Nature

I yearn to get out of the city sometimes.  

To be amongst trees instead of pavement.

  To smell grass instead of smog.

Going to the Great Wall is just the ticket to feeling free!

My friend Ashley visited us for a week and a half.  We had the opportunity to do some tourist-y things, like visiting the Great Wall (Chang Cheng), but she also wanted to experience what it was like for us to live in Beijing.  

I took her to my markets for shopping and introduced her to many of our friends.

We showed her a wide variety of foods too.

Jeff and I are convinced that she does not suffer from jet lag...we are jealous!

We had a fabulous time and already miss her again.  

She was so easy going, I think she could live here too....wishful thinking, I know.

One of the first days she was here, Jeff took off work and we visited the Great Wall.  

I had set up a driver through price negotiations over the phone, so we really did not know what we were getting.  We rode in a JinBei for an hour and a half, weaving around people and passing other cars.  I'm just glad that I was not sitting in Jeff's seat, he had to sit backwards facing Ashley and I. 

We made it there and proceeded to ride the chair lift up the mountain.

Jeff in front of us

 

 

This was NOT my favorite part.  I'm afraid of heights.

We picked a fantastic day!  It was gorgeous and not too many people!

  

 

On the way back down the mountain, we chose to do the taboggan run.  

We stopped at a restaurant on the way back to Beijing.  We ordered some fish and our server went over to the pool and picked out two for us.  I guess Jeff had commented about the fish pool when we were sitting down, but I hadn't heard him.  I was totally surprised at this, it was my first time at a restaurant to see them pick out my live food, weigh it, kill it, and then cook it.

I'm glad that there is always something new!!