Our tour began in Beijing, a city my husband and I have visited many times and which we really enjoy visiting.  We were lucky enough to arrive as the lotuses outside the Summer Palace were blooming and they were a beautiful greeting for what turned out to be a miraculous tour!

Outside of the Summer Palace

Dragon boat at the Summer Palace

Over the next few days we visited the Temple of Heaven, Tiananmen Square, The Forbidden City, and the Great Wall. Each place is really amazing and we derived a lot of pleasure from showing these sights to our friends.

Tiananmen Square

Inside the Forbidden City

The Great Wall

The Great Wall

So join us on our adventure, but first, you must get a good night’s sleep because we had to rise long before dawn for our flight to Tibet!

The post Trek 2013- Tour to Beijing, Tibet, Nepal, & Bangkok. part 1 appeared first on Travel Kosher.

Note: This was NOT produced by my daughter who does this professionally and could have done a great job. This is my first attempt to make a movie.

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The post China, October 2010 appeared first on Travel Kosher.

Twice a year, from the Forbidden City, the center of Beijing, the crossroads of the world– after all, China calls itself The Middle Kingdom– the Emperor would make his way south with a large entourage of officials in ceremonial dress in a procession that would take three days (although in fact, it was only a couple of miles). During the time the procession was passing, people were to stay inside so as not to see the procession. Those who were by chance outside, had to fall to the ground and lie there with their faces down until the procession passed.

After a southward walk, the procession would turn east and then north again to enter the Temple complex. Once in the compound of the Temple of Heaven, the Emperor would make his way north and would spend three days fasting and praying before putting on special ceremonial garments and praying in the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests.

Here are some pictures of the complex:

The Imperial Vault of Heaven

The Gate

Our group August 2007 in front of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests

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The environs of the Temple of Heaven contain areas where people meet on a daily basis and engage in exercise and games of all sorts. Of course, most of the people who meet and play in this open-air community center are older folks who are no longer working. They pay a minimal yearly fee and then have use of the park every day. Here are some of the sights:

Women exercising

Notice the “play equipment” is adult sized.

Women walking on pebbles

When we visit China, we make sure to take everyone for a foot massage. These women get their own massage as they walk in their light-soled shoes on pebbles cemented into the ground and protruding exactly enough to provide a therapeutic massage!

Ouch!

This woman made all of us think “ouch!”

Ribbon exercises

This was a particularly lovely sight. Many of the women get their exercise by waving ribbons in beautiful intricate patterns.

Fan dancing in the park

In addition to Tai Chi, there is fan dancing, sword dancing and lots of other group activities. Western style social dancing is also done with old American tunes being played on large amplifiers. Some people also come here to play cards, chess, and mahjong. Some of the women bring craft projects such as crocheting and knitting. Sometimes they sell their items to tourists.

Of course all should be done accompanied by music!

Musician in the park

Next time we’ll see some of the buildings in this large complex called “The Temple of Heaven.”

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