Beijing and Beyond!

We have been enjoying having my dad and his wife visit us from Madison. This past weekend we left Shanghai for the city of Xi'an to see the Terracotta Warriors and Cave Dwellers and then to Beijing to tour Tian'an Men Square, the Forbidden City (home of the Chinese emperors), Summer Palace, Hutongs (courtyard housing for multiple families), and the Great Wall. All were a site to see!

Xi'an was very impressive with 1000s of soldiers found in a number of underground tombs. The scale was amazing, almost as much as the detail on the individual warriors. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate too much for us as we were met with heavy rain and weather in the 40s to 50s. The Cave Dwellers were a rare treat as there is only one man who is granted access to this neat world. The caves are dug out of clay rather than in the sides of mountains. You will have to see the pictures...which I promise to post in the coming days.

Ty catching a snooze while visiting the Terracotta Warriors


Our trip to Beijing started with a visit to the Great Wall. The weather again hampered us a bit with its howling winds and cold temps, but we enjoyed the overwhelming beauty. In order to easy scale the mountain, we rode in plastic "bob sleds" up and then down for the return trip. Once up we were able to climb, and I mean climb, the wall. I am really pleased we went on an off day as there were still thousands of people there. The view is amazing and definitely a must do. As Peter commented numerous times, "I have waited 9 months for natural beauty in China." Well the Wall is not natural, but the surrounding rolling mountains, and trees and hills did not disappoint. This is now a must see on the Klug tour and we are excited to take Peter's parents there when they visit us this month.


We were further impressed by the hutongs and the great palaces and imperial cities that Beijing offers. These great treasures are astounding and take excess to a new level.

We are now back in Shanghai and will explore a few more places with our guests. Our trip to Beijing is definitely a highlight. One we hope to share with many more visitors...hint, hint.