day 22 - Friday

PC Disclaimer:  This post is not going to be very Chinese-friendly.  I'm just keeping it real though people.  WE WERE SO DONE WITH CHINA BY THIS POINT.  There are no words to accurately describe how much we wanted to get the heck out of there!  It's probably going to be full of complaining as well.  Beijing was the most difficult place for us.  So, consider yourself warned.  ;)

We were up bright and early today (I think that's the beginning of every post on this blog, isn't it?!)  G did not sleep well and ran a fever through the night.  Once she finally fell into a good sleep she slept for about 4 hours straight.  She woke up with more red splotches all over her, mostly on her neck and torso.  It seems to be working it's way down her body.  I'm guessing it's hives?  I can't figure it out.  I don't know what she could possibly be reacting to since it started in Guangzhou and has continued here.  She hasn't been eating anything that she hasn't eaten for the past two weeks with us.  The rash doesn't seem to itch or bother her so that's good, but the blotches are very red, warm and quite swollen.  Some are small and some are huge - like the size of my fist.  She didn't have a fever when she woke up this morning but did start to run one again this afternoon after lunch.  She doesn't have any other symptoms though so that's good too.  

I was really counting on the huge breakfast buffet to redeem this hotel but we were sorely disappointed.  It was a huge buffet but mostly of traditional Chinese or Mongolian food.   I guess they take the Mongolian theme very seriously here.  There was a whole table devoted to Mongolian specialties that we all stayed very clear of.  Really strange stuff over there.  We are so DONE with Chinese food!  We did manage to get everyone fed even through the many meltdowns of E and all the staring.  We were definitely a spectacle again today.  So long to the acceptance and camaraderie of the Garden Hotel!  You'd think we are in some rural place in China the way the people look and stare at us.  I get that we are a huge white family with two Chinese babies and that is not something that is seen quite often if ever, but they act like we all just walked in naked or something!  We are beyond tired of this and we're all in pretty bad moods constantly thanks to this and the grating sounds of E screaming all the live long day so the constant staring and pointing and obvious talk about us is getting OLD.  I may or may not have stared back and made a few faces to the bunch of women who were really staring it up this morning.  Even that didn't dissuade them though it made me feel a little bit better. 

We went back to the room to get our stuff for the day and found the E was poopy and got her changed.  I went to get G out of her stroller (we just keep the girls in strollers for meals since trying to communicate with the restaurant staff that we need not just one but two high chairs is freaking impossible) and she'd had major blowout.  Ugh!  Josh and I double-teamed it:  both of us got her undressed trying to keep the poop from making it's way all through her hair since WE DON'T HAVE A BATHTUB! and then I cleaned the rest of her up while Josh rinsed out the poopy clothes.  We finally got her cleaned up and changed into some new clothes.  Our guide called the other room while Josh and I were elbow deep in poo because we were so late!  

We got down to the lobby and thought we were going to the Great Wall today so we didn't take any strollers down with us.  When we got in the van Helen said we were doing Tiananmen Square and Forbidden City instead.  Uh - that sorta changes EVERYTHING so the driver had to turn around and go get the strollers.  Helen said it was really foggy and wouldn't be a good day to see the Great Wall so she changed the plans.  It was very nice of her to want us to have the best experience possible but you gotta let the woman with six children know when you change plans!  She has no children though so I'm sure that didn't even cross her mind.  

It wasn't a long drive to Tiananmen Square but once we got close the crowds of people were crazy huge and we couldn't park anywhere.  The driver had to drop us off on a side street, in the middle of the street and we had to walk for a bit.  This is where he dropped us off.  

 

This was the most crowded day we had experienced and it was crazy and terrifying and super stressful!  I was so worried the entire time that we were going to lose one of the walking kiddos or that some of us would get separated or that we would lose our guide.  We pushed our way through the crowd on the sidewalk and tried to gather close to Helen when she would stop to tell us about the sights.  A lot of Chinese women use umbrellas as shade in the sun (our guide did too) and no one ever looks to see if there is anyone around them before opening them up in a huge crowd.  I still can't get over how many of them use them even though they're in a huge, very tightly packed crowd.  I'm so glad I had my sunglasses on because I'm sure I would have been impaled several times and come home with only one eye!  I can't count the number of umbrellas I had to push out of the way of my childrens' faces as well.  

