A Little "China Time" With Family (April 2018)
March ended with a quick visit from Sam, Keri, Samantha, and Spencer on their way to Malaysia and Singapore. We crammed them into our tiny apartment -- they were good sports! -- and enjoyed some sightseeing time with them. While Spencer showed off his youth and agility jumping with Brigg on the Great Wall, I was not about to be outdone by Samantha at Wangfujing Market. Yes, we ate the scorpions -- I can check that one off the bucket list. (Brigg's response: "THAT was on your bucket list???")
In spite of the holiday crowds (Ching Ming Festival -- Tomb Sweeping Day) and the horribly high AQI, we managed to show them a bit of Beijing, including the Cherry Blossom Festival at Yuyuantan Park:
Friday the Thirteenth -- a very LUCKY day for us, as Nate, Diana, and Coreyne arrived in Beijing! No chance to experience jet lag, though -- the morning after their arrival, we hopped on a bullet train with a BYU China Teachers Group and headed to Tai'an, home of the sacred Mount Tai (AND . . . the picture on the backside of the 5 RMB note -- we've now visited ALL the places shown on the money!!! Yay!!!)
After a tram ride up the mountain, we (Nate, Diana, Todd Forsyth -- who ran the Great Wall Marathon with Pilar -- and I) broke off from the BYU China Teachers group to hike up to the temple on top of the mountain and then down the mountain to the parking lot. While Brigg waited with Coreyne and the other BYU Teachers for the return tram, we hiked down about 3000 stairs and the equivalent of 200 stories. Remember -- "stairs" in China are not quite like stairs in the U.S.! It took us about an hour, but what an hour!! And -- we beat everyone to the bottom! (the tram line was lo-o-o-ong . . . . . ) We had to buy some gloves at the top -- it was FREEZING!!! But by the time we reached the bottom, we were shedding our jackets -- worked up a sweat! When we finished, Diana remarked, "It's too bad we can't name this baby Ty!"
While we were waiting at the bottom, Nate got his first taste of Jianbing -- and LIKED it! We bought them again at Wangfujing, and did we buy one outside the Forbidden City? I can't remember -- maybe that was with Sam and Keri. Anyway, Nate, I'm sorry they weren't making them at that stand right outside our subway shop while you were here. They're making them there again now!
Following our afternoon on Mount Tai, we took a two-hour bus ride to Qufu (birthplace of Confucius and one of only a few ancient cities with the old city wall and moat still intact), where we spent the night. The following day was filled with visits to Confucius-related sites, including his original school room (oldest standing school building in the world), his tomb (in a beautiful, park-like cemetery containing the remains of only Confucius' descendants -- exactly the kind of place where I would delightedly RIP), and THE Confucius Temple (there are other "Confucius Temples" in China, but this is the biggie). While there, we were mobbed by several school groups who were quite happy to see us, take photos, and practice their English. Oh . . . and there were no tour buses allowed inside the old city gates, so we either walked or rode by donkey cart.
NO JET LAG ALLOWED! We arrived back in Beijing late Sunday evening, and first thing Monday morning, Patrick (our Beijing driver) was waiting to take us to the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall. While Brigg and Coreyne took the chair lift to the top (shorter climb for Coreyne), Nate, Diana, and I hiked up to the tram, which took us about a mile or so further up the wall. From there, we hiked down the wall to meet up with Brigg and Coreyne at the toboggan ride. This was the fifth time I had hiked the wall since we came to China, but I gotta tell ya -- my legs have NEVER burned like that! I think they were still remembering that hike down Mount Tai. In fact, I was still feelin' it for the next couple of days . . . . (and I'm not even pregnant -- Wow, Diana, you're amazing!)
Did a bit of shopping at the bottom -- Nate and Diana purchased some chop stamps for the boys. I suppose this would be a great place to insert the picture of "tattooed" Ty, who used his new chop stamp to decorate his entire body shortly after his parents returned to Napa. You'll have to forward that photo to all of us, Nate!
We came off the Great Wall and returned to Beijing, where Patrick dropped us off at the Drum and Bell Towers. While Brigg and Coreyne waited, Nate, Diana, and I ran to the top of the Drum Tower, just missing the drum show (we could hear it, though, while we were getting our tickets and running toward the entrance!) From there, we took the subway to Wangfujing Market (stopping quickly by the Lama Temple -- we knew it was closing, but Nate, Diana, and I RAN over so that they could at least see the front gate -- while Brigg and Coreyne waited in the subway station). We walked (and ate) our way through Wangfujing Market, sampling the yogurt, candied fruit, spring rolls, dumplings, jianbings, and Peking Duck (passed on the scorpions, beetles, slugs, and tarantulas this time, however . . .)
We had to stop at a public restroom in the hutongs while heading back toward the subway. Uh . . . yeah . . . Diana and Coreyne . . . welcome to China! (And this is why we carry toilet paper and hand sanitizer with us everywhere . . . but now I'm thinking I should also begin carrying my own privacy curtain . . . )
While Brigg and I taught our classes on Tuesday and Wednesday, Nate, Diana, and Coreyne visited the Summer Palace and Temple of Heaven. Brigg joined them after his Wednesday morning classes for some shopping at Hongqiao Market (the Pearl Market). We also caught an acrobat show after our classes on Tuesday -- I think that was Coreyne's favorite.
We left for Xi'an on Thursday afternoon just as the thick smog hit Beijing (whew!) -- but first, Nate, Diana, and I did a MAD DASH through the Forbidden City and Jingshan Park (not such a good idea when the AQI is so high, but that's what masks are for!) We had over 14,000 steps by 10 a.m. AND made it to the train station on time!
Another trip to Xi'an! David, our driver, met us at the train station and drove us to our hotel (Ramada Bell Tower) inside the old city wall. We walked around a little bit and then quickly settled down for the night -- busy day coming up! 1 1/2 days -- 2 nights -- Dumpling feast, Terra Cotta Warriors, Bell Tower, Muslim Market (where we got lost in the rain -- did I really need to purchase yet another umbrella in Xi'an? This makes three . . . ).
Saturday morning -- ready to ride bikes around the city wall before catching the bullet train back to Beijing -- the rain had stopped, and it was a beautiful day (a beautiful day for a marathon, that is). Yes, there was another marathon in Xi'an while we were there (this is where I refer you back to Brian and Pilar's visit last October), this time on top of the city wall -- so no biking and limited "strolling." But no worries -- we turned our "lemon" into "lemonade" with a new discovery: Hancheng Lake (where, amazingly we discovered an outdoor stall selling genuine "Ninjagr" toys! This one's for you, Dylan!) Loved our morning outdoors before boarding the train -- but not without grabbing some McDonald's (just can't seem to get away from it . . .)
Sunday, April 22 -- time for a quick walk around PKU and the lake before Nate, Diana, and Coreyne took a taxi to the airport. But first, a visitor -- Mr. Shang, the tailor! Lookin' good, there, Nate!
What a wonderful 10 days! Looking back, it's kind of interesting that Nate's visit began with a trip to Mt. Tai and ended in a Xi'an park in front of a sculpture of the "Grand Imperial Ceremony on Mt. Tai." Everything comes full circle . . . . .
And although it’s always sad when family returns to the States, leaving us and China behind, here’s one little guy who is looking forward to his parents’ return:
