Beijing Tour

It is hard not to compare our last trip to China with this one.  It is only natural to think, "The last time I was in Tiananmen Square... " or "The last time I rode a rickshaw through Hutong..."

And we need to say: IT IS INFINITELY BETTER TO DO THESE THINGS IN MAY WHEN IT IS 70 DEGREES THAN IN DECEMBER WHEN IT IS 12 DEGREES.  (Fellow adoption friends, take note.  Plan your paperwork to travel in beautiful weather!!)

Right now is a national holiday, a 3-day weekend, in China so the tourist sites are extra packed in many places.  It makes Times Square at 8 pm on a Saturday night look empty.  But there is so much energy here.  Rural Chinese people who have never been to their capital city are here now on vacation, our guides said.  They loved asking members of our adoption travel group to be in pictures with them because some of them have never seen a non-Chinese person in real life before.  Abigail was also asked to be in several pictures.  She started to get into it and would make funny faces or strike a pose (vogue!) when people wanted their picture with her.  We were very proud of her because not too long ago her shyness would have been quite a disability today.

When we arrived at Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City, it was packed with people, student groups, tour groups, and families.  And every child had a Chinese flag.  We hadn't been walking 30 seconds before Abigail begged for a Chinese flag of her own.  I was wearing Abigail in a backpack carrier and I could tell she was trying to not be whiney or ask too much, but every now and then she would sigh or whimper about how much she wanted a flag.  We told her we would buy one at the end so we didn't have to carry it, but she insisted that she would carry it.  When our guides happened to pause by a vendor, Abigail asked her Baba to PLEASE go and buy her a flag before they run out!  She was delighted and she really did carry for about 2 hours!

I know all most of my readers really want is pictures, so here are some of my favorites from today (that aren't edited yet):

See the crowds?

She was so happy to have a flag.  Only 2 RMB (33 cents)

Family pic with General Mao

She did this on her own.  She must be Asian. 
Or she noticed others doing this.  Chi-zu!
(Well, actually our guide said it means "victory" in China.)

Where Mulan fought the Huns.
A very important spot in Chinese history according
to our 4 year old.

I LOVE watching her run.

Have I mentioned before how much I love to
watch her run.  She is so graceful and playful
at the same time.

A girl and her Baba in the Imperial Gardens.

A little unsure about the rickshaw ride