The carving of the duck highlighted our special welcome dinner at Bianyifang Peking Duck restaurant. We learned how to make little sandwiches (ala tacos) with the savory duck, cucumber and onion slices and plum sauce, surely a new adventure for most of us!

Many years ago the Summer Palace was a royal garden and a temporary dwelling place for imperial families of the Qing Dynasty. Presently, the Palace's magnificent buildings, lake and park are enjoyed by Chinese and foreign visitors. The Summer Palace is one of the largest, best preserved, and most compelling royal gardens in the world. Not one of us will forget the beauty of this place or the historical facts which brought it into being. We took a group picture to...

Most everyone was looking forward to climbing The Great Wall of China, and today's experience did not disappoint even the most adventurous in our group as the location we visited is notorious for its steep incline. Besides its strategically important location and compact layout, the Mutianyu Great Wall is also famous for breath-taking scenery. Tomorrow our legs and knees will remind of us of our mighty efforts on the Wall's steps! We were blessed today with a bl...

Our group arrived in China's capital city on time and as planned, Saturday mid-afternoon (Beijing time). Dr. Tukel kept our group organized as we navigated the beautiful and sprawling Beijing International airport. We exchanged currency and proceeded to customs checkpoints then to the waiting buses. Check-in at the Penta Beijing Hotel went smoothly because the Chinese travel coordinators had pre-arranged our arrival logistics. After settling into our rooms, we ...

Excitement builds as departure day looms. Flight arrangements are Cleveland, OH to Detroit, MI. From Detroit our flight will be a direct 14 hour trip to Beijing, China! ETA Beijing is 3:10 PM Saturday. China is Cleveland time + 13 hours.