点评:I cannot say enough how great John was to us. We had a rough experience at the airport and were very short on sleep for our 23 hr layover. But as soon as John picked us up the next morning, our initial soured taste upon arrival suddenly became as sweet as a fresh strawberry tanghulu!
We had about 8 hours with “Uncle John” (that’s what our kids were calling him by the end of the trip) and every minute was a delight! Uncle John was a delight to talk to as he informed us about so much of the country and the areas we drove by as we made our way to the Great Wall of China. He got us there with VIP access ( very little to no walking to the admission area.) And we were likely one of the first families to make it to the Great Wall that day. For the first hour or so we had the Wall almost completely to ourselves. In the way back down the wall, there were droves of buses flooding the park. We also managed to explore the Hutongs area. There, Uncle John took us to an authentic dumpling spot, where he shared a meal with us! We got to see the Bell and Drum Tower and explore a few of the shops in the area. As time drew near for our departure flight, we took the scenic route back to the airport where we passed the Water Cube and National Stadium (made very famous during the 2008 Olympic Games).
And just like that our 8 hours were over. It was almost like we were leaving from visiting a relative. Next time we will plan a bit more time, and maybe get to try Uncle John’s wife’s home made dumplings! I sure hope that we cross paths again in the future!
翻译:我无法用言语形容约翰对我们有多好。我们在机场度过了一段艰难的时光,在 23 小时的中途停留期间,睡眠不足。但是第二天早上,当约翰来接我们时,我们抵达时最初不愉快的心情突然变得像新鲜的草莓糖葫芦一样甜蜜!
我们和“约翰叔叔”在一起大约 8 个小时(这是我们的孩子在旅行结束时对他的称呼),每一分钟都很愉快!和约翰叔叔聊天很愉快,他向我们介绍了这个国家和我们在前往中国长城的路上经过的地区。他带我们进入了 VIP 通道(几乎不用步行到入口处)。我们可能是当天第一批到达长城的家庭之一。在大约一个小时的时间里,长城几乎完全属于我们。在返回长城的路上,成群的公共汽车涌入公园。我们还设法探索了胡同区。在那里,约翰叔叔带我们去了一家正宗的饺子店,和我们一起吃了一顿饭!我们参观了钟鼓楼,逛了附近的几家商店。随着航班起飞时间临近,我们沿着风景优美的路线返回机场,途中经过了水立方和国家体育场(2008 年奥运会期间非常出名)。
就这样,我们的 8 小时之旅结束了。感觉就像是去拜访亲戚一样。下次我们会多安排一点时间,也许可以尝尝约翰叔叔妻子做的饺子!我真希望以后我们还能再次相遇!