Day 8, August 2, 2014

            Today was not as busy as yesterday, but we still visited a lot of places.  Today we went to Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, Hutong area, and a tea shop for a traditional tea ceremony/ tasting.

            Tiananmen Square was packed with people!   I’m so glad our guide carried a flag today because it really helped to find him in the crowds.  It is a very large open area.  It is surrounded by different government and museum buildings and was kind of similar to the Smithsonian just smaller.  When we were at the barrier of the Flag area guarded by 4 military personnel  an older lady directly next to us climbed under the rope barrier and tried to get to the flag.  Three soldiers immediately went to the lady and took her back across.  They were not mean about it, but they are serious about keeping people away from certain areas.  Our guide said it didn’t use to be that way.  Before the protests in Tiananmen Square, people could walk right up to the monument or the flag but not anymore. 

            The Forbidden City is right next to Tiananmen Square.  This is where the ancient emperors lived and conducted government business.  It was HUGE!  There were about 6 or 7 different courtyards deep.  The closer you got to the middle the closer you were to where the emperor and his wife lived.  The people who worked there were ranked by which courtyard they were allowed to enter.  Only the most important people could enter the last courtyards.  At the end of the Forbidden City it led to the gardens.  Honestly it was probably a really neat place, but the heat index was above 100 degrees and we had been walking for 2 hours by then and were beat!  I did take tons of photos to remember the place.  The buildings were extremely impressive with all their detail and ornate design.  Frankly, Miley was more amused by all the people.  She really loves going to new places.  It is so fun visiting all these historical places with her.  Such a treat!

            The Hutong tour was a tour of a historical district that shows how most people lived a long time ago, but unlike historical areas in the U.S., people still live in these homes in the Hutong area.  We rode in rickshaws around the town and was served lunch in a families home.  It was so fun and the most authentic meal we have eaten so far.  It was really good.  I can’t tell you exactly what we ate, but I’m pretty sure there were pork, beef, and veggie dishes.  We all enjoyed it.  I need to add that Jeff and I have been eating with chopsticks everywhere we go.  Not many places have forks.  We have almost mastered it.  We can even feed Miley by using chopsticks.  A real accomplishment for us Tennessee folk!

(Side note: as I’m typing this Miley is suppose to be sleeping.  She keeps climbing out of her crib and crawling as close as she can to Jeff and I.  We are bonding!!!)

            The Tea house was fun.  Some ladies showed us how to make, pour, and drink tea in their special Chinese way. We were able to given about 5 different teas to sample.  I loved it!  I drink tea every day at home so it was fun to try some new ones.  We didn’t buy any tea there because it was very expensive and we can probably find it at any store in China….or at home for that matter.

            We got back to the hotel around 4 today and Miley fell right to sleep.  She slept until around 6:30 or 7pm when I woke her up to eat.   Jeff went out and got us some take out and it was so fun to relax together.  We’ve enjoyed getting to know each other, but sometimes it’s nice to just be a family.  So guess what food Jeff brought back for us?  He brought us Mexican food, cooked by a Chinese man who use to live north of Asheville, NC!  Crazy world!

            We have gotten a chance to Skype our kids about twice a day.  The time zone we are in is 12 hours different from our kids so we around 7-8 am and pm seems to be a good time to talk. Tonight they were the happiest they have been so far (while talking to us at least).  It was so wonderful to get to see them laugh and be silly together.  I miss them terribly, but I know they are well taken care of and having a great time going to Chuck-E-Cheese, DollyWood, the zoo, and all over town.  They might think life is boring when we get back home.

            I can’t get over what a crazy adventure this is!