It was an early start and we were back on the train heading to Beijing. Again, it was about a 30hour train ride with another crazy border crossing. We arrived at the Mongolian border at about 730pm and departed for China around 10pm. Around 1030pm we arrived at the China border. Immigration and customs bordered and took our paperwork. We also had temperature scans to see whether we were sick. Faye has a really bad cold - fortunately no fever. After they got our paperwork, the train is moved into a "garage" where the wheels are changed. The train rails a
re different widths from Mongolia to China - the Chinese being closer together. We stayed on the train as the compartments were lifted up and then replaced on new wheels. The procedure was very efficiently executed but a little unbelievable. The workers had hard hats but no other safety equipment - including no steel toe boots. In fact, one worker sat on his hat while the train was being lowered onto the new wheels! We finished the wheel changing process at about 1130pm and then had a stop from midnight to 1am. We went to bed at that point.
re different widths from Mongolia to China - the Chinese being closer together. We stayed on the train as the compartments were lifted up and then replaced on new wheels. The procedure was very efficiently executed but a little unbelievable. The workers had hard hats but no other safety equipment - including no steel toe boots. In fact, one worker sat on his hat while the train was being lowered onto the new wheels! We finished the wheel changing process at about 1130pm and then had a stop from midnight to 1am. We went to bed at that point.
The following day we arrived in Beijing at about 2pm and were greeted by Faye's cousin at th
e station. He had hired a van and driver for our 4 days in Beijing. We went to the hotel, showered and waited for the arrival of two new members Sandy and Florent! Dinner was a feast of Peking Duck - very yummy. There was so much food! Another favorite dish and specialty of the restaurant was Pears - fried batter in the shape of pears with red bean filling. So good! After dinner, we headed out to see the Olympic venues by night - the Bird's Nest and Watercube all lit up in the rain.
e station. He had hired a van and driver for our 4 days in Beijing. We went to the hotel, showered and waited for the arrival of two new members Sandy and Florent! Dinner was a feast of Peking Duck - very yummy. There was so much food! Another favorite dish and specialty of the restaurant was Pears - fried batter in the shape of pears with red bean filling. So good! After dinner, we headed out to see the Olympic venues by night - the Bird's Nest and Watercube all lit up in the rain.The next morning, we started our day at the Temple of Heaven and Earth. The temple is where the emperor gave thanks and prayed to the Heaven. Faye's cousin played tour guide since he called himself an "Old Beijing", someone who knew everything about Beijing. He doesn't speak any English but Sandy also speaks Mandarin and translated for us. The temple area/park was huge and filled with seniors doing TaiChi and other morning exercises. Walking around the park for 3 + hours worked up an appetite. Lunch was another feast. This time the specia
l dish was noodles. A highlight of this meal was the fried bananas and fried cream puffs. We then headed off to see the Forbidden City - the home of last several Emperors. It was amazing how much space one man need
s (plus his many concubines and servants). On route we went through Tiananmen Square, the world's largest square. The square was packed full of people. We were told the square is always crawling with undercover cops. You are under constant surveillance, but probably one of the safest place in the country. After the Forbidden City, we climbed the Jing Hill behind it for a full view of th
e Forbidden City.
e Forbidden City.Day 2 in Beijing was all about the Great Wall. We went to one of the less known locations of the wall called MuTianYu. We spent about 3 hours on the Wall. We headed back down by a much faster way - by LUGGING. They have a "luge"
or giant slide to the bottom. Great fun but of course no helmets. Faye's cousin tried to show us something different every meal. So we had to fish for our own lunch! The restaurant was known for its fish dishes and the fish they serve are rised in spring water. The patio of the restaurant was on top of the fish ponds. Only Michelle was close to catching anything, so we just asked the waiter to net us a few fish for lunch. Upon our return to the city we went for another round of massages!
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