Everything is new...

Saturday we actually made it to the Forbidden City with scores of other people due to the holiday. Many Chinese people would be off of work on Monday for the Dragon Boat Festival. I will talk more about that later. We were dropped off at a more Northern entrance and found that we needed to make our way to the South Entrance by Tiananmen Square. After getting some yummy cantaloupe on a stick, (many street vendors were selling this and corn on the cob) we decided to take a rickshaw around to the South Entrance. Many people were trying to sell us a ride and we picked one guy. We got excited about this and followed the guy several blocks to his vehicle. After settling on a price and two vehicles since there were four of us, he took us on a tour of the Hutong people down back alleys and small streets. Jeff and I were admittedly a little nervous about actually reaching our destination, but just decided to trust and not get freaked out. We were trying to go with the flow (or as one of my friends would say, "Be easy breezy") and enjoy the whole experience for what it was. Glad we did, because we ended up where we needed to be and have a story to tell now. :)

　

We passed a lady who was crocheting little animals and figures. It was so neat and I was compelled to support her art form by getting a tiger for Jack and what Grace calls a ballerina.

Jack had a mission during the whole tour of the Forbidden City.....to get a Chinese Flag. He saw some as we were coming in and he was determined that he needed one. Now I know what he wanted it for...to direct traffic. In his mind, a flag is needed to direct traffic and/or directing us pushing Grace's stroller. I love how the Chinese ladies use umbrellas rain or shine. When it is warm, they use them to keep the sun off of their face. They have some beautiful umbrellas too, some very elaborate.

Sunday night we went to see the Flying Acrobatics Show. Jack and Grace were mesmerized, well, we all were. It was great! And yes, we saw some girls who could bring their legs back over their heads and stuff like that.

Monday was a holiday and Jeff had the day off. We walked to the Silk Market and stopped to get some street food for breakfast. It was like an egg pancake with a special spicy sauce, lettuce, and sausage wrapped in it. It was really good and we think the kids might like to try it some other day. We are trying to slowly introduce them to new things so they won't get upset and reject something just because we ask them to try it.

One thing that both kids love is noodles!! That's a good thing because we can always find noodles! They love trying chopsticks too and are doing a great job! They were getting them to their mouth and then sucking them in, just like the Chinese do. Yes, kids, it is not bad manners to slurp your noodles into your mouth, at least when you are in China!

Mr. Li is a man who drives us around which we are so thankful that Jeff's company provides for us. We may not always need him, but in the beginning it is wonderful to tell him where we want to go and he takes us there. We don't have to know exactly where something is. He is a very nice man and speaks some English. His father taught English and taught him which provided him this opportunity. He brought us a wonderful treat on Monday to celebrate the Chinese Dragon Boat Holiday the way they do. The Chinese make these special glutinous rice parcels called "zongzi" which come with a host of things stuffed inside. They could have fruit, beans, or varieties of meat inside. Mr. Li's father made about 20 for us, half with dates inside, and the other with mashed red beans. Then, they are wrapped in lotus leaves and warmed up. After unwrapping them, you sprinkles them with sugar. They were very good and we will be munching on them for quite a few days. We thought it was a wonderful gesture from Mr. Li and his father. We hope to return the generosity in some way too.