Tourpocalypse

Annette said that they were some one of the most beautiful nature spots she had ever been to, and that would have to sum it up.  Though we did run into the crowds of the 700 million strong Chinese tourpocalypse, and almost got stampeded at times, we still had a very lovely time.  I wouldn't recommend traveling during Chinese National Holiday week ever again though!

The water was so clear in Jiuzhaigou that you could see the fish swimming along the beautiful clear blue and green waters.

This was called Pearl Shoals Falls, to describe the pearly appearance of the water tumbling down the mountain.

Joshua spent a good time admiring this waterfall, and we did so as well.  This was the last part of our hike and he said, that it was great we saved the best for last!

Nourilang waterfalls

The stream behind our house seemed so idyllic.

On the drive back to the airport, we ran into more horses than cars.  We were surprised to find that we were pretty much in Tibet.  China is so expansive.

At Zhangzhaijie, the boys really liked this stream and the rocks they could throw into it.

Hiking along the stream, we could see the moutains towering above.

Zhangjiajie's mountains were incredibly tall, beautiful, and out of this world.

We took our time trekking around, stopping here for a lunch break on top of the mountain.

In Chengdu, we stopped at the People's Park for some tea with the locals.

And saw adorable baby pandas at the vey successful breeding center.

Our cross country trip took us to 3 cities, and on 4 flights over the course of just 7 days.  It was a great introduction to the natural wonders of China!

Fall at the Old Summer Palace

One of our favorite places to go in Beijing to escape the urban jungle, is the Old Summer Palace, which is a park/garden built around the ruins of the old palace, that was twice destroyed by foreign invaders.  I actually prefer it to the regular Summer Palace--something so beautiful arising from old ruins is really charming.
And the boys love the hiking paths up and down the hills all over the park.
This weekend, was a smogfree, autumn smorgasbord of a day and we drank it in.

cruising around the lakes at sunset

Clone Trooper School

Annette mentioned this already in her blog, but I thought I would share these two photos for comparison:

Annette's blog

Annette has started her own (much better than mine) blog about her time in Beijing:
http://pekingdiary.wordpress.com/

First day of school

Joshua starts his first day of Chinese school today.

Beijing AQI

When we landed into a cloud of smog, Joshua noted, "There is a lot of carbon dioxide out there." Well, technically it's not CO2, but he's got the right idea. I was immediately grateful that Annette brought those three air purifiers with us.

We monitor the Beijing Air Quality Index (AQI), and have noticed that it seems to have a circadian rhythm varying with the wind patterns.

The air quality in Beijing has been surprisingly good and really hasn't been as bad as I was expecting. I even contemplated going on a run yesterday, except it was 91 degrees outside.

Flight to Beijing

It has been a little crazy packing and getting ready for our move the past days. Both Annette and I didn't get to sleep 2 of the last 3 nights.
But we found a really nice airport shuttle driver, Tony, who helped get us and our 13 pieces of luggage to the airport at 4 am this morning.
Unfortunately, our connecting flight in Denver was delayed, so we missed our flight out of SFO to Beijing. But then, there was a cooling issue with that aircraft, so the pilot turned the plane back while taxiing on the runway, and had everyone get off the plane.
So fortunately for us, now we are back on the flight we had missed. :-)
Now if our luggage can just make it out with us...