On December 30th we boarded a plane to Beijing, China and returned on the 2nd of January. This was our first organized tour trip and we decided to go with the USO. We figured since we had Ian it might be easier that way, but in the future we will go on our own, it is more our style.
Ian did well on his first plane ride, sleep during takeoff and landing and stayed awake during the flight and didn't want to lay down in the bassinet. I use "Earplanes" for my ears and purchased a pair for him and they worked wonderfully.
Upon our arrival we went through the usual passport and customs screening. Then we gathered as a group and were greeted by our guide "Ms Ping aka Alice". We boarded a bus and headed off to our hotel the "New World International". Ms Ping gave us an hour to get organized and find our rooms which I was personally thankful for. It was a great room and had our requested crib for Ian.
Day 1 - We went to the Silk Market. I put Ian in his Ergo carrier and he was fine until we were surrounded by about 8 Chinese ladies wanting to look at a Western baby. Ian couldn't take it any more and started crying. The Silk Market has anything you like that is considered a knockoff, North Face coats, Ralph Lauren shirts, jackets, and many more but in addition they sell pearls and more traditional Chinese items. Juan and I were on a mission to find a booth that sold chop stamps to have one made for Ian. Mission accomplished after some hard bargaining and wadding through many booths being called "Hey Lady" and "Oh, Cute Baby!". We were alloted 2 hours there, once we got the stamp, we found a place to eat, Pizza and waited to board the bus. We
returned to the hotel for the remainder of the evening to rest and get Ian back on his normal
schedule.
The New World Hotel - Our Lodging Away From HomeDay 2- We were off to a good start, Ian slept through the night and was our wakeup call, 615am.
Perfect timing to get up and ready with a terrific breakfast buffet at our hotel. Lots of fruits, vegetables, and traditional Asian breakfast items, dim sum and more. Today, we went to the Great Wall, it was about an hour+ out of town. The weather was cold but the sky was clear. We rode the cable car up to the Badling Entrance of the Great Wall and started a 1 hour hike.
It was very windy and cold but the view and experience was amazing. Once we were back on the bus our group headed to a government run Jade Market for a tour and traditional Chinese meal.
Our afternoon was spent viewing the Olympic Sites, The Bird's Nest and Water Cube. We had a great tour of the venues but everywhere we went Ian would be surrounded by locals wanting to
look at a "Western Baby", he is turning into quite a flirt.
Day 3 - Success another good night of sleep for all three of us. Today we traveled to the Temple of Heaven and enjoyed watching the locals ballroom and line dance, do Tai Chi, and convince Juan to participate in the Chinese version of Hacky-Sack in the local park. We also visited the Pearl Market and purchased 2 North Face jackets after some hard bargaining and a couple Chinese momentos, a panda Christmas ornament and a hand painted globe of the Great Wall and a panda. For lunch we enjoyed a version of Chinese food with Thai influence and a cultural show. Our afternoon concluded with a trip to the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. Unfortunately our camera ran out of battery a few snap shots into our tour of the Forbidden City but the experience of being in such a historical place was amazing. When we returned from Beijing, Juan and I rented "The Last Emperor". Ian did very well despite the cold weather, he actually slept in his stroller the whole afternoon and was all around a good baby. For dinner we headed to the Hard Rock Cafe and purchased a guitar pin for my mom. Juan and I have been to many of the HRCs and we always bring her a pin from our adventures.
Day 4 - We were given an opportunity to tour a Hutong in addition to our tour. Our friends, Blanca and Carlos recommended we go if an opportunity presented itself. It was probaby one of the highlights of our trip after the Great Wall. We had a chance to ride in a bicycle Rickshaw, climb the Bell Tour, visit Mr & Mrs. Wu's home, and watch the locals ice skate on a lake. Our guide, Victor, was full of great information and shared his experience of growing up in a Hutong.
We returned to our hotel around noon and had an hour to get ready to head to the airport. We enjoyed a few hours of wandering the airport, we purchased Ian a stuffed Panda puppet which we named Ping (after our guide and means peace) with our remaining 103 Yuan. Ian was Mr. Cooperative on the return flight and this time enjoyed some time in his bassinet and gave us free hands to eat dinner.
Day 1, on our way to the Silk Market; you gotta love the shades.
Day 2, An Olympic Sign near the Great Wall, actually the Chinese call it the Long Wall.
Day 2, The Great Wall is the main attraction for all visitors traveling to Beijing. 
Day 2, The Great Wall stretches for miles.
Day 2, The Great Wall; Ian is resting comfortably inside Juan's coat - look closely. 
Day 2, The Great Wall shares a landscape that is very rugged, and tough.
Day 2, Rachel modeling in one of the Great Wall's outposts.
Day 2, The Bird's Nest is an architectural marvel that is both impressive and breath-taking. 
Day 2, The Water Cube is a remarkable site within the Olympic Park.
Day 3, At the Pearl Market, Rachel and Ian were asked to take a picture with a Chinese lady and her child. The Chinese love Western Babies.
Day 3, Chineses ladies dancing with multi-colored streamers and synchronized to music. 
Day 3, Temple of Heaven.
Day 4, During the Hutong Tour we toured the Drum Tower; a series of drums are used as the local clock, it's a way of telling the locals what time it is.
Day 4, Rickshaw Ride, modeling our North Face Jackets from the Pearl Market.
Day 4, The Hutong is a traditional Chinese village, many were torn down for the Olympics and residents were moved to the high rises but some are now preserved.
Day 4, Hutong Tour; Mr. & Mrs. Wu, he is the youngest of 8 children and they host many foreign dignitaries in their home, including Henry Kissenger.
Day 4, Ian and his new puppet, Ping, which means peace. 
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