Da-da-da-daaaaaa! Finally, here is the photographic journey of the China tour Tom and I went on at the end of March. I know, I said I would be good and post more… and I haven’t. I said I would post my China pictures right after the trip… and I didn’t. Oh well, thus is life.
We began our journey in Beijing. Beijing was an amazing hub of activity. The drivers and pedestrians alike were crazy- cars randomly turning against lights and forcing their way in out of turn, and people calmly strolling into busy streets (where unlike what we are used to, they do not have right of way) and getting stuck standing in between lanes of traffic, waiting to cross. Luckily things worked out where we were provided with personal drivers and tour guides throughout our trip. Around the city we saw many stores and signs boasting about the Olympic games; in fact, we were lucky to have visited so soon after this event, because our guide told us many of the places we went sightseeing had been touched up and repainted before the games in order to clean up for the extra tourists.
Temple of Heaven
Map of complex Us at the entrance
People getting their morning exercise at the temple
Temple of Good Harvest
Old cooking pits People joining in a Chinese song
Imperial Vault of Heaven Tom @ side building
Circular Mound Alter Make a wish!
Water Calligraphy
Tiananmen Square
*True to form, the Chinese people (including our tour guide) never mentioned the reason why this square is world-famous.*
The square!
Emperor’s Tomb (@ front of square) Government building (@ side of square)
Monument (NOT for massacre thou) I wish I had a daisy…
A military presence Kind of eerie isn’t it?
If these stones could talk Forbidden City across the street
Forbidden City
The Forbidden City entrance
The flag Us inside
This place is HUGE inside!
Original courtyard stones Mama and baby Shi Shi
Cool turtle/dragon creature
Summer Palace
Entrance to the old “royalty only” resort
The phoenix is the symbol of the Empress Pavilion by the lake
More palace down the lake Covered walkway connecting areas
Beautiful scenery!
Ming Tomb
Welcome to the Ming Tombs
Dragon-Claw tree Walkway to tomb
Outside of tomb Offerings
Emperor’s possessions Caskets
Exit of tomb Tablet
Awesome wall art depicting the history of the dynasty
Great Wall of China
“You’re not a man til you climb the great wall”
Us on the wall!
Looking down from the first station
So many stairs…. T+A S.
Me dying of exhaustion Crazy stairs—from 1” to your knee!
Us at the 2nd stage
Looking down from the 4th station!
Yea, Beijing was awesome! Tom loved the big city feel, and I totally got into all the history, especially the square and the wall. But after 2 fun-packed days we are off to the next city, Xi’an.
Goose Pagoda
Into to the pagoda
Entrance Incense Shrine
Wild Goose Pagoda Praying and wishing shrine
Shrine Guest’s’ wishes
Buddha shrine Urns for the monks
Buddhist Path to Liberation
Xi’an City Wall
Going to the city wall The story of the wall
Main building on the wall Tom climbing the wall
Fun sights on the wall
Tom and I Outside the wall
The wall separates the old and new portions of the city
Terracotta Warriors
Tom the warrior! Souvenirs made from original clay
Above the terracotta complex Where farmers found the first fragments
Pit one
Me outside
Pit two Surviving chariot
Huaquing Springs Palace
Construction, old school Hot spring bath complex
Hot springs Empress statue One of many hot spring baths
Us washing in the springs
Beautiful scenery 1
Beautiful scenery 2
Us leaving the springs
And now it’s time for the last leg of our journey, Shanghai! We had a short day of sightseeing, to include the Yu-yuan and the river-bank Bund. We also got to see an AWESOME Chinese acrobat show, but of course there’s no picture taking allowed, so you can’t see that.
Yu-yuan
Entrance Awesome dragon atop wall
Cool Chinese wall doorway decorations
Beautiful scenery
Goldfish pond ‘Cool’ Chinese rocks: tall, full of holes
Bund
Great view of nice buildings on the river
Neat boat with TV ads Cool buildings
Left and right views along river
And there you have it folks, hope you enjoyed your picture tour through China—I know that trip was something I will always remember and cherish as a wonderful adventure I had with my hubby!
