Observations

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Geo: 39.9165, 116.391

This is a blog entry to post some pictures and make a few comments about funny, interesting and quirky happenings thus far. I also am fairly certain our dates have been off. Today is not Friday to us but I think it is Saturday. I'm not sure but I think we are a full day ahead of you ~ we jumped ahead a day on the plane. Oh well. Some things...

Peanuts. There are peanuts ~ in the little sleeves but not the shells ~ sitting on every spinny table before we sit down. (red-skinned peanuts) The Chinese like to randomly eat them during the meal. I thought they were beans until last night. They go well with beer is the only explanation we were given.

Alcohol. The Chinese like to smoke and drink. Men and women. They offer beer or Coke or beer or 7up at every meal. Last night we sat down and we had a small shot glass full of firewater, another glass they offered red or white wine to fill, then a third glass they offered beer or soda. I had firewater, white wine, and 7up. Beer would've been too much for me but some people went for it. The sodas here are barely carbonated by the way. We don't know if that is because they are pouring into our glasses from liter bottles that have been sitting out or if they are all like that. We bought a 2-liter Sprite and some bottled water at a mini-mart type place last night and the Sprite is carbonated like normally but more sweet/syrupy than in the U.S.

The people are friendly. We smile and they smile. We say "Nihao" (Hello) and they say "Hello!" They do not speak to us until we speak to them and when we do, they are happy. Everyone in China is taught English in school but it seems mainly only the school kids remember or know English. The older adults know very little or seem to rely on the school-age kids for conversation with us. A smile goes a long way in every language.

Tour Group Characters ~ Miss Model~ish. There is a girl alone on the tour who looks like Khloe Kardashian and Beyonce had a baby together. She says she is an American born Phillipino but she surely has one African American parent. She is nice and she has a killer body (paper bag face tho). She wore skin-tight leather-looking workout pants - that only went to her knees - for our full day of touring in Beijing. Her butt looked great but I don't know how it didn't freeze off. This morning, she wore skin-tight leather-looking full length workout pants. Her cute butt is really going to freeze off today. She is nice and well-traveled but a little Newman-ish. Miss Modelish and Newman were talking the first night on the bus ride to the hotel from the airport and they were comparing how red the sand is in Egypt while we were driving through the amazing sites and lights of downtown Beijing for the first time.... wonder if Miss Modelish was talking about the hills of Tuscany to a Newman-type when she was walking the red sands of Egypt the first time? She's a little much but she can drink most of the guys under the table as she displayed last night during the fire water challenge. Poor Newman could not keep-up. She is his dream girl but too young for him.

Fishy foods. Everything tastes like they fried or cooked fish and then made the eggs in the same skillet... or then cooked the slimey "beef"... everything you eat has a shrimp or fish smell. This morning for breakfast I ate a small amount of fishy scrambled eggs, two pieces of their version of bacon (it's good but I'll get a picture so you know what I mean), and two pieces of wheat toast ~ my daily saviour. They also have strawberry jam so that's nice, too. This morning they had little hashbrowns on the breakfast buffet but the minute I took a bite I could tell they were fried or baked in the "fish" oven. Eh. I cannot even look at Kamie's breakfast plate ~ I would not be able to make it through the meal. I did notice this morning he had some dumplings, some baked ziti, white sausage looking things, fishy eggs, fishy hashbrowns, boiled eggs and some other not-so-breakfast looking items. I don't know how he does it but I'm glad he can eat well here. I want some KFC.

Monks. This hotel is a former temple for training monks. There is one wing they still live and learn in this hotel. The rest has been converted. They wear their orange robes and eat breakfast with us, walk around the hotel, etc. They have a peaceful feeling about them. One of them nodded to me and I smiled... he looked at me like he didn't want to be abstinent anymore. HeeHeeHee

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Photos

Jade factory
That "bowl" was FULL of offerings to the Gods ~ like 2,000 Yuan notes and more!! 2,000 Yuan = $325 US Dollars

Jason ~ Our tour guide
Notice the sweats and bright orange sneakers.