The Happy Parts of China: Part 2

Day 4 in Beijing was another fun one.  We decided to walk to Jingshan Park which is directly north of the Forbidden City.  Our plan was to walk around the park, go through the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square then hit up the Silk Market.  We spent more time at the park as we found it very entertaining.  Again there were groups of dancers and singers all around the park.  The girls even got some ribbon dancing lessons.  In the center of the park is a large hill with a temple on top.  At the top someone set up a photo opportunity for tourists just like us!  They dressed up in traditional clothes and took our picture on some golden throne.  A memory worth having!  From the top we also had a good look at the Forbidden City.  When we saw the crowds out front we decided to skip that!  Again, another fun, cultural day.

Day 5 was rainy and cold.  We attempted to go to church but it didn't last long.  We stayed inside most of the day.

Day 6 was the perfect day turned bad.  The rain cleared the skies and we actually had a clear and sunny day.  It was the perfect day to visit the Great Wall.  We decided to go to then Mutianyu section as they had a toboggan slide down.  E slept in the backpack most of the walk so I was able to walk quite a bit of it.  It was very steep in some section with lots of stairs.  The mountains were very rugged.  You were able to see cities in both China and Mongolia.  We rode the ski lift from the village to the wall.  Unfortunately we had a little accident coming down from the wall that made our perfect day a nightmare (more info later).  The fall colors were beautiful...great time to visit.

The Happy Parts of China: Part 1

I am finally getting around to posting about China (aka picture overload).  It started out as your ideal trip but sure didn't end that way. For now I'll focus on the good...because it was a great trip.  A friend and I decided to jump over to Beijing with our kids and leave the dad back in Korea to work for a week!

Day 1 was mostly spent flying and figuring out how to get from the airport to our hotel.  The flight was only 2 hours and the girls thought it was so fun to be on an airplane together.  When we arrived in Beijing we fought for a taxi van to get us to our hotel.  Of course negotiating the price for 2 adults, 3 kids and a bunch of luggage was less than fun.  Our hotel was....well....quaint.  We tried to stay on the cheap and found an old huntong-turned-hostel place to stay.  The staff was very nice and helpful and because we spent minimal time there it was fine.

Day 2 was spend at the Temple of Heaven (and surrounding park) and the Pearl Market.  We braved the subway system and found it was no where near disable friendly so trying to get strollers up and down stairs was quite a task at some stops.  Plus it was super packed most of the time.  The girls did think it was cool to ride the train.

Temple of Heaven park was great.  We went early to catch all the Tai Chi dancers and found there was so much more than just Tai Chi.  It was quite hilarious!  It seemed as if someone would stop at a random place in the park, turn on some music and start line dancing or swing dancing and eventually more and more people would join in.  There were several people playing hacky with a stack of metal rings with feathers on top.  There were also people dancing with a paddle and ball or with a ribbon.  We saw people doing crazy gymnastics, playing dominos, giving massages, etc.  It was quite the show.  The girls loved wandering through the park and joining in on all the dance.

There were three main structures or temples with the Temple of Heaven being the most famous.  This day was forecasted as clear...goes to show how much smog there is and how dirty the air is.  The history is so old which amazing considering how young America is.

 
The Pearl Market was a great experience.  Seriously, I loved bartering.  I would hate to do it all the time because of all the work it takes but I sure got some great deals.  I wish our last day planned for shopping would have worked out because there were a few more things on my list.  The aisles of the markets were packed with booth after booth of junk.  Every both sold the same bags, scarves, electronics, watches, shoes, clothes, etc.  We went a couple days in the afternoon and let the kids sleep in the stroller while we shopped.  Great time.

Day 3 was packed with a visit to the Summer Palace and the Beijing Zoo.  The Summer Palace was huge with tons of people.  It was quite overwhelming.  The worst part was ALL the people who wanted to take pictures with the girls.  We were all frustrated that every time we stopped to look at something we were bombarded with people and cameras.  It made for a not as pleasant trip to the Summer Palace (although the things we saw were quite amazing).  The zoo was a great break for the girls to run around and see the animals.  The cages and living conditions of the animals were quite depressing but the girls didn't know...they were just excited to see pandas and lions and elephants.  The best part of the zoo was feeding the zebras leaves.  E still talks about the zebra that kissed (licked) her hand when she was feeding it leaves.

To be continued...

Smoke Signal

Korea is lined with old smoke signals near the coasts and on top of the mountains to warn the villages of Japanese attacks.  We recently hiked up to one on a beautiful evening.

The view of the shipyard and surrounding mountains.  Beautiful.

E inside the tower.

Jinju Lantern Festival

Last week we were able to go to the Jinju Lantern Festival which is a large international festival held every year in Jinju (a city about an hour away NW of us).  This is a very historic city with a large river running through it.  It was the location of many Japanese/Korean battles.  Along the river is a large fortress E and I went to back in June (see this post).  Along both sides of the river were several booths with traditional foods, carnival games, lanterns, lantern tunnels, games, etc.  The river was full of huge floating lanterns with 2 floating bridges to go across.  It was quite impressive...photos can do it no justice.

View of the river from the fortress.

Lantern prayer tunnel.

Close up of some of the lanterns.

There was a kid's area that had several kid lanterns, traditional games and activities.  We made a doll out of rice straw.  We also saw E's Uncle Mike (the red Teletubby...don't ask).

It wouldn't be a good Korean festival without a herd of middle school girls attacking E.

Messy Day

We've been hanging onto nice weather for a few weeks so I decided we needed to have an outside messy day before it gets too cold. Some girls got more into the messiness that others so it was a good thing we had the hot tub ready to wash off. Maybe E is still too young to appreciate being messy but I have great memories of shaving cream fights, water balloons and mud volleyball. E's favorite part was popping the chalk paint balloons with the end of a paint brush...can you tell by looking at her face?

Rice Harvest

There are two reasons I have become very interested in rice production. First, we are in Korea where almost any flat and empty space if farmed, usually for rice. Plus, rice is started in flooded fields...isn't that interesting to you? Second, I married a farm boy.

When we got to Korea the fields were planted and still partially flooded but young and green. We've recently seen the change in the field to a golden color. Harvest time. Before they pulled out the combines we were able to snap a few pictures. Isn't it beautiful?

Windy Hill and Hakdong Pebble Beach

A few 'famous' sites on our island are Windy Hill and Hakdong Pebble Beach. We recently spent a Saturday morning there. The goats may have been the coolest thing at Windy Hill and there isn't much better than rocks for this 2 year old. Here is a view of our outing.

And for those who are interested...

This is a Korean squatter. They aren't found in too many places anymore...just parks, beaches, the occasional rest stop and some of those types of public areas. And in case you are wondering (because I know you are), E is the only one in our family who has had to use one yet.