlwind tour of Tiananmen Square before moving on to tackle the Forbidden City. Again, one of those deja vu moments when you encounter something in person that you have read about or seen photos of for your entire life. Unreal.
The day started out a bit overcast, which made for our most comfortable day of sightseeing this week - but after the sun popped out the full heat and humidity returned. Regardless, nothing could take away from the grandeur and incredible history of the Forbidden City. When I get home I can't wait to watch "The Last Emperor" again. The only movie ever allowed to film in the Forbidden City.
The downside of today is that the other families are already on the bullet train to Xi'an so we had to say goodbye to them for a few days - and have already said goodbye to two families who are wrapping up and heading home. Originally we were scheduled to go to Xi'an today but had to shift things around because Spring Flower's orphanage won't allow us to visit on a weekend. So - we will be hopping a flight to Fuzhou at 8 tonight instead. I think it will be a late night as we don't land in Fuzhou until close to 11pm and I recall the drive to the hotel taking about an hour. So if we are lucky, we will be in bed by 1am. And we are still having trouble staying awake past 8!
Tomorrow morning we hope to have a few minutes to visit the 12th floor of our hotel, which is the exact spot where Spring Flower was placed in our arms nearly 14 years ago. Then we will hop on a bullet train to visit her orphanage and hometown in Nanping. I'm not sure I'm ready for the inevitable wave of emotions but I need to get it together to be on hand for anything Spring Flower needs tomorrow - whether it's helping her deal with her own emotions or just letting her act like it's no big deal. She gets to call the shots.
That's it for today - just spending a few quiet hours in our hotel before going back on the move. We hope our other travel families are having a blast on the train to Xi'an and maybe Henry is regaling them again with his version of Chinese rap!
1 comment:
I'm reliving our trip and loving it.
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