Monday, January 7th 2008

The Great Wall
Simatai, China

On New Years day we visited the Great Wall and even got to celebrate the Times Square Ball drop with some champagne. Our four hour hike took us from Jinshaling to Simatai, approximately 3 hours outside of Beijing. These sections of the wall are known for their steep inclines and great views, and certainly live up to the hype.

Tienanmen Square
Beijing, China

The View of Tienanmen Square from the front of the Forbidden City. Pictured is The Monument to the People's Heroes (built in 1952) and Mao Zedong's Memorial Hall, where his preserved body is on display in a crystal casket.

Motorcyclist in front of Beijing's "Birdsnest"
Beijing, China

The Beijing National Stadium, or Birdsnest as it has been nicknamed, is still under construction and slated to be completed in early April. All construction in the city, Olympics related or not, is required to be wrapped up by May 2008 in order to ready Beijing for the Summer Olympics.

Happy New Years!