As a child, I was an avid reader of the Boxcar Children series. Remember Henry, Jessie, Violet and Benny? I wanted to be them sooooo bad. But who didn't? I wanted to enter their world. I secretly hoped that there was some secret Narnia-like closet that could take me back in time to them. Back to a time when a whole day of work was worth one dollar. And that one dollar could buy bread and milk and cheese for four. I wanted desperately to live in an abandoned boxcar next to a brook. And to eat off cracked dumpster dishes. And to be parent-free (but with a mysteriously rich grandfather). I wanted their adventure.
There were no abandoned boxcars near my home as a child but back behind the corn field there was a perfect spot for a fort right next to the railroad tracks. Behind our apartment and over the barbed wire fence was the county lot. The county lot was much like the city dump/storage area. It was full of danger and adventure as people (especially children) weren't allowed to be snooping around in it. But we did. All the time. During those long summer days when both my parents were working, out in the fort with my brother and other friends, I really did feel like a boxcar kid.
I got a boxset of the Boxcar Children books for Christmas this year (Thanks Caleb!) so I'm currently re-living their adventures. I LOVE them, enough said.
As many of you know, my latest, nonfictional, adventure was taking the Trans-Mongolian Railway. Starting in Busan, South Korea and ending in Moscow, Russia (then home to Iowa). It's time I share stories and pictures from the epic journey.
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Just barely missing the shots from North Korea on November 23rd, Matt and I flew out from Seoul to Beijing. A shockingly cold few days of sightseeing followed, causing us to question our plans to keep heading north to Mongolia and Siberia. Who's idea was that anyway? Oh me....that's right. Since this was my 3rd time to the city I acted as Matt's personal tour guide. We hit up all the classic tourist spots, Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace, Olympic Park, Pearl Market and the Great Wall. We were lucky to be there during a "blue sky" day as the locals called it. Otherwise known as a day when the city is not covered in layers of dirty smog. Awww.....so sad.
Thanksgiving dinner was without turkey but replaced by an equally delicious bird; Peking duck. That day we had hiked 6 km along the Great Wall, eating nothing but junk like ramen, Snicker bars, chips. We cleaned ourselves up for our big dinner and splurged on a taxi to take us the the restuarant only to sit and wait for an hour (we didn't think to make reservations). Hunger really is the best seasoning. Finally we were seated, the duck was brought out and was eaten as fast as it was being cut in front of us. YUM.
Just when we thought our Beijing adventure was over it was extended by an extra 8 hours due to a weather delay. Yipee. We were put up in a business hotel near the airport. They served us lunch and dinner at the hotel. This gave us a chance to get to know others on our flight and one man who turned out to be our first Mongolian angel.
Next: Mongolia and nomadic adventures.
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