Dear Friends,
When I travel with Bill for work we tend to plan a weekend getaway. This time our getaway had us spending over ten hours in a train, but it was worth every minute!
Click here to read Part I & II of our Asian Tour.
This is likely my one and only time coming to eastern China (the pollution freaked me out) - so close to the Great Wall that we set our sights on Beijing.
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| Traveling 217 MPH via Bullet Train |
The Country Manager didn't know I was traveling with Bill and when he realized I explored Shanghai alone... he coordinated hostess for us the rest of the trip. This was so nice. I was able to walk in Shanghai but Beijing and the other cities required travel/coordination to sightsee.
We packed in a lot over the next 36 hours!
Saturday we visited Tiananmen Square, The Forbidden City, and drove to the Great Wall before going for dinner back in Beijing.
Eileen (her 'American name') lives with her husband and family, about two hours from the city. She dropped us off at our hotel, traveled home and was waiting for us in the lobby by 8AM on Sunday. China is serious about their hosting responsibilities! We were honored and I later learned she was hand selected.
Sunday morning we picked up some Chinese medicine since we both woke up today with a cold. Then Eileen brought us to one of my favorite places in the world... the Temple of Heaven. This is where the Emperor 'makes a wish' and was the perfect way to end our time in Beijing. The park is full of dancing, tai-chi, and more.
Then we were off to Hangzhou for the night, an 800 mile journey via train. We could have flown but I wanted to see the country.
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| Tiananmen Square and touring The Forbidden City |
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| Top of the Great Wall (North Quanmen section, built 1404) |
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| The Temple of Heaven |
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| View from the Train |
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| I can't imagine living with the pollution! |
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| I was captivated on the train and happy with the photos since we were gong SO fast. |
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| THIS is a farm... |