HALA'S BLOG
Nov 1 - As promised, Hala has been 'liveblogging' from her trip in China. Below are some of the highlights of her amazing trip.
Day 1 - I am finally in Beijing! I am so excited to take you along with us on this great China Pac adventure. Upon landing at the airport I instantly felt the hustle and bustle of this great city. Beijing has 17 million inhabitants and 3 and a half million cars in a never-ending frenzy of activity. All of my senses have come alive with the sights and sounds of being in another world.
Our first stop was Tiananmen Square which is the largest plaza in the world. It will hold 1 million people! This is the historic site where on Oct 1, 1949 Mao Tse Tung waved the flag of China to his people and declared the new Replublic of China. At the north end of Tiananmen square you pass through a gate and are transported further back in time and into the Forbidden City. This was the palace of 24 emperors of China from 1410 to 1911 during the Ming and Qing dynastys and where common people were forbidden to enter. The palace was built of wood and marble by 1 million workers who took over 14 years. Old legends said that it contained 9999.5 rooms - the 10,000th being heaven itself.
The tour continued on to the Temple of Heaven which was built in 1420. This is where the emperor prayed twice a year in spring and in the fall, for good weather and for good harvest.
Am I really here, seeing all of this ancient world?
Day 2 - A short drive out of Beijing, and who would believe that I am standing here on the Great Wall of China. The Great Wall was originally built about 2,500 years ago and was over 50,000 km long. Only about 6,000 km remain today. Did you know that the Great Wall can be seen from Space? I feel so small as I am standing here at the bottom of the mountain looking up at the thousand of steps winding up to the top and then continuing on as far as the eye can see. This is truly an experience of a lifetime.
Later the same day we had another unique experience - the Hutong Tour. Hutong refers to the oldest parts of Beijing where things havent changed for hundreds of years. You are transported via rickshaw through narrow winding streets and alleyways where old traditional courtyard houses are still in use today by the same families who have lived there for many generations.
Stay tuned for my next blog in a couple of days as I jouney down the Yangtze river!
