From the bustling streets of Beijing to the peaceful mountains of Chengdu, the Sell’s China adventure has been a whirlwind of history, culture, and unforgettable moments. This trip has been especially meaningful as they revisit some of their favorite spots, relive the memories from their adoption journey, and share new experiences with their daughters. With each step, they’ve laughed, learned, and bonded—whether hiking the Great Wall, making dumplings, or marveling at the Terracotta Warriors. Follow along as they recount the highlights of their travels and reflect on how this journey has deepened their appreciation for both China and each other!
DAY 1
Today we went to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. It was a beautiful day for touring and our guides did an amazing job of educating us on the history of both. Our guides called us “sticky rice” to remind us to not stray too far from the group. Fortunately, not one kernel of rice was lost. Success! And 11k steps.
DAY 2
Hiked the Great Wall today and made it further than I thought we would. And because of the nice weather, the view was beautiful. The Wall is 600 years old and after hiking, I felt 600 years old myself.
So thrilled to experience this again, this time with my girlies. A dream come true! (Last time was in 2011, just 2 days before Addison’s Gotcha Day.)
Also went to a Jade Museum, lunch, and an acrobat show. We are going to sleep well tonight. 😴💤
#lovethisday
DAY 3
Today we went to the Temple of Heaven which was visited by emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties annually for ceremonies of prayers for good harvests.
Next stop was a silk factory and then the Hutong area of old Beijing for a traditional lunch and a rickshaw tour. And since it is Christmas Eve, we celebrated with another amazing dinner including Peking Duck and about 7 other dishes. Crazy how much food Chinese people can eat at one meal! Unless we are just being spoiled which I would say we definitely are.
#foodisthebest
DAY 4
Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah from Xi’an! We had our first bullet train experience today and our guides did a fantastic job of getting our group and our luggage on and off the train. It took 4 hours to get from Beijing to Xi’an but we had fun chatting and relaxing.
We explored the Xi’an Museum and the Small Goose Pagoda (no geese to be found). Next stop was a dumpling lesson for the kids followed by a dumpling dinner for all of us (we did not eat the dumplings the kids made, we knew we’d be safer with leaving the cooking to the professionals). 👍
We are at our new hotel now ready to rest and sleep for our new adventure tomorrow.
A perfect way to spend the holiday! 🥟🥢🪿#dumplingday
DAY 5
We started the day with ramen for breakfast and then visited the Terracotta Warriors archeological site (the 8th Wonder of the World). After lunch, we spent time walking on the Ancient Wall of Xian which was right next to our hotel. We explored the shops close to our hotel, ate some unusual things, and racked up over $19k steps.
We loved our short stay in Xian and learned so much about the history of this area.
PS. I had ice cream and a hotdog on a stick for dinner. Needed a break from so much Chinese food. I’ll be ready again tomorrow, though, so bring it on. 🌭🍦
DAY 6
Another bullet train today, this time from Xian to Chengdu. Once in Chengdu, we had free time to explore the Jinli Street Market where we really stood out as tall white people. Especially tall white people with Asian children. Lots of looks and curious glances. Fun foods to try and lots of shopping. A cute teen boy tried talking to Mackenzie she was so flattered. ☺️
Another beautiful hotel and delicious food, food, and more food.
Tomorrow will be all about the pandas!🐼
DAY 7
Panda Day! We went to one of 5 panda parks in China. This one was in the mountains and in a peaceful and beautiful area. Loved it!
In Wangjianglou Park, we strolled around, drank tea at the river, got our ears cleaned (yes, this is a thing!) and played outdoor games with the locals. Mackenzie held her own playing badminton with a boy in the park.
Finished the day with hotpot (yay!) and a Sichuan Opera (more like a variety show).
Wow, lots to do and see here. Observations: soooo many people and soooo much traffic. 🐼🚗
DAY 10
Today was one of the best days of our tour so far. We took a four hour cruise on the Li River. It was peaceful, beautiful, comfortable, and so relaxing.
After some local shopping, we went to a cooking school and the kids made three traditional dishes. The parents had it much easier- we only made dumplings and sticky rice balls. We had a delicious dinner, eating our own cooked food as well as many other dishes and desserts.
Today is the last day of our group tour. 🥲 We are splitting up tomorrow to visit our children’s home cities in China and continue our travels separately.
We will miss being with the old friends we have traveled with, as well as the new friends we have made. An experience of a lifetime!
#grateful
#HappyNewYearsEve
DAY 11- Birth Province Visit
Today we took an early flight from Guilin to Hangzhou. Our local guide, Rebecca, is the same guide we had back in 2011 when my brother and I traveled to adopt Addison. We are so fortunate to have her help us for the next few days. She isn’t doing tours anymore but came out of “retirement” just for us!
The highlight of our day was the girls dressing in hanfu, a traditional style of clothing of the Han ethic group. This is all the rage in China for the young women to have hair and makeup done as well as renting the outfit for a few hours. Such a fun afternoon – they loved it!
Our hotel is the same hotel we stayed in during our adoption trip 13 years ago. It’s been completely remodeled but I still have such vivid memories of the first few days with my sweet girl. What a magical time that was.
#somanymemories
#hangzhoulakeviewhotel
