Final China Bucket List

As I write this last letter from China, we are busy packing and cleaning and organizing for the next BYU team to take over in August.  I can hardly believe we have been in China for 2 years!  Time flies but yet goes so slow when we are missing family.  We are so anxious to get home and see everyone again!!!!  

Thank you to everyone for your continued support to us during these past 2 years.  We know there have been difficult times and special times that we have missed.  You are all amazing and we want you to know how grateful we are for our wonderful family and friends!  We love you all so much!!!!!!

Here is a “catch up” for the past couple of months.

At the beginning of April we visited another section of the Great Wall called Jinshanling.  It was about a 3 hr drive each way.  Once we arrived, we realized it was a lot colder up in the mountains than back in town.  We didn’t bring jackets or hats and thought we would about freeze, but hiking soon warmed us up and we had an absolutely blue sky clear day for exploring with beautiful flowering wild apricot trees along the way.

May arrived and the warm weather came right along with it!  I compiled my final “Bucket List” of things to do and places to see.  During the middle of the month we met up with Lee & Terry Daniels and their traveling BYU MBA group.  It was great to see familiar faces again!  We visited the Forbidden City with them and enjoyed catching up with such dear friends!  Got so busy talking I forgot to take pictures!

Next stop on the bucket list…..Temple of Heaven.  We realized it was 20 years + 2 months ago that we were in the same spot with our little family while visiting Beijing from Tokyo in 1995.

The first clear AQI day in May, we set out on our bikes for a “hit-list-of-bucket-list” locations.  Jordan is so kind and just follows me all over the city!  First stop, Drum Tower and Bell Tower.  Not quite as impressive as the Drum Tower and Bell Tower in Xi’an, but I still had to see them!

Just a hop, skip and a jump from there we rode to the Lama Temple, one of the oldest and most famous temples in Beijing.  

A little further on our ride we visited the Confucian Temple.  Although not on my bucket list, it was a fun stopover.  It had lots of old, old trees. 

At the end of May we couldn’t resist taking one last trip to Xi’an to climb our favorite Mountain, HuaShan.  It was a great trip with friends from Beijing (Dillons & Roses), and although we were in Xi’an less than 48 hrs, we packed in a ton of adventure and food!  Best part was seeing many Xi’an friends including Joshua, our XISU son!!!  Second best part was having my absolute favorite food in Xi’an…Yang Rou Pao Mo (羊肉泡沫)!  Sooooo tasty!!!!!  Both were on my bucket list!

 

 

Another clear and beautiful day the first part of June, we raced over to the Summer Palace!  The last time we saw this beautiful palace park 20 years ago in Feb 1995, it was completely frozen over and looked like an Ice Palace.  It was nice to see it in the summer!!  It is the Summer Palace after all!

 

 One of the final places on my bucket list was Beihai Park.  Built in the 11^th Century, it was an Imperial Garden.  It has been open to the public since 1925.  Beautiful!  We rented a little boat and putted along, exploring the lake.  Then hiked to the highest point. So many stairs in China!! 

 

There are a few places that I will have to cross off my bucket list, as we are just out of time. 

The countdown clock says 3 days, 23 hrs, 41 min, 12 seconds.  We can hardly believe it is that close!!

WE are headed HOME!!!!!  Thank you CHINA for all you have taught us!