Days 1 & 2 -

Wow, what a weekend. I don't think i have ever walked so much in my life. We have been having a wonderful time in Beijing. Our group is the best. We have all gotten along so well and are having a lot of fun with each other.

Day 1, Saturday - We climbed the Great Wall of China. (ok, almost climbed) It is steep. Beautiful country side though. We walked all around the area. I took lots of pictures, but so far have not been able to upload yet. Bought a few souviniers at the stands.

Next we had lunch at a very nice Chinese restaurant. They pretty much sit everyone down, and then start loading up the table . THey have a big lazy susan in the middle. Our drink of choice have been Coke, Sprite or Beer. That is all they offer.

Next we went to the Summer Palace. What a beautiful place. It is this huge man made lake, surrounded by mountains. This have been since about 1400 BC. This lake is huge, about the size of Squam, I think. I will have to read some more about it. We walked all through the grounds, and then ended up on a boat that took us back to the docks on the other side.

The crazy thing here are the vendors. These are people that make their living following you around trying to sell things. If you look at them, beware, they will follow you all day. We have been told to ignore them, and if they won't go away we have to say Buo You (not sure on the spelling, but phonetically it is BOO YOW (rhymes with wow)) We have to be very firm and cannot smile, or they will not take you seriously. I just put my sunglasses on and keep walking. I am pretty good at ignoring people.

Next we went the the Pearl Factory. THey showed us how the pearls are taken from oysters. Then we were allowed to purchase them. They have four colors, white, black, lavender and pink. I was very good. Only bought a few.

THen we had dinner and went back to the room. THis was our day from 9:00 am until 8:00 pm. I pretty much put my pajamas on and went to bed.

Day 2, Sunday - Our itinerary was Temple of Heaven and Forbidden City. If there was time they were going to arrange a Rickshaw ride, tour of the Hutang alleys and to meet a man in his courtyard house.

We did it all. The temples were beautiful, the crowds were crazy, the vendors were non stop. I took picture after picture of everything. My battery just about died.

The highlight of the day was the Rickshaw ride, and the visit to a very nice man's house. They rickshaw ride was hilarious. THey will weave in and out of the tiny streets, or alleys. THey are no bigger than my hallway. We did have a hit with a standing bicycle. The owners came out and there was a big yelling match right in front of us. The driver tried to offer them money, but they kept yelling. There was one lady blocking our way, and when our driver asked her to please move, she started yelling at him. He started yelling back. I have no idea what they were saying, but could get the general idea from there actions.

This man opened his house to us and let us visit. He told us his story, through translation. He had worked all his life as a mechanic. He was voted one of the top 100 mechanics in Beijing. THat is pretty huge considering there is 13 million people in this city. His family has lived in the courtyard house for 4 generations. Beijing is in the process of trying to tear down these courtyard style home and replace with highrises. He was offered 36 million RMB, about 500,000 USD, but would not sell. His family home is too important.

It is now 7:15 PM, and we are getting picked up at 7:30 am tomorrow to go to the airport. We then fly to Nanchang, go to the hotel, and then meet the babies at 3:30 or 4:00. Can you believe I will be holding Katy in less than 24 hours.

They went through everything tonite on what to expect tomorrow. I am so nervous, excited, scared, happy, and calm. All at the same time.

If I wasn't so tired, i probably wouldn't be able to sleep tonite.

I promise I will post pictures of Katy tomorrow. If I can't post, I will at least send emails to Dave and he can forward.

I am now signing off tonite, for I have to get ready to be a mommy to my sweet girl tomorrow.

Good Night,
Brigit