Nothing like a last minute trip to....CHINA!

When Taylor called mid-November (17th) and asked how my December was looking, I was curious as to what he had in mind.  Knowing how crazy/busy our household is (especially in December), I certainly wasn't first on his list of people to call.  He was looking to fly someone out to help watch Will and June while he took Jen to Thailand for a week for hip surgery.  With encouragement and great thanks to an awesome husband, Aaron and I started the update passport/visa process quickly.  It's amazing how bureaucracy can be managed when the "price is right".  Cost aside, I had both in hand before Thanksgiving - and in record time!  

The Friday after Thanksgiving, I drove south with Mom and Dad where I spent the night at their condo so I could be at the airport by 4am.  It was the definitely the "hurry up and wait game" so I had no problem catching my first flight to San Francisco.  Landing, however, became the first problem of the day.  Thick fog (and other issues) forced our  aircraft to land in Sacramento where we sat on the tarmac for 2-3 hours.  By the time we flew back into San Francisco, I had just enough time to grab a sandwich and board the 12-hour flight to Beijing, China.  Thank goodness for long layovers at such a time:).  Too bad my luggage didn't make the same flight.  Of course, it wasn't until I landed in China and waited forever for my suitcase to magically appear in the baggage claim area that I realized there was a problem.  Taylor and his customer-driver, Albert, were good sports about waiting for the luggage which arrived on another flight.  Finally, we were off - to somewhere.  I didn't exactly know where - but heard we'd be staying in a villa near the Great Wall of China.  

 After 28-hours without sleep, I was too tired to ask about the details of the evening even while it seemed a determined Albert was driving in circles.  Apparently, this remote villa was extra challenging to find in the dark.  After checking in and parking, we hiked up a trail and finally arrived at a quaint villa where I was shown the room I'd be staying in for the evening.  I soon discovered we would be eating a meal and found people cooking in the kitchen.  When I privately turned to Taylor and asked - "Who are these people?",  his classic response came with a grin on his face - "I have no idea."  

Albert - Taylor's only English speaking customer in China - and a great guy!

 And oh what a feast is was!  Crazy amounts of food.  With only six people to eat it!

Albert had made all the arrangements and tasked his employees (marketing department, I think) to prepare the meal.  I nearly filled myself with herbal tea and the veggies (not realizing what was coming) but then plate after plate continued to be set on the already full table.  Imported sausages, lamb, fish, oysters, shrimp, chicken, etc.  I don't think we made a dent - and I certainly stopped well before the others...even Albert was laughing at the plethora before us!

After excusing myself to get some much needed rest, Albert and his employees stayed up quite late.  Taylor also tried to get some sleep but later told me it was 2am before they finished their 'meetings' - as he could hear them from his bedroom.  I was, of course, the first one awake in the morning.  And even when I tried to sleep longer, I could hear someone talking (6:45am) loudly.  Setting out to investigate, I cracked the window curtain which revealed a speaker attached to the roof of a nearby building/home.  Later that morning, I asked Albert about it and he told me it was the daily propaganda villagers receive from their government.  He explained that this isn't done in the big cities like Beijing or Shanghai.  I found that quite interesting as I had just finished reading Bend, Not Broken by Ping Fu which describes the Chinese Cultural Revolution under Chairman Mao.

The room I slept in was downstairs.

Fancy-smancy private bathroom I used.

Entrance to the place - as viewed in the morning.

The trail we hiked in the dark - after arriving the night before.

View from balcony - the Great Wall along the mountain ridge.

The main building where we ate breakfast - lady sweeping the brick.

Various rooms were labeled - in English - with tile pieces.

Always love a construction site - adding on to this resort.

After a hearty breakfast, we bundled up and headed out to explore the Great Wall. 

 By the time we reached the "top" of where we were allowed to climb, the sun came out and it warmed up considerably.  The only solid blue skies I saw while in China - hooray for visibility on such a day!

Yep, that's the wall behind us in the distance.

The hat finally came off.

 Sections of the wall were incredibly steep.  Dangerously so.  Can't imagine what it took to build it so many years ago.

A self-portrait with Taylor's phone.

The preferred way down the mountain was China's version of the Alpine Slide in Park City, UT.

 

Too bad there were guards all along the route telling us to slow down...

And then we were on to tour Beijing for the day.

We checked out the Olympic Park where the 2008 summer games were held.

The Nest

 Now that's a track stadium!

 The Chinese dignitaries sat along the counter where I'm sitting - perfectly positioned at the finish line.  A ski jump was being set up and snow hauled in for an upcoming competition.

It was a bonus to have a special tour inside "The Nest" as the spouse of one of Albert's employees works there.  He provided clearance for us to get a look at a few off-limit rooms.

 Of course the Chinese leadership had their own escalators where every surface was covered in small golden geometric tile pieces.

A waiting room of sorts.

 Another posh room for "important people".

Notice the dove door handles above the keyhole.

 Then we were on to "The Cube" were Michael Phelps showed the world how to swim.

 The facilities were ginormous with no expenses spared.  The Chinese way.  I was interested to learn of how the government brought in huge fans to blow the dirty air out of Beijing prior to the Olympic games.  And then there were the classes organized to teach Chinese people manners - how to form lines, how NOT to spit in public, etc.  Crazy the effort they went to in presenting China to the world...

 One of many government buildings in Beijing.

Guards dressed exactly the same were found at every turn.  Taylor and I learned there had been an attempted car-bombing in the area in November so heightened security prevailed.

Tiananmen Square - also referred to as the "Gate of Heavenly Peace" where Chinese student demonstrations (for democracy) took place in 1989.  The communist government wasn't thrilled with the uprising.  Across the street from this famous square is the equally famous "Forbidden City".

 Too bad it was forbidden to us.  

We found out that during the off-season, this site closes early on Monday afternoons.  

We didn't get the memo. 

No problem. Taylor changed our flight schedule and we left Beijing for Shanghai just a few hours earlier - which we didn't mind being so tired from the night before.

More adventures to come...