Beijing - Out of the City

Beijing has changed a lot in the past seven years.  It seems that the city got a makeover in preparation for the Olympics in 2008 – buildings are new or have been renovated, streets are smooth and modern, and even drivers seem more civilized – not nearly as many people driving the wrong direction! 

At the same time, Dave and I have become much more accustomed to and comfortable with Asia – what used to seem scary and foreign now doesn't feel a bit intimidating.  I remember getting into a Beijing taxi in 2005 with just a hotel card, address written in Chinese, wondering if we would ever be able to find our way back...or if the taxi driver would take us hostage since we were vulnerable, mono-lingual Westerners.  We felt so brave when we got safely returned to our hotel.  Funny to think about that now!

So this time, we felt comfortable taking a trip out to a “place less traveled” - the Longqingxia Gorge, located about two hours (by van) outside of Beijing.  Though the air quality was lousy, it was a nice day to spend in the great outdoors. 

We made our way to the gorge via an escalator, located within this dragon’s body:

We then hopped on a boat that toured the lake and mountains.

The landscape of the area reminded us a lot of our trip to Yangshuo in southernChina a couple of years ago with rugged looking mountains with rounded tops.

Dave and three of the girls went on a boat ride, paddling on on their own, while the rest of us sat in the shade and talked to some people from Chicago.  When I asked Dave if there was anything notable about the ride, he said that there were people (presumably employees of the park) at each bend of the river…who were all asleep.  Beyond that, he reported that it was pretty, peaceful, and fun to be out with the girls. 

Getting back to the bottom of the mountain was more exciting than going up the dragon escalator.  We tobogganed down!  It was a lot of fun.

We stopped for a late lunch afterward.  I have to admit that dining in rural China doesn’t always excite me.  Fortunately, our guide Vivie came through for us – helping us order things that were somewhat familiar and un-scary (no meals with chicken heads or duck’s feet!).   It was here that we learned that restaurants in the tourist areas have two menus – one that has tourist prices and one that is discounted for groups with guides.  We paid about half price.  Who knew?

We forged ahead to the Ming Tombs, the location where the 13 emperors of the Ming dynasty are buried.  Vivie advised that visiting the tombs would be boring for the kids and suggested that we just visit the “Sacred Way” – a path that leads to the emperors’ tombs.  It was a beautiful walk in a park-like setting, with large animal statues (placed there to “protect” the tombs).  I could tell you more about the history and symbolism, but think you’ll enjoy the pictures more.

For some reason a camel doesn't seem like a "guard" animal!

Day 2 was another fun, unrushed day with plenty of down time at the end.  We needed a couple of easy days to help us gear up for the “major” tourist destinations on Day 3 and 4.