Day One: One World, One Dream (Part One)

After spending most of the day traveling via bullet train to Tokyo, we flew into Terminal 3 of the Beijing Capital International Airport Wednesday night (Nov 26). Terminal 3 was constructed specifically for the Summer Olympic Games. It is the prettiest airport terminal I have ever seen. Being able to travel in Beijing the same year as the Olympics was intriguing. I also think we greatly benefited from all of the "improvements" and construction to prepare for the Olympics. Although we had heard many horror stories of the poor air conditions and the filth of the city, we didn't have any problems during our trip. It was also pretty neat to see all the posters, Olympic venues, and memorabilia.

Beijing is the capital of China, and has been since the 13th century. It is home to more than 15 million people. It is quite modern while remaining very traditional. As we toured different parts of the city, we would often marvel at the enormity of the city.

We checked into our room at the Capital Hotel Beijing where the rooms were 3 times the size of any Western Hotel we have stayed at in Tokyo. Our hotel was only a few short blocks away from Tiananmen Square so it made sense to begin our sight seeing there on Thursday (Nov 27).

Some very quick side notes: We went on this trip with our good friends (and neighbors) Steve and Shannon. They both made excellent traveling companions and we didn't even get sick of one another! (Well, at least I think so...you may have to ask them how sick they are of us!) It was also nice to always have a photographer for family photos! Also, our tour guide was 'Mark'. His Chinese name was much to complex for us lame westerners, so he goes by Mark. We all enjoyed his knowledge, humor, candor, and experience.

Strolling though Tiananmen Square was one of the many highlights of the trip. This is such a historic and iconic location in China. It is also said to be the largest public square in the world. Jacob was clearly a bit too sleepy to notice we were standing in front of the portrait of Chairman Mao at the Gate of Heavenly Peace. This square and the Forbidden City had the most obvious military presence.

Next was the Forbidden City. This site is enormous. The "city" was built for the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties. There are dozens of temples and halls where the emperors would have overseen celebrations, rituals, sacrifices, and civil matters. This was the coldest day while we were in China and certainly the windiest. Although we were all bundled up, Jacob soon grew bored of all the walking and blustery winds.

I'll post Part Two ASAP.

Confucius Say: Forget the Turkey, Enjoy the Duck

Well, we have conquered Beijing. Jason, Jacob, and I opted to skip the turkey this year and spend our Thanksgiving holiday in Beijing, China. We went with a tour group sponsored by the Misawa Base and were joined by our pals Steve and Shannon, as well as several of our neighbors. Jason and I have never traveled with a "tour group" before, so we were a bit leery. But we had an amazing time, and we have more pictures than we know what to do with. I have decided the best way to share our pics and stories will be to write a post for every day we were in Beijing.

Before I begin, I need to brag for a moment. Jacob was, again, a terrific traveler. Our flight back into Tokyo at the end of this trip marked the 16th plane trip in his 16 months of life. He was as popular with the Chinese as he is with the Japanese. Everyone from our tour guide to random ladies in the street were drawn to him. Jacob is without a doubt, our little world traveler. Only once did he break down in inconsolable tears. Apparently he was not very excited about the 3 hour walking tour of Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City on our first day. But the rest of the time he was an angel. One of Jason's nick-names for Jacob is "Little Man". Since our trip, I have been referring to Jacob as "Little China Man"

Stay tuned for more posts and pics of our Thanksgiving trip to Beijing.