"Real" China

John & I always describe Hong Kong as "China Light" - it's China, but really you don't feel like you're in China. A few weeks ago, we went to the real deal -- No more signs in English, unrecognizable food, and streets that had more lanes than the 405.

One of the best parts of travel is that you get to see regular people and unique things about each place. I think this applies to any place - be it near or far from your home.

One of the days we were in Beijing, we hired a driver to take us to the Great Wall. It was important for both John and I to see a less crowded part of the Wall and really the only way to do that is if you hire a private driver. It was probably the best 1,000 yuan we've ever spent. Not only did we get some amazing pictures of the Wall, we also managed to capture two priceless experiences on video. The Wall had the added bonus of a toboggan ride back down to the parking area. I went first and then John followed. Originally, he was just filming the ride itself -- it is wild to think that you're on a toboggon shooting down a hill off from the Great Wall of China, but then....well if you watch the full video, you see what happens.

Here are some pictures of the Wall - it really is a wonderment.

After a couple of hours on the Wall, our driver took us to a place for lunch. The entertainment here was that there was a giant cement pond and they pulled fish out of it and cooked it up right there. Now, if anyone is wondering what the final moments of the fish's life is like, well -- we have that on video too....enjoy