Day 1: Beijing Bound

They say it’s the journey not the destination. But delays to an already long flight and horrible turbulence that led to multiple people violently vomiting on the flight (think South Park when the boys wrote the best book ever) made for a difficult trip.

In Beijing, we booked a room at the Sihe Courtyard Hotel in the center of town but tucked away in a hutong (narrow alleyways that are quickly disappearing with modernization). The hotel with just 12 rooms is the former residence of famous Chinese artist, Mei Lan Fang and was built in the beginning of Qing Dynasty. It was a cool vibe.

Day 2: The Forbidden City

On our first day, we visited the famous Tienanmen Square and the Forbidden City.

The Forbidden City, home to Ming and Qing emperors, was off limits for 500 years and is the largest and best-preserved cluster of ancient buildings in China.

Random Observation: Yeah, they do cook up starfish and scorpions on a stick but I’m pretty sure locals don’t eat it…it’s just for tourists.

Day 3: The Great Wall

Today we booked a driver to take us to the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall known for its 26 Ming dynasty watchtowers. The original wall was constructed over 2000 years ago during the Qing dynasty and was constructed to keep out enemies.

The Chinese characters read “Loyalty to Chairman Mao.”

Take the cable car!

Random Observation: A lot of bathrooms in China are in the ground. For a dude born with a defective hip, squatting over a hole can be problematic.

Day 4: 798 Arts District

We visited a renovated factory district that now houses hundreds of art galleries, boutique shops and cafes. It was a fun day exertion and many of the streets are lined with over-the-top standing sculptures and graffiti-ed walls. There needs to be more neighborhoods like this in the states.

Random Observation: I’m not sure what this sculpture is supposed to say but it speaks to me.

Day 5: The Summer Palace

The Summer Palace contains palace temples, gardens, pavilions, lakes and corridors where the imperial court spent the summers away from the heat of the Forbidden City. It’s huge and you could easily get lost here for an entire day.

Random Observation: Even though we’ve been eating meat for a few years, it’s still super fun to find amazing vegetarian food around the world. The Baihe Vegetarian Restaurant specializes in organic teas and fake meat dishes.

Fake pork spare ribs and tofu pockets stuffed with fake chicken and mushroom in a sweet and sour sauce.

Day 6: Zhengzhou, A Mini-Metropolis

We left Beijing and headed to Zhengzhou. After an “Amazing Race” style finish to catch our train, we were surprised to find a bustling town that overwhelmed the senses.

Day 7: The Shaolin Temple

Initiated by kungfu movies as a kid, reinforced by the Wu Tang Clan and revitalized after reading Matthew Polly’s book “American Shaolin,” we were excited to visit the birthplace of kungfu, gongfu and meditation.

The Shaolin Temple is a tourist hot spot so it can be hard to connect with the Shaolin spirit but it’s got some notable highlights. As a target in several wars, much of the area has been rebuilt.

The kung fu show that takes place on a wall.

The Pagoda Forest is a cemetery of impressive brick pagoda honoring Shaolin monks.

Shaoshi Shan peak.

Random Observation: People in China are very intrigued by tattoos and Americans and Americans with tattoos. Here are just some of the girls who asked to take a picture with me. Awkward!

The kids are really friendly too and excited to say “Hello” and other words they are learning in school.

Day 8: Xi’an, The Ancient City

Renowned for its historical importance, Xi’an is considered the ancient capital of China. We traveled by bullet train in less than 3 hours from Zhengzhou and spent the day getting massages and pedicures, topped off by sushi, KFC and Japanese beer.

Day 9: The Terracotta Warriors

The Terracotta Army is one of the most famous archeological finds in the world. Emperor Qin Shi Huang spent four decades building his tomb with almost 8,000 warriors and horses nearby to protect him in the afterlife. The warriors built by slaves (as with most of the great historical sites in China) are all unique with painstaking detail and categorized by rank.

All were destroyed and set on fire after Emperor Qin died. However, a farmer stumbled upon the buried pits of soldiers in 1974. Only one warrior was in perfect condition, while the thousands of others are slowly being pieced back together. It’s an amazing site.

Random Observation: Why don’t our garbage cans look like this? Perishable in the left lion, recyclable in the right lion.

Day 10: Out and about in Xi’an

We spent the day exploring the city wall built in 1370 in the Ming dynasty, the Muslim Quarter that houses many of the 70,000 Chinese muslims in Xi’an, and the Bell and Drum Towers at the center of town that marks sunrise and sunset.

Random Observation: In Feng Shui, the Pixiu consumes gold (wealth and good fortune) without expelling waste (no anus). Touch its ears, beard, front paws and back, rub its butt three times, then catch your wishes and put them in your pocket for good luck.

Day 11: Back to Beijing

We took an overnight train from Xi’an back to Beijing. Then spent the day doing a little shopping, lots of eating and hanging out in the spa with heated pool, multiple hot tubs and sauna at the Grand Hyatt (our little splurge of the trip).

Random Observation: Peking duck is yummy and a must when in Beijing. We opted for the standard tortillas (they call them pancakes) of duck, scallions, cucumbers and sauce, and against the plate of tongues.

Day 12: Florida, We Miss You!

Starting to miss the comforts of home like uncensored Internet (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, etc. are blocked in communist China), our dog and soft beds. We had a great trip but I’m inspired to get back to work! Thanks for reading. Our panda claw souvenir is already in the display case with the rest of Michelle’s panda collection.

You can see more pictures on our Flickr page.