Beijing: day 2

Hello folks. Day 2 in China has been fascinating, beyond description, actually. We started off at The Temple of Heaven, a 660 acre park from the 1400s. The emperor would conduct the most important yearly rituals here. Now it is FILLED with people enjoying their exercise, dancing, card games, etc.. One of our favorites was "tai ji ball", a form of tai chi performed with a fan and a ball, beautiful to watch!

Our rickshaw tour of the Hu tong (alleyways) was probably two of the most interesting hours of our lives. We were able to go into a local family's courtyard home in the hu tong and ask questions about their life, through our interpreter, Kitty. We also enjoyed a tea ceremony at Prince Gong's Garden. We all floated out of there 45 minutes later! Valerie and Melissa went on a short shopping spree late this afternoon and returned with a bag full of goodies, different flavored breads and cakes, that made for a fun dinner before the "Legend of Kung fu" this evening. It was AWESOME! We all had a ball, especially Henry. We can't wait to see some of the moves he pulls out tomorrow!

Tomorrow the Great Wall, Tuesday off to Guangzhou, and Wednesday is the day we've all been waiting for!

Charlie, we miss you like crazy. Every baby boy in Beijing reminds us of you!

Hope you enjoy the photos....

Much Love,
Melissa, Rich, and Henry