a kid would forget.
It was about a two week trip, we started in Beijing and ended in Shanghai. Along the way we saw the mountains, the villages and most importantly the orphanage that we both spent almost a year in. We got to walk along the Great Wall of China, visit the Forbidden city and drive up the Yellow Mountains where Avatar happened to be filmed. All of which are attractions a tourist would be expected to see. We visited museums that housed the Terracotta warriors (Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum), ate traditional food (not the Westernized, American version of Chinese food) and explored a bat cave. We saw light shows and dances and not to brag but I did get to hold a panda.
We also happened to go right before the Olympics in Beijing so all of the mascots were being sold in every store and posted in every window. I'm sure I have a picture of my sister and I standing next to people dressed in costumes of them. My mom kept a journal almost every day we were away. I have never actually read through it but one day I will be able to read her written words on it (her recounts would be much more detailed and informative). However, we both agree that this was the most meaningful trip out of all the ones we have gone on as a family. It wasn't about lying on a beach or getting a tan, but rather a cultural immersion for us to witness aspects of the country before things started to change and become unrecognizable from when my parents traveled there 10 years prior.