Reitz's Invade Beijing - Part 1

Introducing my parents and our family's middlest sibling, Ray... all visiting for the long holiday.

I met up with the rents on Oct 3rd, after a 9 day boat ride up the Yangzi (Yangtze for you westerners) river, a trip to Xi'an for the Terra Cotta Warriors and a few days in Beijing. We spent our two days walking through Nu Ren Jie (ladies street - cool shopping destination), Ritan Park, and shopping in Ya Show. Ya Show is well known in my neighborhood as THE place to go to buy just about anything. You bargain for all things large and small. It's a huge game between the sellers and the buyers... there's lying, cheating, misdirection, physical brutality... and joking, laughing, playing, and acting. It's an experience every time, and we've been there 3 times already.

Ray arrived on monday and after a welcome dinner of Peking Duck, we initiated him with a journey to Tian'anmen square. All the floats from the National day parade were on display and, although we were warned about the mad throngs of people, we decided to give it a try. It was a good idea. The five of us wandered for two hours, awestruck by massive and detailed floats in every direction.

I needed a group photo so i asked a flock of friendly chinese teenagers for help. They were delighted. We all lined up for the shot and the girl took a nice one. At the same time, a half dozen other Chinese came over and snapped the same picture, which surely is a essential addition to all their scrapbooks, something like:

Five Westerners Posed Afront the Glorious Forbidden City

The photographer asked is she could take a picture with us too. I said yes. She thrust her camera into my hands and grabbed therese by the arm, grinning enthusiastically.

Words could approximate the awesomeness, but i'd rather you just behold the photo gallery!

Across the street, the Forbidden City was in fine form, ripping off the Bellagio with it's musically orchestrated fountains.

Weekend one: Success!

~Kev