Arrived In Bejing!

Its 3:30 AM Bejing time and all of us are up!  We easily fell asleep at 9:00 PM last night but, because of the Jet lag, we are all awake after only 5 or 6 hours of sleep.  We will definitely need a nap today. 

Our Hotel is about a 30 minute drive from the airport so I did get to see some of Beijing on the way in.  As our guide told us though, much of what we saw is very new because of the 2008 Olympics, including the airport itself.  Very clean, modern, and, large.  Sue said it was much different from when she came just 10 years ago to get Ali. Our Hotel room is small by american standards but very nice and comfortable.

8:30 PM - We just got back from a very full day.  On our way out to the Great wall we drove by the Olympic Village and saw the Water Cube and the Bird's Nest. Next, we stopped at a Jade "Museum" (read factory and retail store) and wandered through several large rooms of Jade objects.  After that we went to a section of the Great Wall that was in a mountainous area and was very steep.  We climbed about 1000 feet in one mile before heading back down.  There were lots of tourist there and, unfortunately, lots of vendors selling t-shirts, books, hats and some really silly stuff also.  The view was impressive but the air was not very clear today so I don't think my pictures will turn out well.

Next, we had lunch and toured the Cloisonne Factory.  Neither were that impressive to me but we did not spend too long.  A long bus drive into the heart of Beijing and we were at the Emperor's Summer Palace.  An impressive place but the wind had picked up and it was late afternoon so it was getting much cooler.  Also, from the minute we got out of the bus we were hounded by vendors trying to sell us everything from Panda hats to watches and purses.  Very annoying.  It would have been interesting to see the insides of the building but none of them were open to the public.  Finally, we ate at another large restaurant and had lots of variety of food.  I found a few things I like but for the most part the food is much too oily for my likes.

After not getting much sleep Allison barely made it through the meal and is already asleep at 8:30.  I am going to turn in now also.  More tours around Beijing tomorrow.