Ahh.... Beijing!

Ok, I'm going to start out by saying that today was AMAZING! We spent all day going around Beijing, and it was MARVELOUS! Seriously, I could live here (that is, if I didn't have so many awesome friends back home who would be very upset with me if I forgot to return back to ol' Greeley). Just a warning, this post shall be long.

The Food

This is probably the dullest of the subjects, but it is the tastiest (Katrina, you can tell your dad that I still haven't had any cheese... sad, huh?). But for breakfast, our hotel had its continental breakfast- it had everything from Danish pastries to yogurt; just about any breakfast food that you can think of, they had. I must say, it was delicious!
For lunch, we were taken to some Chinese restaurant. If you ever want to get fat, China is the place to go! We were given these little tiny plates, but then they brought the food and place it on your table. There were like 10 different plates of food to choose from!!! And the amount on those plates were A LOT!

First stop: Tiananmen Square

This place is HUGE!!! Our guide said it can hold more than 1 million people at a time, making it the largest city square in the world. Obviously, there were a lot of Chinese people there. It was actually pretty cool, because the people there obviously weren't around Americans a lot, so there was lots of picture taking of us!

One family in our group has this little blonde girl. Honestly, she must have had her picture taken for Chinese people well over twenty times. Someone actually came up to Nikki and asked to have their picture taken with her!

I was in awe of the size of this place- as I said above, it was enormous. If you weren't careful, it would be so easy to get lost. But, nobody did, which was good.

The Forbidden City

This was our next stop after Tiananmen Square. Actually, it's right across the street, so we just walked there.

Oh my goodness, this place was AMAZING! This imperial palace is the largest and the best preserved palace in the world. It was so fascinating to learn about; like which doors were for the emperor to enter, what the different building structures were used for, etc.

When people think of the old China (like, forever ago China), this is the sort of thing that they

would picture. The roofs of the buildings all have that style that is thought of. Again I say, I was AMAZED!!! (I hope that your getting my point about its amazingness).

There was one time while we were in there that Josh became the center of attention. It started out that this couple comes up and asks if they can take a picture with him. My parents agree, and they take the picture. Then, this other Chinese lady sees that they just got a picture, so she comes and wants one with Josh, too. After that, this group of monks (at least I think they were monks) comes and they need their picture taken with Josh. It was so cute! See, even in other countries people can see how adorable my little bro is.

Yuanlong Silk

Yuanlong Silk is a silk factory in Beijing. It was really fascinating to see how they made the silk. Actually, all of us had the chance to help make a blanket (it didn't really turn out... the guide at the factory said none of us would get a job there today).

The best part about this place was the shopping! I'm sure we were driving my dad crazy, because when us girls get shopping, we get shopping! Actually, only Cassie and I got anything; I got a classic Chinese blouse and she got a classic dress. They are so awesome looking!

While we were doing our shopping stuff, Josh made some more Chinese friends. The clerks all thought he was the most adorable thing! (which he is). He was actually acting kind of shy around them, though. But, apparently they didn't seem to mind. By the time we left, he had a circle around him consisting of 3 or 4 of the workers. They also gave him a gift; it was some little trinket thingy.

Hutong Tour
After the silk factory, we headed over to Hutong, where we got like a tour of the actual city of Hutong (like where the people live). But, to get over to the houses, we got to ride on rickshaws! It was so much fun!!! Nikki and I rode in one, Cass and my mom rode in one, and my dad and Josh rode in one. If you have never ridden in one before, it is unlike anything else!

In Hutong, most of the people live in apartments where the paint is all peeling off and aren't in the greatest condition. But, we got to see on the "rectangle houses", which is the most common kind of house. In those houses, people have a community bathroom and showering facility. Another thing about these rectangle houses is that they share a courtyard.

Done!

After we were done with that, we headed back to our hotel, which is where we are now! Originally, we were going to see an Acrobatics show, but now we think we'll do that tomorrow instead. Tomorrow is our day to see the Great Wall of China! I can't wait!

Although this day was AWESOME, may we not forget our reason for being in China- to get Amy!!! And when does this happen????

3 more days!!!!!!!