Strange how our bodies work. No sleep for 37 hours, but our bodies are still on LA time and think that we should not be sleeping at 5 o'clock in the afternoon (Louisiana time.) So even though we went to bed at 2 AM here, Ginger woke up at 5 and I woke up at 6:45. We went down to breakfast at the hotel and met the other 2 families that are traveling with us to adopt special needs kids.
We started the day this morning with a tour of the Forbidden City. The 1st thing that struck us (besides the 90 degree heat and 90% humidity) was the number of people. 14 million people live in Beijing which means there is no such thing as an "off hour" to visit an attraction.
The above picture is near the entrance of the Forbidden City. As you can see the air was a little hazy today. Here we are a little closer next to a dragon statue.
Also near here is a sign celebrating the fact that the Olympics will be held in China in 2008.
The Chinese people love the number 8. So to host the Olympics in 2008 is a very big thing for them. It will kick off on 08/08/08 at 8:08 AM.
Here are a few pictures of the Forbidden City
Each of the 3 pictures above is of a different building; each one increasing in importance. The Forbidden City is a huge complex and the outer buildings lead up to the center building which was the ceremonial palace of the Emperor.
Here is some of the ornamental work on top of some of the buildings. The 1st statue is an image of the Emperor's son riding on a hen. The statues behind him are various other types of animals and they are there to ward off lightening strikes.
Here's a shot that shows (somewhat) how large the city is. You can't get a feel for how large it is until you walk it.
The picture below has nothing to do with the Forbidden City, but I was amazed as this sight:
Then we drove to the Summer Palace. It's so hot in Beijing in the summer (something we can definitely attest to) that the Emperor built a palace that faced a different direction in the summer (a more breezy direction.) Out front is this statue:
The ball represents the Earth and the Emperor's domination over it. This is a dragon. In fact, the name of this type dragon is Shihtze which what the dog breed Shihtzhu is named after (presumably because it has a smushed up face as well.)
My favorite picture of the day would have to be this one:
The Chinese do not use diapers, their babies wear what is called "split pants", or what I call "easy access" pants. They are potty trained at a young age and are typically not brought out in public very often until they are potty trained.
Finally...here is a picture of London's first purchase in China:
She and Victoria were very hot and very tired, but they complained very little and put on brave (but red and sweaty) faces.
In the evening we were treated to a "Duck Dinner". We sat at a round table with a big glass turn-table in the center. The waitresses came out and placed all sorts of different dishes on the glass table and we could rotate it to each of the diners to take what we wanted.
Ginger did pretty well trying new things...she ate something from each dish. They brought the duck out last. I was expecting a scene from the Christmas Story where the duck had all of its major body parts intact, but it was sliced up on a platter. Little flour tortilla's were served as well and the duck was placed (along with some other spices and sauces) in the tortilla and wrapped up. It was quite delicious.
We started the day this morning with a tour of the Forbidden City. The 1st thing that struck us (besides the 90 degree heat and 90% humidity) was the number of people. 14 million people live in Beijing which means there is no such thing as an "off hour" to visit an attraction.
The above picture is near the entrance of the Forbidden City. As you can see the air was a little hazy today. Here we are a little closer next to a dragon statue.
Also near here is a sign celebrating the fact that the Olympics will be held in China in 2008.
The Chinese people love the number 8. So to host the Olympics in 2008 is a very big thing for them. It will kick off on 08/08/08 at 8:08 AM.
Here are a few pictures of the Forbidden City
Each of the 3 pictures above is of a different building; each one increasing in importance. The Forbidden City is a huge complex and the outer buildings lead up to the center building which was the ceremonial palace of the Emperor.
Here is some of the ornamental work on top of some of the buildings. The 1st statue is an image of the Emperor's son riding on a hen. The statues behind him are various other types of animals and they are there to ward off lightening strikes.
Here's a shot that shows (somewhat) how large the city is. You can't get a feel for how large it is until you walk it.
The picture below has nothing to do with the Forbidden City, but I was amazed as this sight:
Then we drove to the Summer Palace. It's so hot in Beijing in the summer (something we can definitely attest to) that the Emperor built a palace that faced a different direction in the summer (a more breezy direction.) Out front is this statue:
The ball represents the Earth and the Emperor's domination over it. This is a dragon. In fact, the name of this type dragon is Shihtze which what the dog breed Shihtzhu is named after (presumably because it has a smushed up face as well.)
My favorite picture of the day would have to be this one:
The Chinese do not use diapers, their babies wear what is called "split pants", or what I call "easy access" pants. They are potty trained at a young age and are typically not brought out in public very often until they are potty trained.
Finally...here is a picture of London's first purchase in China:
She and Victoria were very hot and very tired, but they complained very little and put on brave (but red and sweaty) faces.
In the evening we were treated to a "Duck Dinner". We sat at a round table with a big glass turn-table in the center. The waitresses came out and placed all sorts of different dishes on the glass table and we could rotate it to each of the diners to take what we wanted.
Ginger did pretty well trying new things...she ate something from each dish. They brought the duck out last. I was expecting a scene from the Christmas Story where the duck had all of its major body parts intact, but it was sliced up on a platter. Little flour tortilla's were served as well and the duck was placed (along with some other spices and sauces) in the tortilla and wrapped up. It was quite delicious.
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