Our guide said that it is not usually this crowded although it's a very busy place usually.  Today, however, it was so crowded they had the police or military or whatever guys out along the street.  

So this is the famous Tiananmen Square.  We couldn't get very close (apparently sometimes you can actually walk over there but not today).  

We kept walking up the street to reach the Forbidden City.  On our way we passed this huge museum that our guide told us was very interesting and that if we had had more time here she would have taken us.  She said it would take at least two days to see everything in it.  Lots of Chinese history apparently.  

 Another view of Tiananmen Square as we got closer to the Forbidden City. 

This was my view for most of the day.  Trying desperately to keep all my kids and Josh in my sight.  

Josh pushed E and had C hold onto the stroller with him while M pushed S in between us (usually, just not in this picture) and I pushed G with R holding onto the stroller with me.  We usually had to walk in a single file line behind our guide to get through the crowd.  

The Forbidden City coming closer into view!

We walked through an underground tunnel to cross the street, thank goodness!  

We're almost there!

The view of Tiananmen Square from outside the Forbidden City. 

It was under construction so we couldn't see the big signs of Chinese phrases on the front.  Can't cover up that portrait though!

We finally made it inside the first gates and tried to find a shady spot to wait in for our guide to go get our tickets.  Oh, yes, you have to pay to see the Forbidden City.  

Walking in we were greeted with this sight:  parents holding their child so he could pee on the sidewalk.  Right in the middle of the sidewalk too.  A very common sight here. A lot of children wear split pants (pants with a big opening where the crotch should be) just for this purpose.  So the child can pee or poo wherever you may be.  I don't know what the parents do when they're in a store.  I don't think I want to know what they do when they're in a store.  We saw very young infants and toddlers in split pants.  Glad that's not a custom here in the US!  Now you know why it is customary in the Asian culture to remove your shoes when entering a home.  Nasty business out there in the streets!

So we tried to find a shady spot but they were all taken by other people waiting so we settled for a spot near the shade hoping someone would move and we could squeeze in.  The weather here is much nicer and cooler, definitely less humid, but with the sun beating down on us it was HOT.  It definitely could have been worse though.  

We were near so many groups of people and starting to draw a lot of attention.  Josh is so good at ignoring it but I am not.  One group of ladies was laughing and pointing while E was screaming her head off in the stroller and I finally pointed back and laughed very loudly at them.  They looked shocked for a moment while they were staring but eventually they got the message and looked away.  For a moment anyway, and then apparently they couldn't control themselves any longer and had to stare at us some more.  Argh!

It took a looooong time for our guide to get our tickets even though she said there was a special line for guides.  Guides are licensed in China and have special ID's.  I'd hate to have to wait in the regular line!  She eventually did come back though and we were on our way along with 1/3 of the Chinese population.  We had to funnel ourselves through some very small entrances.  While we were walking people in front of us would just stop and do the Chinese squat.  When they'd turn around they had these huge bags of cooked corn on the cob.  This is a common snack.  It smelled really good but it was totally annoying!  Especially while pushing a stroller.  

Once we made it through the entrances we were in the outer part of the Forbidden City.  Once we made it inside it didn't seem quite as crowded because this place is ginormous!  The crowd just bottlenecked at every entrance and exit, of which there are many, so that wasn't fun.  We went through several gates that led deeper into the more Forbidden parts.  Depending on how high your rank was determined how deep you could go into the Forbidden City.  Once you went in though you lived there for your entire life. I took lots of pictures but I can't remember now what pictures were of what parts so I'm just going to have to post a bunch of pictures without explanations.  

(photobombed by a stupid umbrella!)

