Beijing Conference Over

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It was a nice start to the day on friday. It wasn't too hot in Chengdu. We headed to the airport, there were three of us with a little luggage to be checked. the flight was good. It was a big plane, a 747. arriving in Beijing was a bit of a shock. the temperature was in the 90s. Thankfully we had a car waiting to pick us up and drive to the hotel.

After an hours rest in the hotel room we headed out to a friends house behind the Gugong. We spent the evening eating Sichuan food and drinking endless cups of tea. It was a true dinner party with a number of Beijing collegues in attendance. After dinner there was an art showing, all paintings, with a lively discussion about each. The conference was on Saturday morning and into the afternoon. Most people arrived by 9:30. It was a who's who of all the local museums of Beijing and some outlying regions. Cultural Relics in attendance. The meetings ended with hot pot.

Saturday afternoon was really quite interesting in the way of weather. At about 4:30 the sky became very dark, and then even darker. The sky was as dark as night. All of the cars on the street had their lights on. It then began to get very windy and the rain started. It lasted for about an hour before the light came back. Yes, there was thunder and lightning.

After the rain storm, we met up with Wei Ming and went for coffee and a snack with lots of talk, other friends and several girls in attendance, followed by dinner at a different location, and followed by drinks at yet another location. It was a good evening and early.

A friend with a car is coming at noon to pick us up and take us to the airport. The flight back to Chengdu is at 3:00. The flight back is longer which probably means it is a smaller plane. It took tow hours with the 747. The flight back is two hours fifty minutes - unless of course it is because of strong head winds out of Tibet. Anyway, I look forward to being back in my own bed tonight.

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