Monthly Archives: May 2011

Jiankou Great Wall Dawn Patrol

After the BBQ I dropped the family off at Park Avenue and I jumped on to the 4th Ring Road heading north. From there to the G45 DaGuang expressway heading for the village of XiZhaZi. Traffic was light and it was odd to be driving down the road in China. It was only my second … Continue reading »

Categories: By Mark, driving in china, hiking, living in beijing, outdoors | 4 Comments

Great Wall Marathon 2011

Preparing for the Race When I was young I loved running. I was fast.  I remember in 3rd grade racing a little African American girl in pigtails.  She beat me by a second, but we beat everyone else by a mile.  Due to my nerdism I did no sports throughout jr high or high school … Continue reading »

Categories: By Mark | 5 Comments

Passing the Test

Well I finally passed my written test for my Chinese Driver License!  It took me 4 tries!  (89, 87, 89 and finally 97)  I’ve written about the process previously.  But an update is due. First the things first a bit more about resources that finally enabled me to pass.  Here’s a set of delicious bookmarks … Continue reading »

Categories: By Mark, driving in china, living in beijing | 19 Comments

BCIS – Spring in the City

BCIS held their 6th annual Spring in the City event this past weekend.  A celebratory festival with food and games that raised funds for the Library Project.  Great food and great weather (if a tad windy). I took a few photos while chasing the kids around the venue.

Categories: bcis, By Mark, living in beijing, school | 1 Comment

Kung Fu EA (extra activities)

At BCIS they offer a wide range of classes after school for all ages to choose from. They have art classes,dance,magic,kung fu, acrobatics and many more that the kids can take. There is also an activity bus that will take kids home after their EA (extra activities) class. EA was one thing our kids were … Continue reading »

Categories: bcis, By Stacey, school | Leave a comment

Tips for the Forbidden City

I’ve visited the Forbidden City over a half dozen times in the course of my visits and sojourn in Beijing. Here are a few ideas to make your visit more enjoyable. Start your visit by going to JinShan Park on the northern side of the Forbidden City.  You can hike up to the top of the man made hill … Continue reading »

Categories: By Mark, living in beijing, travel | 2 Comments

Experience China Week

Last week the 1st graders at BCIS had ECW, “Experience China week”. Each day they toured different sites in Beijing. They learned things about Chinese culture, they ate yummy food and even went on a rickshaw ride. Besides it being a week to explore the city, it was also a week to teach some independence … Continue reading »

Categories: bcis, By Stacey, eating in Beijing, living in beijing, school | 10 Comments

Best of April 2011

A list of what I thought were the best photos I took in April of 2011. Click on a picture for more details on where etc. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19.

Categories: By Mark, photography | 7 Comments

Camping at the Great Wall

ad•vent•ure an exciting or very unusual experience a bold, usually risky undertaking; hazardous action of uncertain outcome We’ve been in Beijing for three months and while I been lucky enough to get out for a couple of hikes (1, 2)  on the Great Wall I hadn’t been camping for around 6 months, the longest time … Continue reading »

Categories: By Mark, hiking, living in beijing, outdoors | 18 Comments

The Great Wall – Gubeikou to Jinshanling

The Great Wall is an icon in China, one of those cultural legacies that is a symbol of national pride. And its on everyone’s list to visit when they come to China. (There are over 435 thousand photos on Flickr as of this posting of the Wall). There are photos of the wall packed with … Continue reading »

Categories: By Mark, hiking, outdoors | 4 Comments