China (in summary)

This website was blocked in China so I didn't get any updating done. So I'll just sum up Hong Kong and China in a nutshell.
We were in Hong Kong for 5 days. It's a big place with lots to see and do so it was a bit overwhelming at first. Hong Kong is a good place to make your introduction to China, the weather is mild, most people speak English, and the subway system is very easy. While we were there we took the Star Ferry a few times, took the tram to Victoria Peak, walked around different areas of the city, and went to Lamma Island. We took the ferry to Lamma Island on NYE day, it was really pretty. There are no cars on the island so it's much quieter than the city (even though there were a lot of tourists there). We got some really good, fresh seafood when we got off the ferry and then did a hike to the other site of the island. Victoria Peak was cool, you can get some great views of Hong Kong from up there.

It was a bit hazy when we were up there, but you get the idea.

We took a very comfy 20 hour train ride to Shanghai that got in on Jan 3. The train was really quite good. We shared a cabin with a nice couple from New Zealand and drank a few of cans of Budweiser, which is what the train served...seriously. Shanghai is another big city and much much colder than Hong Kong. Once I got my hand on a coat I was much more comfortable. Our hostel was really close to the river so we walked along the Bund, which has a great view of the skyline.

The Bund is also surrounded by really pretty old buildings. I imagine in the summer the place must be packed with people. We spent a lot of our time in the city just wandering about. It would be a shoppers paradise but seeing as how we are not in for shopping, we were ready for a new location when it was time for Beijing.

We took a really fast train to Beijing on the 7th, it only took us 4 hours. We stayed at Kelly's Courtyard, a guesthouse in one of Beijing's famed Hutongs. Kelly's was the best place ever! The owner, John, was so helpful with everything. He really made our trip to Beijing so much easier. He recommended places to go, things to see, where to eat, and then (the most helpful part) showed us how to get there. Our trip would not have been the same if we had stayed somewhere else.
Here I am in the Forbidden City, which is huge!

Beijing also has a really cool art district called 798. You could spend all day here and probably never do it justice. It's packed with different art exhibits and galleries. Another place that I'm sure is well beyond packed in the warmer months.
This guy was in a parking lot, made out of car parts:

And of course, the Great Wall of China. This is one of those things that was so surreal to me. For one thing, I never thought (before planning this trip) that I'd ever see the great wall. And then when I knew we were going I thought I'd just be able to walk up to it and wait with the crowds to have my photo taken.
With Johns advice, we went to Jinshanling, about 140 km outside of Beijing. We went with 3 other people from the guesthouse and took the subway followed by a bus and then a taxi to get there. The 3 hour trip was well worth it. We were the only people in sight. It was just an all around magical experience. Every bend of the wall showed another breathtaking view and you really felt like it was just you up there. Just another amazing experience that reminded me why we're doing what we're doing. I'm so glad we continued on, grandpa would have been geeked to hear about this experience!

I wish we had more time in Beijing, there's so much to see and do, and EAT! We went out to eat a few times with our new friends from the guesthouse, and had really really good food. We might have to come back.