Beijing Day 1

Our flight came in an hour later than expected.  That flight really feels like you're stuck in a wrinkle in time and I spent much of just thinking about how much I already dreaded the return flight.  The nice thing about getting in at midnight was the customs and visa lines were a breeze.  Our guide was easy to find and the roads were pretty clear. 

Our first stop on our tour was the Hutong area complete with rickshaw ride and a close up view of a "rich" families courtyard home.  Five generations have lived in this modest home.

We climbed to the top of the drum tower, walked the Temple of Heaven, bought more pearls than I should have under the guise of passing them on to the kids one day; and, to our guide's horror-- learned to eat with chopsticks at lunch.  She could not believe we had traveled to China before and not learned this.  And actually, I completely agree.  However, if I continue to practice this chopstick diet, I expect to have lost about 20 lbs before our return home.

Now I will go try to convince Kayla to wake up from her 3 hour nap, so she's not bouncing off the walls at bedtime.