Hello From Beijing

Hello everyone. Today was Ella's first birthday. We beagn by taking a tour of old Beijing, by rickshaw. We started at the Bell Tower, which is a 700 year old building, with a 63 ton brass bell on top. We were taken by rickshaw through a typical Beijing neighborhood, and visited a family in their home. They have these huge grasshoppers they raise just to listen to the sounds they make. They also raise crickets and train them for fighting. It's a pretty big deal, as the crickets are weighed and put in weight classes, and people will bet thousands of dollars on a cricket match. We also went to a tea ceremony, tried different kinds of teas and learned how to make and drink tea properly. They take their tea seriously over here. Back at the hotel, we had a birthday party for Ella. All the families came, we had pizza (Pizza Hut) and cake and the party took up our suite and most of the hallway. Lots of fun. Tomorrow is a relaxing, shopping day, and will be our last night in Beijing. Liam cried when we told him we had to go home soon. He wants to stay, especially after our guide told him his chinese name is Liamwoo. He likes that. Going to try and post pictures again. Some of the summer palace, some of old Beijing, and some of Ella's party. I also wrote a blog the other night about our trip to the Great Wall and forgot to post it, so if you want you can read it, it is under the heading Great Wall.