3/24 update

We did THE tourist thing yesterday (Friday, it is now Sat. a.m. as I write this). We went to the Great Wall and climbed part of it. It is quite a site to see even part of it. We climbed two sections (up throught two guard towers) and then we turned back. Others went on and climbed farther, included the family from Minnesota that we met here. Tom, Kathy and Matthew are very nice and they are here to adopt a little boy from Inner Mongolia. They spent the day with us and will spend today with us as well. Tomomorow we head out to our regions and then we will meet back in Guangzhou on 4/1.

Anyway, the wall is very steep in places. Some areas have stairs (some of which are very shallow and some very steep) and some areas are just a steep ramp. My legs are sore today! It was an amazing site from the tower. The thing I did not like was all the vendors who were hawking their wares. They are very persistent and annoying. We did buy a few things. Sarah even bargained on one item for herself.

After the Great Wall, we went to the Cloisonne factory. Cloisonne, named as enamelware, have originated in Beijing back in the Yuan dynasty. It is copper which is fired with more intricate copper. Then it is painted and finished. It is very beautiful. We ate lunch at the factory and then did some shopping. Sarah enjoyed the fact that they had some traditional Chinese food at lunch, but also french fries and ketchup !

After that we headed to the HuTong area of town. This is in the middle of town and is the older area by a lake. The housing areas are small but are worth alot of money due to the location. We rode on pedicabs through the narrow streets and alleys and then got to meet a local women and her husband. They showed us their home and explained what their life is like. They are retired and live on a government pension and are very happy with things as they have changed over the years. Food and other stuffs are now plentiful. They installed a shower, but have to use the public restroom in the area. Most of these older homes do not have their own toilet !!

After that we came back to the hotel and rested a bit and then the folks from Minnesota wanted to go to the Hard Rock (their 15 year old son must be fed!), so we went along.

I have to take a quick shower now and go to breakfast. We meet with Holt today to talk about the rest of the trip (the real reason we are here) and then this afternoon we see Tiennaman Square and the Forbidden city. Then we pack up and tomorrow leave very early for Urumqi. We will meet our new daughter tomorrow !!

I don't have time to post pictures right now, may try to do so later.