Day 13 Mary Ann's Birthday and Forbidden City

Hello Everyone,

Today was Mary Ann's birthday!! She is the most beautiful women in the world and I thank God everyday for her. The boys and I got her some flowers, a cake and a promise of jewelry Guangzhou. The hotel manager gave her a rose, a cake and card. He is the best example of great customer service I have ever seen. We then went to Tienamen Square and Forbidden City on our own and stayed for about 2 hrs. The weather is hot and the kids are tired so we went back to the hotel and rested. We started to pack for our next leg of the trip and get ready for a fancy dinner at Du Dong, a famous restaurant in Beijing, known for their Peking Duck. We got to the restaurant and it went all downhill. We waited 20 minutes and no one said a word to us, then I asked for drinks and we again sat there waiting for someone to take our order. We ended up paying for our drinks and walking out. The manager ask us what was wrong and Mary Ann laid down the law. We ended up at a small ma and pa shop restaurant and laughed it off.

This may be the last posting until we get home because in Guangzhou high speed internet cost $15 a day and there won't be a lot going on except swimming and wrapping up some paperwork. We will be leaving around 2:30 friday, getting a one last picture of Hannah's abandoment location and heading to the airport.

Our guide, Grace was excellent and went above and beyond to make sure we had a great time in Beijing. We can't thank her enough for making our trip memorable and safe!!

I hope you have enjoyed the pictures and we look forward to seeing you soon!!

Love the Burkhardt's
Mary Ann, Jeff, David, Daniel, Thomas, Abigail and Hannah

Days 10-12 Happy Valley, Park, Great Wall

Hello Everyone,

We wanted to give you a quick update of the past 3 days. Monday, we went to Happy Valley which is an amusement park similiar to Cedar Point and the kids had a great time. There were a couple of rides that were unique to anything I have been on. Lot's of fun!!

Tuesday, We went to a park famous for their Cherry Blossoms. Ironically, we did not get one picture of the Cherry Blossoms :) They were about 1-2 days past prime. We did rent some small battery operated boats and go for an hour cruise on a small lake. The park vendors were cooking these meat? and chicken kabobs that were out of this world. We are also keeping the ice cream and pop vendors in business as well. I haven't lost any weight that's for sure.

Today, Wednesday, we went to a jade outletbut did not purchase. Hopefully we can get some better prices in at another store. We then headed to the Great Wall and did some climbing. We went to Badaling which is a little less steep so the kids could enjoy it more.

We are having fun but missing home, family and friends. We have 1 more full day here in Beijing then leave at 2:30 Friday for the airport to Guangzhou for 5 days. The weather has been in the mid 70's and Guangzhou will be in the mid 80's. We are looking forward to a lot of swimming. I bet Hannah will absolutely love that. Enjoy the pictures.!!

Day 9 Tea house, Beihai Park, Hutong area

Another fun day in Beijing!! Today we started out going to Beihai Park and it is absolutely breathe taking. There are multiple lakes, flowering trees, music, dancing, boat rides, paddle boats, shops, etc.. This was our favorite park so far and they says a lot. All of the trees are in full bloom and the atmosphere is open and beautiful.

Next, went to a tea shop and the kids, believe it or not, had a good time. We had to kill some time before going the the Hutong area.

We then spent the rest of the day in Beijing Hutong. We went to the "Bell Tower" which kept time for the old village . Then we went on a tour with a cycle rickshaw ride. Cycle rickshaws are a traditional means of transportation in the old narrow streets. We then went to a local families home and was served a home cooked meal. What an experience!!

We got back to the hotel and watched a movie and called it a night. Tomorrow we will be heading to an amusement park much like Cedar Point. The kids are going to love it. Enjoy the pictures.

Love, The Burkhardt's

Day 8 temple of heaven, silk factory, abandonment location, kungfu show

What a fun and busy day! We didn't get going till around noon and the kids were full of energy so around 10:00 a.m. I (Jeff) took the 3 boys and rode the subway to the Olympic Stadium and we bought some souveniers. By the time we got back it was time to go. We went to the Temple of heaven which last used by the last Emperor in 1911 to offer animal sacrifices. It is now open to the people for tourism and retirement age to hang out and sing, play cards, dance, etc. The park is always full of people and we had a lot of fun.
Next, we went to a silk factory and was taken on a tour of how silk is made from the worm to the blanket, that we bought. The tour was interactive for the kids and very interesting. This was a lot of fun.
We then went to the hospital that Hannah was abandoned. We went to the 3rd floor and got to take pictures of the area she was left. It was not quite as emotional as I thought it might be but we were happy we got to go and take some pic's. Next we went to an incredible stage show of Kungfu. The show was all about kicking, punching, jumping, flipping, swords, noise, etc. and the kids absolutely loved it. Now they think they are Kungfu. :) The show was a bit pricey but well worth it. It also gives you a sense for the culture in China. We went back to the hotel and I ran to the local Chinese restraurant and got some food and we had a nice meal in the room. We are all getting pretty good with chopsticks. Hannah and Abigail hold hands and are getting along great and the boys are doing really well. Thank you again for all your prayers, we are excited to introduce Hannah to our family and friends. Enjoy the pic's!!

Day 7 Zoo and Lama Temple

Today we went to the Zoo and Lama Temple. The days are fairly routine now, we eat breakfast, go to do a few things during the day and get back to the hotel around 4:00 ish with yesterday being the exception. The larger animals at the zoo were not moving much but it was a great day to just be out. The highlight for everyone was taken a speed boat ride on a channel or mote where the driver would swerve back and forth for about 5 minutes. We they had this at a zoo, who knows, but what a blast. We then had lunch at Pizza Hut and then walked about 15 minutes to the Lama Temple. You could not take pictures inside each of these individual temples but the different statues of Buddha or his disciples were huge. There were many people bowing and burning incense to their god. The temples are quite large and each having a huge statue in it but just seeing them was interesting. It is so different from anything I have ever seen and there nothing like experiencing the sights, sounds, and smells for myself. The kids had some interesting insights and questions about what they were seeing.

We had a lot of fun but we were a bit tired from yesterday. Enjoy the pictures and video.