Epilogue

The trip was everything we had hoped it would be and so much more. When planning you think of all the great places that you’re going to see but you have no “picture” of all the amazing people that you’re going to meet along the way.

During the trip we used a number of modes of transportation: feet, planes, taxis, camels, oxcarts, trains, buses, elephants, rickshaws, tuk-tuks, motorcycles, rafts, rowboats, ferries, dune-buggies, sleds, cars, mini-vans, pick-up trucks, and safari jeeps.

We thank God for getting back safely and particularly for keeping our little guy safe with his food along the way.

There were a few surprises for us, probably caused by us learning about Africa and Asia on TV's Discovery Channel:

• Africa was amazing with its mix of 1st world amenities and wild nature
• Beijing has impossible traffic and horrible air quality
• NYC, London and Paris remain the most special cities that we have visited

By the Numbers
1 – Circumnavigated planet
50,000 – Kilometers travelled
154 – Days away from home
12 - Countries visited
14 – Plane trips
4 – Overnight trains
25 – Organized tours
3 – Natural Wonders of the World
4 – Camels that we rode around the pyramids
5 – Mountains climbed
70 – days on the wrong side of the road
75 – Books read
1 – African tick that caused Deb a lot of problems
3 – times that Joe had ‘Delhi Belly’
2 – Lost hats
1 – Birthday while on the road
1 – Heck of a trip

August 14 Day 155 Our Triumphant Return to Canada

August 13 Peking Duck

Visiting the Olympic Park was a fantastic experience. The Bird’s Nest was absolutely remarkable to see. The architecture is mind-boggling. Brendan was particularly taken by the complexity of steel and glass and marvelled at it for quite some time. It was also fun imagining being a marathoner approaching the nest to the throngs of crowds within. We got some great pictures of the Nest, the Water Cube, and surrounding buildings before heading to the subway.

We made our way to the Yashu market (much more civilized than the Silk Market) before going home to relax before dinner.We joined a family from Iowa for our last dinner of the trip. And what did we have? Peking duck, of course! The boys enjoyed rolling their duck in little crepes garnished with hoisin sauce and cucumbers.

August 12 Made in China

Well, we are in China and what better way to experience the culture than to replenish our wardrobes. So off we went to the Silk Market to pass the day. We’d also hoped to head back to Canada today, but all flights are booked until Friday. The good news is that the skies have cleared!

August 11 Lake District

A day off to relax at the pool, sleep in and enjoy the pool. In the evening we went for a stroll in the lake district where Emperors once resided to fight the heat of Beijing. This area is now a series of hutongs beautifully preserved/restored in time for the 2008 Olympics (the VISA lanterns figure very prominently). We enjoyed meeting the many tourists.As it is only 30 minutes by car from the Water Cube and Bird’s Nest, we thought we’d hop in a cab to visit. However, no cab would take us! As we have found here, cabs have freedom to take rides or not and in the dozens of attempts it’s a miracle we can get around.

August 10 Temple of Heaven

Central Park in NYC is what came to mind as we entered into this haven from everyday hustle. Retirees by the 1000s, students and workers alike come to this place of green grass and ancient ritual in the heart of Beijing to enjoy life’s simpler pleasures. The site is the ancient sacrificial ground of Ming Emperors as they prayed for bountiful harvests. It must have worked for there were 17 such emperors. With architecture marvel, the marble and manmu lumber as materials it isn’t hard to imagine the sacrifices made here 600 years ago. A wonderful stop.

Our next stop was the Pearl Market – but not for pearls but more A&F, Adidas and Samsonite at ridiculously low prices. We wish we could find a similar Nike-Bauer store!

August 9 Great Wall, Ming Tombs

Two hours by car from Beijing, Mu Tian Yu with its 200m mountains rising straight out of the plains seems a fitting place to on which to put an 8m defensive wall Begun by the First Emperor of the Qin Dynasty to keep out the Mongolian and Manchurian barbarian nomads and later built onto by the Han and Ming Dynasties, the wall seemed to do its bit for all its 6700km length. The section we visited was restored to its original glory using its original bricks. The weather and smog combined to limit visibility to only a few metres. Our photos didn’t turn out that great but the experience of walking the wall was well worth it. The wall’s undulating, winding and substantial structure dwarfs the mountain upon which it is built. One can imagine the plight of the workers who lived and died to build it as well as the 2000 years of armies that have fought on it to defend China.

Our afternoon was spent visiting the Ming Tombs, specifically the final resting spot of Emperor Yongle and riches and artefacts unearthed from Emperor Wan Li’s excavated tomb. The Tomb’s location 50 km from for the 17 Emperors of the Ming Dynasty (13 are actually buried there) was chosen for its geometric qualties (facing Beijing with mountains on the other 3 sides and well within the Great Wall. The 600 year old buldings and their unpainted supporting pillars made from the extinct nanmu tree are all original.

Then came the 50 km, 3-hour return home. The 8-lane superhighway crowded with buses, taxis, tour vans and cars simply did not move. Our driver said that today was surprisingly bad (people say that about the smog, too) but in our experience, we have not seen the traffic moving at any time (nor the smog clear).