This sign struck me as funny.  I definitely needed some help in the mental cultivation area by the time we got to this point!

Poor G wasn't feeling well.  Her fever stayed down as long as I kept her dosed with ibuprofen but the hives kept appearing.  This picture makes me smile though.  She knows how to get comfortable in that stroller!  

There was a place that you could dress up in traditional clothing and get your picture taken on the steps for a fee, of course.  We had no desire to do it but it looked cool.  Not sure it would have the same effect with a bunch of white people dressed up!  Those kids were freaking adorable though!

Once we got back to the really forbidden part we found a shady spot and our guide told us the story that makes this place so famous.  If you've seen the movie "The Last Emperor" then you know the story.  This is the room where the Dragon Lady would sit behind the partition and give the emperor instructions.  

Now you want to see the movie, right?  It's a pretty good movie actually.  Our guide also told us all about how the concubines were brought in to the emperor by eunuchs and lots of other things that I didn't really think was appropriate for children.  She's used to telling these stories to the adults and their one adopted child though.  It was all very matter of fact and my boys weren't listening anyway.  I thought for sure I was going to have to explain to M what a eunuch was but she didn't ask (thank goodness) and I didn't elaborate.  I just tried to politely reroute the guide to a more family friendly topic.  :)

Helen was pretty funny and would give us quizzes on all sorts of things wherever we went.  This place was no different.  All throughout the Forbidden City there are these huge cooper pots.  Hundreds of them.  When we first entered she asked us what we thought they were for and we made a few guesses and waited patiently for her to tell us.  Nope!  She kept walking and asked us to keep guessing.  Eventually she gave us a clue - the entire Forbidden City is built without any nails.  Nada.  Zippo.  It's ALL wood.  Can you guess what these pots were used for?  

They were kept filled with water in case of a fire.  It took us a really long time to figure that out although someone did say "for water?" at the beginning of our guessing.  Guess that wasn't specific enough for Helen!  

We eventually made it through the entire Forbidden City and into the garden area near the exit.  

It was very beautiful but at this point we were DONE with the Forbidden City and didn't really have any desire to stick around and enjoy the scenery.  The kids were tired and hungry and grumpy and so were the parents.  The Forbidden City was cool to look at but I could totally have done without it.  It was so crowded and there is no such thing as common courtesy to the Chinese.  They will plow right over you and through you - they don't care.  We all got very tired of it by the end and we were pushing people out of the way by the time we were headed out.  I had to yell and put my arm out in front of people so many times just so that my kids could stay with me.  Seriously INSANE.  

We finally made it out and had to walk several blocks to meet our driver.  Up next was a rickshaw tour of the Hutong, but first we needed some lunch.  Our guide took us to Mr. Lee's - a very famous Chinese fast food place.  Reminded me of KFC!

She helped us order and then she and Josh walked over to a convenience store to get some bottled water for us since the restaurant didn't sell any.  S had so much fun on the twisty chairs!

We ordered the hot beef noodles and it was pretty good.  We ordered six bowls and blew the waitresses mind!  Hahaha, that never gets old.  We have to really convince them that yes, we actually want six.  They never believe us!  It was very cheap for these HUGE bowls of noodles.  That's cilantro and chives on top. 

By this point G's fever had returned so I fed her some noodles quickly and then gave her some more ibuprofen.  The splotches were all over her face and legs now too.  They fade and then come back somewhere else on her body.  Still no clue as to what it is!

After we ate we walked across the street to where the rickshaw Hutong tour started.  Helen got us all set up and passed us off to another Helen that would ride her bicycle along side our rickshaws and be our tour guide for the Hutong.  

We had three rickshaws:  Me, R and G in one; M and C in one; and Josh, S and E in the last one.  I was really not very excited about doing this tour and just wanted to go back to the hotel but I'm glad we did.  It was fun to ride along and see some older parts of the city without walking around and trying to keep everyone together.  

Our rickshaw was the first in our line of rickshaws.  This was the view of M and C's looking back at them.  

