Carol's Travels

We went down to breakfast at about 7:30 this morning, and we decided it was a mistake to go before 8:00. The restaurant was quite large, but every table was occupied. We wandered around hoping to grab a table as someone left. Finally I lucked out and found a table for two. When Paul arrived with a plate of food, I then went to a waitress and got silverware, napkins, and coffee. Then I went searching for my food. The buffet at the last hotel was much better in my opinion. 

At 10:00 A.M. we all met Richard, our guide, downstairs. As we all got on the bus, he said that people don’t have to be at work until 10. All of China is on Beijing time, and this area really is in another time zone. That is why We were in stop-and-go traffic because of an accident ahead. The left lane had suddenly been closed with orange cones with very little warning, so four cars ran into each other. 

We continued on and finally got onto park buses that followed a scenic mountain road beside a mountain stream. After they dropped us off, we walked uphill for ten minutes to Heavenly Lake. There we boarded a boat that took us around this lake surrounded by mountains. The pictures would have been better if we had been there in the afternoon, but the scene reminded me of some Chinese brush paintings of mountains. 

Heavenly Lake

Four of us decided to be adventurous for lunch, so we ate rice pilaf and milk tea at a yurt farther up the mountain. The others ate a buffet lunch closer to the lake. After lunch we walked downhill to the bus that took us back down the mountain road. 

Yurts

Then we drove through traffic to get back to town. We shopped at the Grand Bazaar. I found some sparkly Christmas gifts for the Red Hat Ladies. Richard took us to a good dinner at a smorgasbord restaurant across the street. It was raining when we left. Traffic was bad, and we couldn’t get out into traffic. The parking lot security guard couldn’t get the oncoming traffic to stop. After an hour, the guard finally unlocked the chain that was preventing us to go forward….duh! Drivers are NOT courteous here. It was a very interesting experience!

 11181 steps/4.81 miles

Our group of six travelers: Kay, Paul, Anita, Larry, Carol, Paul

We got up at 5:30 this morning so we could eat breakfast, check out of our beautiful hotel, and get to Tian’anmen Square before the crowds got there. It was overcast with a prediction of rain.
We were lucky to get to see Tian’anmen Square on the first day it was open to tourists since it had been closed for about three weeks. The government was preparing for the big 70th Anniversary celebration which was held yesterday there. When we arrived at about 8:00 A.M., there weren’t nearly as many people as I expected there would be. It is a huge square, the largest in Asia. We enjoyed being able to leisurely take in the sights.   
   
As we left the square and walked toward The Forbidden City, the number of tourists noticeably increased. The buildings here were quite lavish because this was the protected residence for the emperor, his wife, concubines, and children plus servants and guards. At one time the buildings had 9,999 rooms. Most people were forbidden to enter it. As we walked out, we even crossed a moat. 

Largest stone carving in the palace – 1675 meters long

Michael picked an excellent restaurant for us to enjoy our last meal in Beijing. After lunch we went to the airport, and he helped check us in. We then said our good-byes. As we hugged, he called me his American mother, so I called him my Chinese son. I felt especially honored for him to say this to me. 

Our wonderful guide, Michael, at our last lunch together

Our flight to Urumqi was delayed on the Tarmac for at least an hour, and when we got into the air we had light turbulence several times. We were served a typical Chinese airline lunch of chicken and rice. I ate only half of it. The best part of it was that the temperature was hot.

Shortly before landing in Urumqi, we saw majestic snow capped mountains. Then looking down upon the city of three million people, all of the box shaped apartment buildings look like prisons. Our guide, Richard, met us, then we drove forty minutes to our five star hotel. Our room is on the 26th floor. We have a king-sized bed with a mattress that is hard as a board. I am glad we brought our Therm-a-rest air mattress to put on top.

13,858 steps/5.9 miles

I remembered to take my camera down to breakfast today so I could take some pictures. The photos, however, don’t do justice to the beautiful experience.  
 Our Beijing schedule had been suddenly be rearranged before we left California because today was the 70th anniversary of China’s “winning” the war over Japan. It was declared a national holiday, so businesses were closed. Even the airport was closed. We had hoped to find a way to get to the parade route to see it, but our guide said that everyone in Beijing wanted to see it. A lottery was held for the tickets.

We decided to watch the parade on TV. There were dignitaries from many different countries. I thought it tacky that the U.S. didn’t send a high official when Russia sent their president, as did many other nations.. The parade was impressive with drill teams marching from many countries. A lot of missiles, drones, tanks, and other military weapons came down the parade route. There was a fly over then the parade ended with balloons and doves flying up into the sky. I was very impressed with the whole event. It was interesting that the parade only went along the street that goes by Tian’amen Square. 

 Afterward, we went down to the lobby with Kay and Paul in hopes of going to lunch and shopping. The people at the desk called nearby stores, but they were all closed. We decided to stay in the hotel. One of the men at the desk took us upstairs to the executive lounge on the 23rd floor to see the magnificent view on this clear sunny day.

Then he suggested that we eat dim sum at one of their restaurants. We really enjoyed this experience. We could pick as many dishes as we wanted forn a fixed price. The waitresses helped us pick some of the dishes and the chef cooked them. Everything was delicious!

We then went back to our rooms and packed to fly out of Beijing tomorrow.