Jing Jing (Steve) and Ni Ni (Jamie)
April 14, 2007-April 23, 2007:
Word of our amazing hosting skills and tour guide services must travel quickly. Mike and Valerie left Beijing on April 7, 2007 and Steve & Jamie arrived exactly one week later.
Upon their arrival into Beijing, after a long 13 hour plane ride, Derek and I allowed them a 3 hour adjustment period before putting them on a 13 hour train ride to Xi'an. The train station:
All aboard! Except for Derek who insisted on exiting the train to take this picture.
Upon arrival into Xi'an, we visited the Terracotta Warriors.
A brief history lesson: In the year 246 BC, Ying Zheng, at the age of 13, ascended to the throne of the state of Qin and assumed the title "Shi Huang" or first Emperor.
Almost as soon as he became Emperor, work started on his final resting place. The work continued at an unprecedented rate until his death in 210 BC. In 1974 a group of farmers (did we mention that a couple of them offered to sign a copy of their book for us?) digging a well uncovered what was to become the greatest archaeological find of the 20th century when they unearthed a life size Terracotta Warrior. Excavation of the underground tomb revealed thousands of warriors and their horses in battle formation, a whole army that would follow the Emperor into immortality. To date nearly eight thousand life size figures (with no two faces being identical) have been uncovered in three underground halls.
(Below) Picture atop Emperor Qin Shi Huang's Mausoleum:
(Below) The city wall around Xi'an:
Don't be surprised if you see these two nerds biking around Plymouth on their tandem bicycle.
(Below) The city of Xi'an
(Below) The Great Wall: Jinshanling. From Jinshanling we hiked 7 km to Simatai. Below is my favorite photo I have taken thus far during our 9 months here (can you believe it has already been 9 months?).
Jamie zip-lining back down to the base of the wall.
Although we didn't submit Steve and Jamie to the same amount of gross food we made Mike and Valerie eat (lucky for them the infamous street had already closed the night we tried to go), they still got their share of scorpions.
(Below) Summer Palace:
(Below) Beihai:
Last stop: Shanghai.
Here we are at Steve's Shanghai office:
(Above) Sorry, Mike. Steve and Derek got the chance to golf while in Shanghai.
(Above) Steve trying Derek's favorite Chinese dish: xiao long baos.
(Below) Three cities and 10 days later, it was time to say goodbye over a large bowl of noodles and some baijiu.
(Below) Steve and Jamie on the way to the airport.
And now it's time to throw in a token picture of Derek for good measure. On both Mike & Valerie's and Steve & Jamie's visits, Derek was voted LEAST FUN (mainly because the poor guy had to make a living). I know D felt bad about missing out on all the adventures, but I am confident that Steve missed him even more when Jamie and I brought Steve shoe shopping. Here are Derek and Steve at Beijing Bully's.
Okay, so that picture was taken in Minneapolis (if there was an actual Beijing Bully's...could you imagine life out here?).
So here Derek (doing his Mike pose) and Steve are at a bar which was not quite Bully's, but in Beijing. Reunited and it feels so good, reunited 'cause we understood...name that tune.
As always, we had a wonderful time with you guys! Thanks for making the trip. And although we miss you already, at least we have your Chinese twins here with us in Beijing. Jamie is Ni Ni, Steve is Jing Jing, Stacey is Huan Huan...and Derek didn't want to play.
The Friendlies are the official mascots of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Put together, their names form the phrase: Beijing welcomes you!
Jamie and Steve were such good sports, I made them pose like their character.
Word of our amazing hosting skills and tour guide services must travel quickly. Mike and Valerie left Beijing on April 7, 2007 and Steve & Jamie arrived exactly one week later.
Upon their arrival into Beijing, after a long 13 hour plane ride, Derek and I allowed them a 3 hour adjustment period before putting them on a 13 hour train ride to Xi'an. The train station:
All aboard! Except for Derek who insisted on exiting the train to take this picture.
Upon arrival into Xi'an, we visited the Terracotta Warriors.
A brief history lesson: In the year 246 BC, Ying Zheng, at the age of 13, ascended to the throne of the state of Qin and assumed the title "Shi Huang" or first Emperor.
Almost as soon as he became Emperor, work started on his final resting place. The work continued at an unprecedented rate until his death in 210 BC. In 1974 a group of farmers (did we mention that a couple of them offered to sign a copy of their book for us?) digging a well uncovered what was to become the greatest archaeological find of the 20th century when they unearthed a life size Terracotta Warrior. Excavation of the underground tomb revealed thousands of warriors and their horses in battle formation, a whole army that would follow the Emperor into immortality. To date nearly eight thousand life size figures (with no two faces being identical) have been uncovered in three underground halls.
(Below) Picture atop Emperor Qin Shi Huang's Mausoleum:
(Below) The city wall around Xi'an:
Don't be surprised if you see these two nerds biking around Plymouth on their tandem bicycle.
(Below) The city of Xi'an
(Below) The Great Wall: Jinshanling. From Jinshanling we hiked 7 km to Simatai. Below is my favorite photo I have taken thus far during our 9 months here (can you believe it has already been 9 months?).
Jamie zip-lining back down to the base of the wall.
Although we didn't submit Steve and Jamie to the same amount of gross food we made Mike and Valerie eat (lucky for them the infamous street had already closed the night we tried to go), they still got their share of scorpions.
(Below) Summer Palace:
(Below) Beihai:
Last stop: Shanghai.
Here we are at Steve's Shanghai office:
(Above) Sorry, Mike. Steve and Derek got the chance to golf while in Shanghai.
(Above) Steve trying Derek's favorite Chinese dish: xiao long baos.
(Below) Three cities and 10 days later, it was time to say goodbye over a large bowl of noodles and some baijiu.
(Below) Steve and Jamie on the way to the airport.
And now it's time to throw in a token picture of Derek for good measure. On both Mike & Valerie's and Steve & Jamie's visits, Derek was voted LEAST FUN (mainly because the poor guy had to make a living). I know D felt bad about missing out on all the adventures, but I am confident that Steve missed him even more when Jamie and I brought Steve shoe shopping. Here are Derek and Steve at Beijing Bully's.
Okay, so that picture was taken in Minneapolis (if there was an actual Beijing Bully's...could you imagine life out here?).
So here Derek (doing his Mike pose) and Steve are at a bar which was not quite Bully's, but in Beijing. Reunited and it feels so good, reunited 'cause we understood...name that tune.
As always, we had a wonderful time with you guys! Thanks for making the trip. And although we miss you already, at least we have your Chinese twins here with us in Beijing. Jamie is Ni Ni, Steve is Jing Jing, Stacey is Huan Huan...and Derek didn't want to play.
The Friendlies are the official mascots of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Put together, their names form the phrase: Beijing welcomes you!
Jamie and Steve were such good sports, I made them pose like their character.
posted by Derek and Stacey at
9:12 PM
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