We're here!

Saturday August, 30 2007
Hi everyone! Although I’ve failed to absorb it, we are in China.

I was going to blog about the plane trip, but it was so long ago, that I’ve forgotten the majority of the details. It was long, and they fed us 3 times, and played 4 movies. We were so sleepy at 4:30pm when we arrived at the hotel. Our 30 minute nap turned into a 15 hour nap! It was so easy to wake up at 6:00 am for breakfast.

And what a breakfast! I may have been skeptical about eating Chinese food for breakfast, but it was so yummy! Our plates were piled high with steamed buns, fried rice, hashbrowns, orange juice and spring rolls. It’s a very good thing we walked all day long. I ate a banana to soothe my nutritional conscience, (and it wasn’t near as good as everything else).

Our afternoon was filled with tours which taught us about the ancient and culturally rich history of Beijing. We visited Tiananmen Square, The Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace, and briefly stopped on the side of the road to view the Olympic buildings. In-between these breathtaking tours, we ate a mouth watering lunch. Our tour guide, Sean, ordered us five different dishes: Beef with onions, Kung po chicken, Fried fish with veggies, steamed veggies, and duck with celery. It was served on a turntable that we turned and filled our mini-sized plates. (No wonder their waistlines are smaller than ours! – they could eat off an “American-sized” serving of pasta for several meals!)

This evening we are all tired. We set out to take a cab to eat at a local favorite. Then we sat down – this reminded us that we walked from 8am to 6pm. Something closer seemed more reasonable. We passed a pizza hut type place, KFC, and McDonalds. No one wanted the typical American fast-food. We changed our minds and again decided to take a cab. (Sidenote: Traffic is SO scary here. As we were crossing a street, we ended up having to sun to avoid the incoming traffic. Sean says red lights are more of a suggestion. VERY important to know!) Ok, so just as we were about to grab a cab, it started pouring. We settled for a nearby “sizzler” steak house. Not exactly the experience we were looking for. The food was ok, but nothing compared to the first two meals of the day.

Now it’s time to go to bed. I am sleepy, and can not wait for tomorrow!

PS: To the Blundels: You guys are too amazing!!!

PSS: Just can't seem to get the pictures up. Will ask S-I-L tommorrow.