Beijing

When we arrived in Beijing we decided to first stop at the famous Olympic Sites: the bird's nest and the water cube! It was very cool to walk around the track on which, only a few months ago, the Olympians raced!

The next day we went to Tiantan, AKA the Temple of Heaven. In the park we saw a lot of performers, dancers, and vendors. The temple is where past emperors would come once a year to pray for a good harvest and offer sacrifice.

That night we ventured onto the Beijing metro (one of the best, in my opinion) and found the night food market. I tried a rice mixture in a pineapple, and avoided eating anything that looked like an organ or was a whole dead animal. A few girls ate scorpion. YUM! I love China.

The next day we visited THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA! We went to Badaling. It was super crowded at the beginning, so we met some interesting Chinese people. Chelsea and I pushed through the crowds and ended up hiking the whole section.

Next stop was Tian'anmen Square. We saw Mao's dead body and wandered the square before heading into the Forbidden City, which is so big!!

We spent the next morning at the Summer Palace. There is a lovely lake, so we decided to rent paddle boats and enjoy the scenery. It was a fun place to relax and explore.

On our last day in Beijing we took a trip up to a park which overlooks the forbidden city. It was an awesome view and a beautiful day! My shirt says "I love Beijing!", and I do!

One of the funnest parts of Beijing was the shopping. I don't think I will ever forget the Chinese sales peoples. "Lady! Watchu want? Shoes? Watch Bag? For you beautiful lady, I give cheapest price. No joking". We spent 2 long afternoons at markets bargaining for our gifts and souvenirs.

I can easily say this was my favorite vacation!! I'm so happy that I got to go!