We arrived in Beijing after our journey on the soft sleeper. It was a bumpy ride and Casey didn't fare too well. She was sick on the train and I had to stay with her in the hotel room while Catherine and our guide Olive took the rest of the girls to Tiannamen Square and the Forbidden City. Beijing is 1200 kms from Xian and the weather was nothing like what we experienced yesterday. Very chilly here at the moment.
The girls loved the day and were very tired at the end of it. Apparently the crowds at Tiannamen Square and the Forbidden city were huge and representative of all the nations of the world. Catherine believes that most of the population of China was in the Forbidden City today!!
In the afternoon they visited the Hutong residential area and shared a lunch with a couple in their seventies who have recently opened their home to international tourists. The girls enjoyed both the food and the company and were pleased to be able to gain some insight into the everyday lives of the Chinese people.
Casey and I were able to join the group for the late afternoon performance of the Beijing Acrobatic Troupe. They were fantastic. We were amazed at the young age of some of the troupe and at their incredible flexibility and strength. Then we were off for yet another magnificent Chinese feast. What on earth are we going to do when we get home and have to cook again (I'm referring to Catherine and myself here obviously!).
Breakfast at this hotel is buffet style and we gorged ourselves this morning so will do so again tomorrow. Shannan's plan is to attend a first sitting, retire to her room to digest quietly and then return for another go before we board the bus taking us to Simatai. Plans are afoot to celebrate Jess' 16th birthday with an oreo cake at our hotel at the base of the Great Wall. What a birthday memory that will be.
I don't know if there will be internet access there so there may be no posts until we return to Beijing Tuesday. This has been a wonderful trip and we have enjoyed the company of the girls immensely. They are so funny and we have been laughing our way through China. We have been coined 'Sport' and 'Champ' - wonder how that will go down in a Toorak College assembly hall!
6 comments:
Hi everyone. Case, I hope you're OK. I left you an email but you poss haven't got it yet. Hope you're feeling better- phenergan is very good for nausea. Thank you, Jenny, for looking after my little precious girl. Have a wonderful rest of the trip. Looking forward to seeing you on Thursday. Love to all.
Dear Sport and Champ,
Sounds like you will definitely have a cooking meltdown when you return home, so you will have to feign jetlag for at least a week so the family feels sorry for you!
You will be happy to know it has rained on the Mornington Peninsula, first time since you left. Big soak for the garden which is marvellous. Be prepared for 31 degrees upon your return - at least thats what they are predicting today!
No doubt Georgie M would have enjoyed the Beijing Acrobatic Troupe. I'm suprised she didn't jump up on stage and do her tumbling routine, after not having trained gymnastics for a couple of weeks.Start stretching for the Vics Georgie!
We hope that Casey is back on track, and that the Oreo 16th birthday cake goes down a treat on the Great Wall!
Happy walling to all !
Love
Sandy
Dear Sport, Champ and the younger members of GIRLS CAN DO! You are going to need a holiday when you get back - you've seen and done so much and each blog we read, we get greener with envy! You will be on the Great Wall as I post this - a very happy memorable 16th birthday to Jess and love to Casey who I am sure will be feeling much better now. Special love to Georgie F. Jenny and Catherine - thank you SO much for all you are doing to look after our girls and giving them a trip of a lifetime! See you Thursday.
Hey Kimstar,
it's Rom* here!
the country carnuval was really fun but they didnt have the giant slide:( we ended up coming 3 but they dont say it as third they say it as stomthing else but i forgot! they had all of these aniamls and they dont take care off them at all.....all they do is feed them (so they look fat and CUTE) and they pick the guinea pigs and the chickens up by their necks and the rabbits get chuck at each other and all of the other animals get durting water and their chain is like 7 cm! the sumo suits were so much fun and adam and dad were helping out and at the end adam and reed had a go and they punched each other and it was really funny! i love you soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much!
Lots of love Romstar!!!!!!!
Happy Birthday Jess!
I'm sorry that you haven't read these messages,& you thought that we had forgotten you-as ifwe could!
We thought they were the main form
of correspondance, so we wrote blogs, instead of emailing you.Hope you start to feel better,
at least the more physical days,
are nearly over & you can focus on
some serious last minute shopping at the markets on the last day!
Thankyou Jenny & Catherine,for making Jess's birthday so special,
& going to so much effort.It has been the first time,that I haven't been with any of my children on their special day,so it has been very strange for me!
Lots of Love & Kisses Mum xoxoxoxo
Sorry to hear via email from the school that several girls have succumbed to presumably traveller's diarrhoea/gastro....we hope that the others had a wonderful time walking on the wall. The section that they were doing looks as if it isn't overrun with tourists....wishing those who are unwell a speedy recovery and hope that Jenny and Catherine are not to exhausted through nursing or girl wrangling duties....looking forward to hearing about the trip first hand on Thursday - and seeing all the pictures...love to Kim xoxoxo PS: R won the scarecrow colouring in competition!!!
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