Beijing

Yesterday was incredible and super busy! Tyson and I are loving every moment of this trip so far.  We are still struggling in the sleep department, but we have two more nights to catch up before we get Nate.  Did you catch that?  Just TWO more nights until we hold our son!!!  Here are some of the highlights with captions from Tyson:

First off, assume Crystal and I normally look like this at all times traveling place to place in China while our stunt driver negotiates moving obstacles (pedestrians, bikes, motorcycles, buses, dogs, children...etc.) in a sort of warped form of flowing art/harmony that could easily make for a profitable reality show back in the states.  I never knew a Mercedes micro bus could maneuver as well as a Formula 1 car, but drivers here clearly have some mad skills.

 
Thankfully, our rickshaw driver was a bit more mellow and we really enjoyed a leisurely tour down the streets of "old" Beijing.

We were allowed a personal tour from Mr. Hou of his home which was constructed 150 years ago.  This was our favorite spot of the day with such rich character emulating from a home made for the entire family with a total of 11 rooms surrounding a courtyard area showcasing an impressive garden.  The following are pictures from the courtyard including some lucky crickets.

We were treated to a silk shop that demonstrated the traditional methods of harvesting and producing the fine silk products many people associate with the far east.  For this picture, we were stretching and stacking silk fibers to craft a quilt.

A view on the outer edge of Tiananmen Square (above) just preparing to enter the Forbidden City (below).

These places were both rich in historical significance and the scale of architecture was impressive.  Especially considering it was built back at the start of the 1400s.  

We finished the day with an acrobatic show that really had some talented performers, but we along with most of our group were half asleep throughout...until the final act featured these motorbikes piloted by wild men driving inside a steel ball.  Not sure how it fits into an acrobatic show, but who cares, it was sweet!  Although it re-energized our attention for a few minutes, we enjoyed calling it a day immediately following...the Great Wall up next.