I just got back from a much anticipated trip to visit Todd and Jessica in China! Woohoo! I am so so so so glad that I took the plunge and decided to go. It was wonderful to spend time with Todd and Jessica before their baby arrives and see how happy they are. For me, this was a trip that can never be repeated and I will remember it always.

Day by day:

Saturday, September 28: Boppa dropped me off at the airport and I flew DEN – SEA. I was in good spirits in Denver but lost it in Seattle – thanks to a phone call to Mark and a Seattle beer or two I held it together enough to get on the flight, which was just fine (I didn’t sleep but watched many movies).

Sunday: Landed in Shanghai at 6pm and was greeted by T & J! That night is a big of a blur – we went to the downstairs Mexican restaurant for dinner (:)) and after a 14 hour flight and only 3 hours of sleep in 40 hours I was a bit of an emotional train wreck. Asleep at 10pm.

Monday: After a full night’s rest I woke up in great spirits and ready to go! We took a taxi to the Jade Buddha Temple and had lunch at its vegetarian chinese restaurant – my first authentic chinese food experience. Later we walked around People’s Square, went to the shopping district, and drank a beer on the Bund before meeting up with some of their friends for dinner in the French Concession area.

Tuesday: 9am train to Beijing, a 5 hour high speed train (300 km/hr) travelling first class! Took a taxi to our hotel, the Jade Garden Inn, before heading to the Forbidden City. Our walk there was a bit of a culture shock – walking in the opposite direction of thousands of Chinese who were clearly amused by our presence, not a single foreigner to be seen. It was Chinese National Day, one of two national holidays, and the busiest day at the Forbidden City ever. Lots of photos taken of me. It took us a good hour to walk a few blocks back to the hotel because it was so crazy. Finally got dropped off for dinner in a less than optimal area, only to find an amazingly awesome Hutong with a great vegetarian restaurant (The Veggie Table), vampire bar, brewery, etc.

Wednesday: Early car to the Great Wall (Mutianyu). Incredibly gorgeous day, clear blue skies like in Colorado, almost unheard of in Beijing. It was a busy day at the Wall, complete with a visit from Justin Bieber who had a concert that night, but we made it early before the big crowds. So amazing. Toboggan ride down with Todd that I’ll never forget. Great lunch at the bottom. Next we walked around Tiananmen Square, which on a national holiday was actually a bit creepy (really, really felt like we didn’t fit in). Fun night at an AMAZING brewery, Great Leap, in another great Hutong (Dongcheng District), where we drank the night away and noshed on szechuan peanuts and had carry out chinese, yum!

Thursday: Early train back to Shanghai. Quick run on the treadmill followed by dinner at Barbarossa with some of T & J’s friends and The Killers concert at the Mercedes Benz arena. Then down to Tianzifang for drinks.

Friday: Last full day in Shanghai and lots of shopping to do! Went to the fake market and lunch and shopping in Tianzifang. Last bubble tea and red bean paste waffle! Drinks at Glamour Bar with fabulous views of the Bund at night, then a last minute shopping trip at Carfour and carry out Japanese food and a movie. The perfect end to a great vacation!

Saturday: Trip home!

This trip would only have been a dream if not for the help of Judy and Bill, who drove down to CO to help with the girls; Bill, who took off 2.5 days of work and sacrificed his work schedule to be home as much as possible; my parents and brother who convinced me to go and talked me through everything; friends who supported and were excited for me; and of course Todd and Jessica who were the most excellent of hosts and planned everything perfectly! Thank you all!!! xo

For the complete set of photos, click here.