Beijing Highlights

Alrighty folks, it’s my last Beijing post!  I just wanted to hit some hot spots about our trip that I didn’t cover before.  Yes, the race was amazing and we ate some of the best food ever, but there were definitely some things I’ll never forget.

This was the moment I had been waiting for the entire trip. We visited the #Confucius #temple compound today. #beijing #travelgram #travel #china #tripofalifetime Big thanks to @therachaelrayshow and @expedia #expedia
The trip to Temple of Confucius was a definite highlight for me. Willie wasn’t interested in doing many tourists things and neither was I to be honest. Visiting this place was a must for me. It was so serene and pretty. We really were getting wiser by the moment just by being there. This picture is one I will treasure forever.

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The first day we went to Tian’anmen Square was a hot mess. It was a Chinese holiday and so many people were there. Tons of security and it just wasn’t a joyful experience. We bailed and I was bummed. We ended up going back on Sunday when most people were at work. Once again, Willie cared nothing about being there, but this was a big deal for me. There was so much political history in that one place. It was a very moving moment for me!

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I loved the cooking class! We were tired as all get out because we had just gotten off the plane but it was so fun. It was nice to get to chat with people and just get our first look at Chinese culture. This was Willie’s most favorite part of the trip. He was in his element, soaking it all in. I loved it because he loved it! I knew he loved it because he was all about taking pictures during the class!

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Beijing is very modern and we totally weren’t expecting that. I think our most favorite parts of the trip were the moments we spent exploring the different hutongs (back alleys). This was our glimpse at old Beijing. Everything seemed so normal and nice. We spent many hours walking through the hutongs and just talking about life. It was nice and easy. These were the moments money couldn’t buy!

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Sure am glad I never had to use a public toilet! Willie ended up using one towards the end of the trip, but this is what public toilets are like in China! I saw one at the airport but they also had western toilets so I didn’t have to use it. Willie did say it flushed though with the foot pedal.

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There were high end malls every two the blocks. I was surprised to see that. Chanel, Cartier, Michael Kors, Louis Vuitton…I saw these A LOT! I was trying to find old souvenirs and stuff but I was most surprised to see a lot of Western things. Also, Chinese people LOVE KFC and Dairy Queen! No lie. There were a lot of those joints on the streets.

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Traffic is horrible so most people ride bikes. There was always a bike jam going on. We took the Subway everywhere. It was cheap and efficient. We could go anywhere in the city very quickly. We ended up walking A LOT! Subways only take you so far but it was nice to get out and enjoy the city.

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The Chinese people like to jam out! There was lots of dancing in the streets going on. It was fun to watch.

All in all, we had the best time! The weather was windy and there was a little rain. The people for the most part were nice, even though we got a lot of stares and pictures taken of us. I think it’s because we were black! The food was amazing and our hotel was the best!

Thank you to The Rachael Ray Show and Expedia for giving us a trip we will remember forever!

Race Recap: Great Wall of China Marathon

Race Recap: Great Wall of China Marathon

Willie and I made two rules for this race: 1. No one gets left behind. 2. Enjoy the amazing experience. Leading up to this race, I was worried about finishing in the time limit. When we went to the course meeting and found out only 20 people out of the 110 people signed up last year finished the marathon, I was really worried about finishing the race. That wasn’t going to stop me from doing it though. Race morning was a bit hard on us. I woke up at 11:30 pm to make sure we had all our stuff together.…

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Happy Saturday morning from Beijing

Happy Saturday morning from Beijing

Good morning my friends but I’m pretty sure it’s Friday evening where most of you are.  I wanted to give a little update on our trip from Beijing. First off, The Great Wall of China conquered us unfortunately. It was pretty brutal. The race was very challenging and very different from a road race. This was essentially a climbing challenge because I can honestly tell you we really only ran MAYBE a mile of the entire thing and we didn’t even make it all the way through. Officially, we made it 11 miles! Those were the hardest 11 miles of…

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Hello from Beijing!

Hello from Beijing!

I’m clearly having problems with the time difference because I woke up at midnight and I was ready to go.  Willie has no problems with it though.  It’s 5:40 am right now and he’s sound asleep.  I was praying not to get out of bed before 5AM and that was hard. We arrived yesterday morning at 3:30 am.  Our flight was an hour and half early which was great.  Willie was ready to get off the plane.  I don’t know if he could have taken the full time.  It took us a long time to get our baggage event though…

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