There are stores in every nook and cranny of every building.  Some are pretty big and then some are the size of a broom closet!  Everyone sells Coke though.  Yuck.  Someone needs to introduce Dr. Pepper to China!!!

Lots of street vendors too. 

Our first stop was at the door to one of the hutongs. Our guide gave all the kids a Chinese knot for good luck.  

Right next to us was this truck full of tomatoes.  Not something you see everyday.  

We didn't go inside this one, just stopped to take a picture by the door for some reason.  Our guide did a little explaining here too but I cannot remember a thing she told us!

Our next stop was the actual hutong we got to walk through.  A hutong is the traditional housing with four separate buildings surrounding a central courtyard.  The families that still live in them have owned them for hundreds of years.  This one we went to is often used for movies and TV shows.  This was the central courtyard.  

This is the part of where the people live now.  It's been totally updated and has running water and everything.  Most of them don't.  There is no bathroom in any of these either.  There is a shared restroom down the street.  Uh, no thanks. 

The people who own this one are pretty well off apparently with the income they earn from the tours and the movie/TV usage so they might actually have built a bathroom in their new upgraded place.  I sure hope so!  Our guide said that this section of the city is protected because of the historical value and the value of the hutongs is actually quite high but nobody wants to sell them because they've been in their families for so long.  

 Then it was back on the rickshaws. 

Next our guide took us to a local market for a tour.   This was really interesting!  Chinese pancakes anyone?  

Pig's feet maybe?  Or some sausage of unknown origin?  

Naptime in the butchery.  I'm so glad this place wasn't very busy.  I'm not sure I could have handled the smell of whatever is to be butchered here in the heat.  *shudder*

The kids found this part super interesting and kept asking our guide what this vegetable was or that.  There were quite a few I asked about as well.  

Then we got to the spices.  This area smelled very Chinese to me.  It's a certain spice or mix of spices that every restaurant smells like and quite a few of the dishes taste like.  Our guide didn't know which one(s) it was specifically.  

Lots of dry noodles and grains too.

 

Then came the touristy souvenir section.  The kids were positive they couldn't live without one of everything here so we tried to move them out quickly but S had a different idea. 

 We eventually pulled him away from the lucky cat waving his arm clock that he found so interesting and made our way out of the market.  We found a bin full of quail eggs.  Those are duck eggs next to them.  

Then we made our way back to the place where our original Helen dropped us off.  I snapped this picture of a man on our way back.  We saw this all over China.  I guess it's cooling?  Seriously every guy - especially the ones on the scooters had his shirt up like this. Not attractive at all.  Bleh!

We paid our "drivers/bikers" and our guide and climbed back in the van to head back to the hotel.  I asked Helen if we could stop at a supermarket really quickly to get some snacks for the plane ride home and some baby wipes.  All the supermarkets are a pretty long walk from our hotel.  We found a few snacks but not as much as I was hoping for and we couldn't find any packages of wipes bigger than a little travel size.  That ain't gonna cut it when I change about 12 poopy diapers a day!  She said she would be happy to stop somewhere else on her way home and find us a big package and bring it tomorrow.  

Back at the hotel we just chilled for a while.  S napped and E played nicely for a little bit but then Josh had to take her into the other room for a while so she could have her meltdown away from the other kids.  

At dinnertime Josh went down to the lobby to have the front desk help us order pizza for delivery.  He ended up ordering Pizza Hut - 3 large cheese pizzas, which are the equivalent of medium-sized pizzas in America.  They called our room about an hour later saying they were sold out of cheese pizzas and would we like a pepperoni instead?  Josh said sure, can you make it without the pepperoni?  They said, of course.  Uh, hello people?!!  How hard was that to figure out? This is something we ran into everywhere.  The Chinese people do not seem to think out of the box.  Everything is the way it is and that's it.  The pepperoni pizza without pepperoni was good when it finally got to us 2 hours later! 

G's fever seems to have finally broken but she's still got the crazy splotches everywhere.

Tomorrow - the Great Wall!