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TRAVELING Memories:
**Chinese New Year is a unique holiday here and a good example of why we should thank our lawmakers that firecrackers are illegal within city limits. While we were staying in Xi’an, between the hours of 6pm and 2am that evening (Feb 6^th) every Chinese person with the ability to walk outside (which is pretty much all of them) was setting off firecrackers and we were able to experience what it might be like to live in a war zone with shells exploding all around at all hours. It’s unnerving!

**A major highlight of the trip was the ability to visit the Mao Mausoleum (ok, not a major highlight). Displayed in this building in the middle of Tianan’men square is what is purported to be the body of the great Chinese leader, Mao Zedong, but rumor has it (and our experience somewhat confirms) that it is probably just a wax replica. Due to the fact that you can’t bring any bags into the mausoleum and there is no place to store your bags, Josh actually had to run through the exhibit twice. He got to see his body twice! Even the guards were a little puzzled. The biggest thing we learned from examining his body for the 15 seconds they hustle us by – Mr. Mao had quite the beer belly! In honor of this great leader we have unofficially decided to rename our cat “Chairman Meeow” instead of “Romeo”…ok, maybe not.

**Wish you could have seen all 4 of us squeeze into a taxi the size of a Ford Focus. Can anyone say “Clown Car”??

**Speaking of taxis, after living here for almost two years we’re quite used to Chinese road rules. My parents on the other hand, especially my mom in the front seat of the taxis, were given very little time to adjust to the fact that being 4 inches away from the car next to you while driving isn’t considered dangerous. I would say kudos to them for not jumping out of the cars and running away, but at 4 inches they weren’t able to open the doors!

**Both of us were very excited to visit the Temple of Heaven for the first time. This monument has been nicely restored in preparation for the Olympics and looks absolutely gorgeous. If you search the internet for non-professional images of the Temple of Heaven you’ll find that it’s amazing we were able to get a photo of all four of us without anybody else in the background. Actually, considering China’s population, that’s amazing for about any wide-angle picture taken here.

**One day we got in a taxi and told him we wanted to see the all Olympics stuff. After driving for about 45 minutes he finally dropped us off about half a mile away from the famous “Bird’s Nest” stadium, pretty much the closest you can get at this point in time. We did a little walking and found what you may have already read about in the news – the highway “perch” and best place for a Bird’s Nest picture. You literally have to cross a Beijing highway exit ramp which puts you high enough to see over their construction walls and then wait to get a good picture between the cars that are actually exiting (see the bus behind us?). We’ve heard from other friends who have been there that at times over 100 Chinese tourist are lining the exit ramp taking this same picture (there were maybe 20 while we were there). Sure it would be easier for the government to open up a small section of the construction wall for pictures, but isn’t it so much more fun to make a tourist destination out of a dangerous exit ramp?

**Finally, instead of taking a bus back to Karamay, we decided to test our luck on the once-daily prop plane flight from Urumqi. It was like flying on a pack of gum. We never flew parallel to the ground, either – kind of like a flight from Dallas to Fort Worth. First you’re 45 degrees up and then the pilot nose dives to 45 degrees down. The funniest part was taxiing to Karamay’s one-terminal airport and exiting on foot without even using the terminal because the plane wasn’t big enough to reach the walkway!

Well, there are plenty more memories but not enough space to type them all. We had a great time with our family on a trip that I don’t think any of us will forget. If you’re ever interested in visiting Beijing and would like personal tour guides (we come as a package deal), beware – it’s expensive. Well, maybe not the actual trip, but you’d have to fly us 1st class and put us up in at least a 4-star hotel (we prefer 5). You can ask the Summers if you’re still hesitant, but we think we’re worth it!