Okay - I'm back!

Several friends have asked me why I'm not doing my blog anymore, and asked me to keep it up.  Well, I really enjoy having a blog and sharing my life, but it is a true commitment.  So... I have decided to try again.  A great place for me to jump right back in would be to share my most recent trip to China.  My trip was a 10-day tour of China, starting in Beijing, then Xian, 

and ending the trip in Shanghai.

Upon landing in Beijing, the one thing that struck me and I noticed right away

is that the Chinese love beauty.  There were flowers everywhere.

These roses were on the side of the freeway.

I had to wonder who kept them flower boxes clean and 

the bushes pruned.  It would be a very dangerous job.

 Most meals, except for 2 nights, were included in our tour.

The first night we arrived was one such night.  

I traveled with my friend, Pat, and we were tired and decided to 

eat at the restaurant in our hotel to make it easy.

I ordered a wonton soup, which was really delicious, but not like what we get here in the States.

We also ordered a small pot of jasmine tea - which was really a smooth,

wonderfully flavored tea.

What we didn't know until the bill came?  The price of this small pot of tea was $24!

No wonder it was so good.

 This was our breakfast the first day.

Fresh cut up fruit (usually watermelon), fried rice, 

stir fry vegetables, steamed sweet potatoes, noodles, and coffee.

The coffee was always "iffy" in China.  In some hotels, it was hard to find.

They usually offered something familiar to Americans.

On this particular day, it was they offered french toast and tater tots.

 On our second full day in Beijing, they took us to the Great Wall.

This was one thing I really wanted to see.  

It was more amazing than I could have imagined.  

This picture was taken from the top of one of the peaks of the Wall,

looking down and back up the other side.

I just want to say - I MADE IT TO THE TOP!

They offered t-shirts you could buy, but I decided I didn't really need one.

It was a beautiful day for hiking to the top even tho' I did have to make a few stops.

 On the first full day in Beijing, we went to Tiananmen Square. 

It was a bit rainy - light sprinkles/misty actually - not enough for an umbrella.

I show this picture because of the lady with a mask over her face.

Pollution is horrible in Beijing so some people choose to wear masks. 

Here I am standing on Tiananmen Square with the picture of

Mao Zedong (a/k/a Mao Tse-Tung/Chairman Mao) behind me.

More to come...  This is just the beginning of the trip.