Some crawling around Beijing

So we had a day today to spend around Beijing. We headed to a neighborhood and spent some time going from establishment to establishment. One of my favorite spots was a rooftop bar where they brought us each umbrellas during the thunderstorm. While we were trying to find a specific place, we got approached by a man who wanted to practice his English. He turned into our guide and spent the next few hours with us. He said his name was Jack, but it was really something like Zhu. He helped us to meet some interesting people along the way and talked to us about Chinese culture (i.e. they eat dog, love Bill Clinton, and have political views that do not match what the media tells us in the US). In one of the pictures, the boys told Jack to make a hand gesture that he did not understand. Poor guy. Tonight was spent sampling some local Chinese cuisine and having some Chinese beverages lending itself to a long subway ride home.
P.S. Kim and Shane, Dave's friends who are here to support him as well, are the ones with the umbrellas.
P.P.S. You can click on any photo to make it bigger.

Some thoughts....

I wonder why nobody has dogs....
Maybe it's because the new Chinese friend we made tonight admitted that Chinese people eat dog?
I wonder why they tout Beijing as being ready for foreigners
but nobody seems to speak English and when you ask questions they always just say "yes."
I wonder how really overweight and elderly people use the public restrooms
that are really nasty and you have to squat.....
I have a lot of thoughts about the restrooms here, but we won't go there.....

One funny thing is that the small children often wear crotchless pants. We found out that many do this until the age of four years. Apparently, it is their answer to diapers and we witnessed first hand today what happens when a small child gets the urge.

Opening Ceremonies

Last night was the Paralympics Opening Ceremonies. Here are a few of Randy's shots. The performances were pretty amazing. Dave and Shane were able to find each other via text message and so we found him in the crowd. The crowd went crazy when the Chinese athletes entered the stadium at the end of the athlete's parade. You can find some videos of the performances on www.universalsports.com.

Walmart in China is a crazy thing

So we stopped at Walmart Supercenter to buy some water (yes, I know I try to avoid Walmart, but it is a good option for us here) and it was quite the event. Their meat and fish section was insane!!!

A walk through the park

We just got back after a day of walking around parts of the city. We went to the Temple of Heaven park. It sort of seemed like a Chinese version of Central Park, although I'm sure they'd cringe to hear me say that. We heard a variety of music and did some great people watching. Randy played a version of hackysack with some people in the park. We did not pay to get into the main temple, but I'm posting some pictures of it. Apparently, it was originally built in 1420, burned down in 1889, and when they rebuilt it, they used timber from Oregon because China's was not strong enough to hold up the roof.

It's a good thing I brought snacks

So I have been waiting (impatiently) for 6am to go down and get some coffee. I heard that breakfast in China was difficult for westerners, but I didn't really believe it until I saw it.

We arrived without any obstacles last night. Our room is pretty nice and everyone who has come to see Dave is in the same hotel. I just got word that Shane and Kim are two rooms down.

One thing that is different for me on this trip is I have no clue what people are saying or what the signs say. I am used to traveling in countries where I can decipher at least some of the language due to English cognates or some degree of familiarity (French or Spanish). In Beijing, everything is different. This will just add to the adventure!

Waiting at the LA Airport

We've begun the long journey (24 hours of travel) to Beijing. And here's a shocker - Randy is spending his layover in LA with his good friend, Bloody Mary.

We're anticipating a fantastic 12 hour flight to Korea (note the sarcasm) and then will be on the last leg of the trip to Beijing. I just hope they have good movies to watch although I'm sure no one will be surprised to read that I have several books to choose from in my bag.

Randy is criticizing my blogging and being a vicious editor. Next time I may have to do this when he's in the other room. Maybe this is what they meant by the Great Firewall of China.