Amazing Beijing

View of Forbidden City from Jingshan Park

Beijing, China's Capital.  Awe-inspiring from the Hutong alleyways and the Forbidden City to the Great Wall.

From Shanghai, we took a five hour high speed train north to Beijing. We met up with Ken's Intel colleague and friend, Xue Yan (Bryan).

Bryan at bronze vat in Forbidden City

Nanluoguxiang Hutong

We stayed three nights in the Peking International Hostel on a main Hutong, Nanluoguxiang.  Historic, charming, authentic, colorful:  hutongs are the heart and soul of Beijing.

Enjoying coffee at International Hostel

 Impromptu music in the Hutong

Jeanie and Mao Zedong, Tiananmen Square

Forbidden City, immense

Haoche- delicious!

We visited the Forbidden City (looks just like in the movie, The Last Emperor) and of course, we feasted on Peking Duck.

Live scorpions on a stick, really!

Our favorite part of the trip was hiking the Great Wall.  We drove two hours north in a minivan with other hikers. We chose to hike the less touristy part of the wall from Jinshanling to Simatai.  An amazing journey in the northern part of China that borders Mongolia.

We hiked six kilometers

 Views that go on forever

Ken at the Wall

One of the 22 towers we hiked

Jeanie and a new Mongolian friend

The Great Wall, indeed

Fifteen years ago on June 15, Ken and Jeanie were married.  We still believe more than ever that:

The Lord has done great things for us and we are filled with joy.  Psalm 126:3

For the next ten days,  we will celebrate marriage and rejoice in God's beauty as we travel the southwest province of China called Yunnan.  We will hike the Tiger Leaping Gorge, and gaze at the snow-capped mountains of the Himalayas.  

 More photos and adventures to come....