Hutongs and Temple of Heaven

Family photo at the begining of our adventure in the riksha. We took a tour through Beijing's hutongs in a riksha, which is a 2-person carriage pulled by a man on a bicycle. Hutongs are old, narrow alleyways with one-story courtyard houses. They are known for showing tourists a glimpse of old Beijing.

Endres family in their risksha Jessica and I were peeking out the back of our riksha. We were lucky to survive our trek through these crazy alleyways. We were scraping other rikshas, passing bicycles and bumping along.Grace, our tour guide, took us inside a hutong house. We loved Grace. Here she is giving us a courtyard tour.
We were invited into their home and given bread and tea while she told us her family history. Garrett loved the snack! I asked the lady if the tea was made with bottled water, probably not one of the most polite comments I've made in my life. I'm a safety girl. She reassured me that it was. I still passed on the tepid tea.
Bicycles are the main mode of transporation for the locals in the hutongs, only the tourists ride in the bright red rikshas.

Moms and the big kids at the Temple of Heaven

Lockes at the Temple of HeavenJessica and Mary Kate having a snack break.

After our long days of touring in the heat the kids were able to curl up and nap in our van.