On Isaac's 20th birthday we went to the Forbidden City in Beijing with our guide Susan. We spent several hours there. She could answer just about any question we asked. A wealth of information. Last time we were there we were not able to spend as much time because we were with a larger group.
We thought this was a funny scene. Right in Tianamen Square we saw a Lama Monk taking selfies.
The Crown "Prince" being fanned by his best bud--Susan..
As soon as we entered the outer courts of the city, Lucas found this armored vehicle of course. Fascinated by the military/government officials. It's illegal to take pictures of them directly so we didn't do that, but he got his "fix" with this "SWAT" vehicle.
The Emperor's Palace.
This crowd of people were taking pictures of an empty room...This is where you take your life in your hands and do NOT act polite. you just move forward. It's as crazy as it looks.
This is the best picture we could get of the Emperors Throne
Lucas found this "hat" and added a splash of "color" to all our pictures.
The photographer grabbing every opportunity he could to capture the Forbidden City in ways the rest of us would never see. Can't wait to see what he saw.
A hot and tired boy takes a rest.
Cooling off with mango popsicles with Susan.
This tree is a set of intertwind ancient trees that are over 400 years old. It's tradition for married couples to have their picture taken here. awww
A little birthday "gift" from Susan for Isaac.
Happy 20th Birthday big boy. Susan helped me coordinate having a little cake delivered to our room.
A brief visist to the famous Pearl Market in Beijing. It's not only pearls. It's an "opportunity" to bargain. Lucas thought that was a blast. He got himself a watch and a sword. He held his ground firmly. They didn't have a chance. I bought a small pearl necklace for our sweet Emma. Lilli was able to make some pretty good deals as well.
Bargaining brothers.
yes ALL of this went onto the sleeper car overnight train we took to Chifeng. We got quite the looks from the locals. Not sure if it was the load of luggage or the fact that we were the only caucasions on the train. Maybe both?
look at that handsome dude.
Our train to Chifeng.
We went to sleep on this train filled with anticipation since the next day we would be going to the orphanage to meet our kids. I knew our guide would meet us at the train and we'd go to our hotel to freshen up and then head to the orphanage. I didn't sleep very well--not sure if it was the hard bed, the anticipation, or the starts and stops of the train all night. But, it was fun to be in the same car with Lucas, Isaac and Lilli. Sweet man Peter stayed in another car with 3 chinese "strangers".
You'll have to ask Lilli about our our 2 am "adventure". lol
oh and one more fun tidbit...using a squatty potty on a moving train is ... well...."fun". Let's all just imagine where that waste goes on a moving train shall we?
Loving the pictures and seeing the joy on everyone's face. Can't wait til tomorrow.
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