Rickshaw Racing in Beijing

Monday, June 20.

We just wrapped up our first tour day in Beijing and are, quite simply, having a blast!

I started a bit earlier than planned this morning - it is a tricky adjustment to swap day and night and my circadian rhythm just wasn't having it. I woke up every hour and finally, at about 3:45am, gave it up and got out of bed. Those of you who know Flying Sparrow will be shocked to learn that she was wide awake before 5. At 6:15 the girls and I woke up the only person who never seems to have an issue sleeping (T), and made him take us to breakfast.

The hotel has an amazing breakfast spread - both American and Chinese cuisine and we happily mixed the two. It was such a great moment when Spring Flowr decided to try the congee - it was her absolute favorite thing when we adopted her at nine months old. And she still loves it! We also spent breakfast scoping out some of the other travel families - who are just as conspicuous as we are. 

 

At 8am we all officially met one another before boarding the ever-present mode of transportation for foreigners in China - the minibus. To be honest, it's really nice to able to surrender all control on this trip. We are told when and where to be and the fabulous guides in Beijing take care of everything else. 

So after a worry-free drive through downtown Beijing rush hour, we arrived at Temple of Heaven Park. As advertised, Beijing in late June is hot and humid but I think we fared much better than most of our other group members who are from places like Seattle and Chicago. This heat and humidity feels just like home! We even had some limited sunshine as well - a rarity. 

Temple of Heaven park is immense, beautiful, and steeped in incredible history. There are quiet breezy, shady walkways where people gather to do tai chi or play hackysack or dance - and then there are the main tourist areas with iconic structures like the Imperial Vault of Heaven and the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, which we were fortunate enough to photograph ourselves in front of this morning.

 

After the tour wrapped up we hopped back on our bus and were taken to a fabulous restaurant for a banquet style lunch that included, of course, Peking Duck. The food was amazing and we all tried everything. One of the best things about the lunch was that the girls (there were 12) all decided to have a "kids' table" to themselves. It was so darned cool to see them all getting to know each other a little. And while they have something fairly significant in common, they are all pretty typical teenagers who have to work at "putting themselves out there."

 

Our next stop was a silk production facility where we got a really great look at how silk is produced - complete with real live silkworms doing their work and with machinery that subsequently spun the thin cocoon fibers into silk. The only downside - and this is fairly typical in China - is that after the great tour, they basically dump you into a big showroom where you are encouraged (not by the guides but by the silk folks) to purchase merchandise. Though now that I think about it, it's not unlike Busch Gardens where the best rides make you exit through the gift shop. For the record, the girls and I bought nothing while T purchased a snazzy new shirt. 

Next it was back onto the bus to head to the north side of the side and the Hutong area. Historically Beijing neighborhoods were set up as Hutongs - networks of crowded lanes and alleys that open into family courtyards and so forth. Now there aren't many Hutongs left but those that are are protected as historical sights. The families who live there allow tourists to basically wander in and out of the courtyards. Super cool. 

I forgot to mention that going back and forth from the Hutongs involved a fairly fabulous rickshaw ride. It may sound corny and the girls were concerned about someone pedaling them around (they felt bad) but the rickshaw drivers were hilarious and seemed to have fun racing each other. As a passenger you have zero control over your speed, but it was fun to pass others from the group as your driver dodged cars, mopeds, and other rickshaws to try to take the lead. The girls LOVED it and honestly T and I did too. We got to see some gorgeous areas of the city, including Qianhai Lake. 

Afterwards our hermetically sealed bus drove right back to the entrance of our hotel. Again - as much as I like to plan trips, there is definitely something to be said for this method. Now we are all fighting off the temptation to nap and about to head back to the shopping area to look for bargains and stay awake. 

Tomorrow is a big day - the Great Wall! Other than the girls' orphanage visits, this is what I have most looked forward to.