September 8, 2011
Jason, our son, was scheduled to arrive in Shanghai for his visit while I was still in the US. He is Jason to all the family, but in college he started going by Michael… which keeps everyone confused, but to us… he will always be Jason. He arrived on August 25 and off they went to terrorize Shanghai and Beijing!
First stop – The Oriental Pearl Tower. They knew I had no interest in going to the top of this tower… heights are not good for me. I get vertigo and panic! This was a good choice for them and they went all the way to the top! They got a spectacular view of Shanghai from the top.
My stomach gets queasy just looking at the pictures!!
Knowing I would not be back in time for his whole visit, I decided to make reservations for Jason and his Dad to go to Beijing before I got back. I just did not think I would be up to the walking so soon after surgery… and it gave them some time to be together. I planned the tours to different parts of the Great Wall and to different tombs so at least part of the trip would be fresh for Michael.
So off they went… and here are some pictures to commemorate the visit. I am sure Beijing will never be the same after those two!!
They finally found their way to Tiananmen Square... only took a couple of hours. They kinda took a few wrong turns from the hotel. The longest 10 minute walk in history???!!!
The following three… Here he is again… in the Forbidden City.
Father and son on the Great Wall of China! This section is known as Mutianyu. It seems much more primitive in this section. When we went with our daughters and their families, we were in the section called Badaling.
A cannon buried in cement??… I wonder when that was done? I am thinking that cement did not come along til centuries after the wall was built!
It was very overcast and hazy… but you can still see the incredible ‘Great Wall’!
One of the differences in this section of the Great Wall is how you get to the wall. You can walk through the forest, about a 40 minute trek… or take a lift up. But coming down was a little more interesting.
As I understand the story, Michael got to be a bit too much of a speed demon… there were Chinese men waving and yelling at him to ‘SLOW DOWN’!!! He was living in a dream world... thinking he was in the Olympics or something!
The next set of pictures … the Dingling Tombs… final resting spot for one of the Emperors of China and two of his wives.
This tomb had been excavated… so there was a bit more to see than in the Ming Tomb… which was 'somewhere up on the hill'… as the guide pointed out.
They loved the trip… but they brought home an unexpected guest… food poisoning! So the next couple of days after their return were spent in misery. They are nearly sure they got it from the Peking Duck they had eaten the last night they were there. Oops!
Once they were able to leave the apartment for any length of time, they hit the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum. Even big kids have fun there!!!
They had to check out Century Park too. These two rented a … not sure what to call it… it is like a surrey, but with bicycle pedals. Watch out people… crazies are on the roads!!!
You just cannot give this man anything on wheels… he is too dangerous! Pedestrians beware!!!
All in all… they had a wonderful time… and loved every minute… I am sure there are parts of the story I will never know... but good Father and son time was had by both and that is all that really mattered!!!
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