In which we immerse ourselves in Beijing

To start, this is what the weather was like all day. It was warm but not too hot, rather humid and so so hazy. We did not see blue sky all day. It was one of those days where the sky looks white.
WOW. Today was crazy busy yet extremely organized. Those of you who know David know that made him very happy. I was awakened at 5 by David turning the computer on. He said he couldn't sleep any longer. I talked to him for a little bit and then decided I COULD sleep a little longer. David had to beat me awake with a sledgehammer at 7:15. We went down to the breakfast buffet (or as the sign said Buttet) and chowed down. It was like a combination of a European breakfast and a lot of Chinese food. It was very good.
We were to meet our group at 9 in the lobby and we got on the bus and were off! Beijing is absolutely enormous from what I can tell. 12 million people live here. Jackie, our guide, said that the traffic is not bad on Saturdays and Sundays but there were a lot of cars out that I could see. There were also lots and lots of people out walking around. We went to Tiananmen Square first which was just VAST. There were SO many people there, walking around, taking pictures, selling fake Rolexes or begging. It was extremely interesting. We saw the tomb where Mao's body is as well as the huge portrait of Chairman Mao.




We had a group picture made as well. Then we went in an under the street tunnel to get over to the Forbidden City. David and I watched "The Last Emperor" while we were waiting and in retrospect, I'm really glad we did. The stories Jackie told us were familiar and a lot of what we saw was also familiar. The only disappointment was that a lot of it was under scaffolding in preparation for the 2008 Olympic Games.





After we finished touring, which was long but not difficult nor done at high speed, we went to lunch. It was pretty good--traditional Chinese food, I guess, but they included a plate of French fries along with the other stuff.
David and I used our chopsticks successfully throughout the meal. Then we headed to the pearl market. I think it was probably a set up and our guides received a cut of the sales but we came out with some treasures anyway. My favorite necklace of different colored, large pearls was $31,500. Oh well. We got Maggie a little pearl bracelet for 13 bucks for one of her birthdays. They also told us that the pearl cream could take 20 years off your face. I thought that was kind of funny.

Then we went to the Summer Palace. The gardens around it were absolutely beautiful but it was so hazy it was hard to even see some of the buildings across the lake. It was very peaceful there though. There were large stones and statues and carvings of animals throughout. We were getting tired by then!



We went back to the bus again and this time went to a silk factory. We learned how silkworms are harvested and watched some women making silk quilts. That is some HARD work. It was very interesting. Then we had the opportunity to buy silk quilts, which we didn't buy, and silk clothing. We found a couple of things but didn't buy any baby clothes. We thought we would wait until Guangzhou where 1. we will know what size she is and 2. it's cheaper.
Then we headed off to dinner which was DE. LISH. US. Wow, the food was good and there was a ton of it. We had rice (duh), fish, Peking duck (tasty), chicken, pork, beef, bean sprouts (yum), and various other vegetables. Man, it was good.


I ate a ton of food. I also braved my first squatty potty!!! I didn't know there were regular toilets in the bathroom because I'm either blind or stupid. To be honest, they're not bad. It's easier to use one of those than it is to try to NOT sit down on a toilet. Perhaps we shall take out our toilets when we get home.
Now we are back at the hotel. I am going to shower--sandals are comfortable but my feet are black. Ew! Tomorrow we go to an international church, jade factory and to the Great Wall. I'm pumped. Jackie told us we would leave for the airport on Monday at 6:30. Whoa, that's early. I am finding it hard to make my updates funny! What is wrong with me? Until tomorrow...