Ni Hao everyone!

We are now in Beijing---having a fantastic time. We arrived Friday afternoon and joined our group around 5pm. I was SO happy to see my sister (she came Thursday), and finally meet some of the wonderful couples I've been communicating with over the past year. First, we went to the Acrobats of China show. It was great! We then went to a delicious dinner, and then returned to the hotel. Jason and I were exhausted from traveling and Karen was exhausted from touring earlier in the day (Tianemen Square, Forbidden City, and Hutong)---so we went to bed pretty early.

This morning we started our day at the Summer Palace. This was a summer home for the emperor, and was beautiful! We saw incredible architecture, paintings, and carvings, and our weather was perfect (50 degrees and sunny). On our way there, we got to see the stadium for the Beijing Olympics coming up in August. It is designed like a bird's nest---for good reason. You would not believe all the preparations going on for the olympics...this is such an exciting time to be here!

After the Summer Palace, we went to the jade factory. We learned how jade is formed into beautiful carvings for decoration, jewelry, and other amazing pieces of art. We bought our first major souvenier at the jade factory---but I don't have a picture of it yet. Will have to share that one later!

Following the jade factory, we had a great lunch and were able to see cloissones being made. These are beautiful vases, pictures, even ornaments made of brass filaments, then painted and fired, and finally polished---it was really neat to see the entire process. We were forced (not really) to buy a couple 'reminders' of what we learned...


The high point of our day was seeing the Great Wall of China. It was absolutely breathtaking (not only the view, but the climb itself!). We opted for the more challenging hike, and made it as far as you can go on that side of the wall. We took some great photos, and had a fantastic time together climbing, laughing, and just enjoying every minute of our time here.
The Great Wall was everything you can imagine, just an amazing structure with such a rich history. I feel blessed to have seen it in person. One thing that surprised us were the amount of 'peddlers' selling all kids of souveniers, including 2008 Olympic hats, shirts, and other items! They were waiting on all parts of the wall, hoping to convince us to bring something home 'for your mom' and for 'very good price.'


Tonight was Pizza Hut and cards when we got home, and of course catching you up on our day! We are all doing well, everyone is healthy, and just enjoying our time here to the fullest. We have one more day in Beijing and then off to Chengdu for Gotcha Day (on Monday).

Photos to come soon thanks to my brother...enjoy!
(Update: Photos added... by yo' brother!)

Love,
Jason, Alissa, and Karen