Ni hao from Beijing!

we made it! We had a very smooth flight to Beijing. We are staying at the Wangfujing Grand Hotel, and it is very comfortable and nice--and has a lovely lounge for Internet use, which is where I am now. China has been wonderful so far! Last night my teacher Hongchen Wang, who is a Beijinger, had asked his niece and her daughter (a high school student who speaks English incredibly well!) to take us to dinner. We ate at a Hunan-cuisine restaurant, the Rainbow Plaza, and of course, everything was delicious. Afterwards we went shopping at an incredible sort of mini-mall, called Sanlitun Ya Show Clothing Market, and then drove around the city--a thrillingly exciting experience. I can honestly say it was terrifying! Apparently there are no traffic laws or restrictions in Beijing, and how anyone survives, I cannot guess.

Today we got up early--yes, even me!--and went to a beautiful park, whose name I can't recall, but I do know that the last emperor of some dynasty hung himself there, and I have seen the tree! Many people were exercising--tai chi, ballroom dancing, etc, but also scream therapy. You could hear people crying out from the wooded hillside. I think it's an excellent practice, and I plan to try it at Milennium Park sometime.

Then we went to a pearl factory. Very entertaining presentation on how fresh water pearls are grown, how to tell real from fake ones, etc. Then, of course, I had to buy some pearls. Tomorrow is Mother's Day, so was able to get a lovely pair of earrings. Plus pearl dust cream which is supposed to keep me beautiful forever! Stay tuned . . .

Then on to the Great Wall, which Libby took to immediately. She announced she would climb to the top "no matter what", and she did, while I hauled myself miserably along behind her. Many of you know of my irrational, but irrepressible, fear of heights. Going up was bad, but coming down, with my eyes fixed on the STEEP, endless stairs in front of me was far worse. But I wouldn't have missed it, because the views were spectacular, the human spectacle vastly entertaining (people of all nationalities and physical conditions hiking up and down), and the sheer FACT of this wall filled me with awe.

Soon after this, Libby the Sleepless Wonder, fell asleep, and missed the visit to the silk factory (I stayed on the bus with her while she slept, but Pierre says they showed silkworms, ancient looms, and of course, much silk which could be purchased. Then Libby slept through dinner at an excellent restaurant, where we had the famous Peking duck. I gave up being a vegetarian, figuring I couldn't save this particular duck anyway. I will resume my vegetarianism tomorrow.

We skipped the karaoke, and came back to the hotel. Only kidding, we did go to karaoke. No, really, no karaoke was suggested. Anyway, I have to pack now, because tomorrow we fly to Nanning. I am pretty worried, because I have tried out my Mandarin a LOT, and no one understands anything I say! Must go up to the room, and practice "Wo ai ni" and other useful phrases.

Zai jian!