Ni hao ~ I heard and used this greeting quite a bit in Beijing. That and xie xie (thank you) were unfortunately about all I had in my Chinese language chest. Nonetheless, it was an enjoyable trip. The best part was getting to spend time with my friends, Chris and Sheilah (pictured below) - we worked together in Barcelona - and their 2 lovely daughters. They live in Hegezhaung Village in Beijing.
 |
| Chris and Sheilah at the Beijing British Country Club |
We did a lot in the short time that I was there. Drinks before dinner at the Beijing British Country Club were superb!
 |
| The sign does not represent the true elegance of the place. |
|
 |
| Fireplace inside Beijing British Country Club |
 |
| One of the owners of the club |
 |
| My favorite decorative piece in the club (it overlooks the courtyard) |
We ate at an excellent restaurant nearby - The Orchard. Info here:
http://en.theorchardbj.com/
 |
| Path leading to The Orchard |
On Friday, I spent the entire day at Western Academy Beijing (WAB) where Chris and Sheilah currently work. It was wonderful to meet people and see the school. I was extremely impressed...especially with their hospital grade circulation/ventilation system, pool and school grounds! More info here:
http://www.wab.edu/
After school we went to Fellas, a local pub with very good pub food. I couldn't find a website for Fellas, but you can sign into their Facebook page by clicking here:
https://www.facebook.com/Fellas-453977728123720/info/?tab=overview
Saturday was busy. Chris completed a super sprint triathlon called Tri4Change (
http://www.tri4change.net/beijing/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/05/Flyer-1-Tri4Change-2016.1.pdf) in the pouring rain. Way to go, Chris! Afterwards, we had a delicious breakfast at Fellas. The oldest daughter had a ballet recital followed by swim class. Dinner was fabulous Peking cuisine at Mr. Lee's Restaurant.
Sunday we went to the Mu Tian Yu section of the Great Wall.
 |
| At the entrance |
 |
| On the way up in the cable car, we rode in the same car ridden by Michelle Obama in 2014 |
|
 |
| View from cable car |
 |
| Another view from cable car |
 |
| At the top |
 |
| Love it! A good idea given the steepness. |
 |
| Breathtaking scenes |
 |
| Arrow holes for defense back in the day |
 |
| Best photo of me on the wall (difficult to avoid having unknown people in pictures here) |
 |
| Another beautiful scene |
 |
| ...and another |
 |
| We rode down in the cable car ridden by British Prime Minister Sir John Major in 1991 |
After viewing the wall, we dashed out to see the Chaoyang Theatre Beijing Acrobatic Show. A lot to pack into one day...but we did it...barely! Here's a YouTube link to a sampler of a previous show:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8SL0A5fcD0 The motorcycle show was amazing. They fit 8 motorcycles in that sphere! Here's a picture of the bicycle act. Count the number of people on one moving bicycle. Amazing!
 |
| The bicycle act - and they weren't finished adding people! |
|
Monday I was forbidden from going into the Forbidden City, but took a picture at Tienanmen Square.
Actually...turns out the Forbidden City was closed for the day - museum Monday! So...I went back on Tuesday. Click here for info about the Forbidden City:
http://en.dpm.org.cn/
 |
| Entrance to Forbidden City |
 |
| The Nine Dragon Screen was impressive, but there were too many people around to get the full picture. |
 |
| Jade sculpture on display |
 |
| One of the many buildings/halls |
 |
| Seriously guarding the palace |
 |
| One of the many doors that people rub for good luck |
 |
| A less populated section of the Imperial Garden |
 |
| Exiting the Forbidden City at the North Gate |
There are lots of interesting vehicles in Beijing. In an attempt to improve air quality, many are electric. Chris and Sheilah drive an uncovered battery powered tuk-tuk, which is basically a motorcycle with a cart on back. The cart has removable seats. It is their primary mode of transportation, and they find it extremely useful. Unfortunately, I did not take a picture of it:-( However, here are pictures of other vehicles that intrigued me:
While I was there, the air quality was wonderful, so I didn't need to put on a mask or stay indoors. It rained all day one day and sprinkled on another day, which helped tremendously. The skies (as you can see) were a brilliant blue and extremely clear. Unfortunately, the smog was coming back just as I was returning to Thailand. I hate that for Beijingers, but I could not have timed my trip better!
Until next week...
