Beijing: The People Exercise in Heaven

Fan-waving exercise, among the hordes exercising, outside of the Temple of Heaven. Click HERE for a taste of some other exercise dancing in Heaven.

Sexy crooner keeps the middle-aged fan-wavers working a little harder to burn off the cellulite.

I join in the fun.

Click HERE for a video of all of us exercising with the locals. We LOVED it.

Click HERE for Griffin exercising next to this boy.

Wow, is all I can say. These Chinese here exercise and practice their craft daily, perfecting their chosen exercise to an impressive point.

Wow, again

She chatted with everyone, seemingly enjoying her dirty job, with no one treating her like a lower caste for handling their waste.

Work those kids' abs, Uncle Pappy! Click HERE for them bubble blowing, and forcing Boom into yet another photo op.

We were inspired by the fancy footwork of these feathercock kickers playing Jianzi. Click HERE for a casual Jianzi kickgame.

So we bought our own and realized how easy the Chinese made it look

I was fascinated by this Chinese Opera singer who was famous in Beijing for warbling to the crowds on the Temple of Heaven walkway. He was all over the media and LOVED attention. He especially loved my camera. He pretended to play the operatic role of the blushing, demure Chinese girl, hiding behind her fan.

Striking a toothless pose, of a younger girl.

Hello, heaven!

Oh no, look out! Genghis Khan has reinvaded!

She was selling these glorious ribbons. Click HERE for her and her posse flying these ribbons.

We bought one and had her give Alice a quick tutorial. Click HERE for Alice learning to fly the ribbon.

Not bad for a first lesson.

If you talk on one side of the echo wall, designed centuries ago, you will be heard far on the other side of the circular echo wall. Very cool.

The Heavenly Centre Stone where the Emperor would stand, capitalizing on his chances to attain heavenly status

View of Temple of Heaven, all lined up in a row. Temple of Heaven was visited by the Emperor for lavish Harvest ceremonies. It tries to connect Heaven with Earth, with the repeated symbolic use of the square shape representing earth and circles representing heaven in its architecture.

June 13, 2011

The Great Wall! Surprise Birthday Party for Ken on the Wall

You take a tram up to the top of this part of the Great Wall, nearby Beijing.

Click HERE for a video of us riding up to the great wall via tram.

Click HERE for a video of us walking the Great Wall.

Patrick was such a trooper. He had been up all night sick with the flu. Brendan was knocked down, in bed by the flu, and actually had to miss the Great Wall, poor guy!

Ken, pausing before he was about to enter the gatehouse for the surprise of his birthday!

Xiao Wei planned a surprise birthday celebration for Ken, being the guide extraordinaire he is. The kids ran ahead of me and Ken and waited up in a Great Wall guard house where Xiao Wei and Alice lit the candles for the cake and surprised Ken when he entered the dark gatehouse. We all sang Happy Birthday on top of the Great Wall. A 42nd birthday he'll never forget.

Alice lighting the candle and waiting to surprise Ken

Xiao Wei and the kids excited to surprise Ken

Giddy with celebrating!

Gorgeous Patrick, with a slightly beleaguered look on his face from his flu

Highest point we reached at the Great Wall

To get to the highest nearby point, we had to break a rule in China! We went into the verbotten zone, especially for tourists, it seems.

Click HERE for a video of us at the top of our section of the Great Wall, and the view.

We made it to the top!

This is the Disney way to descend the Great Wall. And, we loved it. That's the way to bring in your 42nd year!

Not the most confidence-inspiring sign to see before you zip down a Chinese mountain on a tobaggan.

Blissed out Boom and family ready to go! Boom made it clear he was the driver, not Xiao Wei.

The brakes worked.

We made it to the bottom, with lots of hair-raising twists and turns, then one too many bottlenecks and close calls almost slamming into the tobaggan in front of us.

My birthday boy

June 11, 2011