The eagle has landed, or should I say the seagull has landed!

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What a flight! How can I make light of this? I am on a window seat(bad choice for as many times as I needed to get up). It is bustling around me as I settle myself into my seat. Then I feel a distinct hit in my lower back. Well, it is just people getting settled in for the trip. Oh no. How wrong I can be. It is a 7 year old (?) boy who proceeds tokick the back of my seat for the next 4 hours, about every 30 seconds or so. I tried everything, but either the parents didn't speak English or they had no control over their son. I think it was the latter as at the end of the trip when the engines were shut down, the boy was speaking better English than me. I finally just sat sideways so my aback wasn't against the back of the seat.

But I am here and I love China already. I am up in my room having gotten here about an hour ago. I have been awake all night. It is 5:35pm here and 4:30am by you. I am really not tired though.

Have a great tour guide, Rosina, who just graduated from college in Chinese history.

It is really hot here.

Later in theevening:

I can't believe it! I walked about 2 blocks and hit the really wide street that has all the big name shops, like downtown Chicago but much wider. People everywhere and tourists, mostly Chinese , with their cameras out so I didn't feel out of place. Lots of police too. That made me feel good. I took pictures of the outdoor vendors with all their weird foods, (skinned,red birds with heads and beaks looked the size of pigeons. ) Got on a side street and went to a local's restaurant. Then, of all things, I just finished street line dancing with about 700 people. It was amazing. It was right on that main drag. There is a big cathedral and a huge courtyard and it was filled with all ages doing their version of the electric slide. It wasn't that really but it went in all four directions. They did the same dance over and over again to different a music. Up front were a couple leaders that got them started . There were a ton of young people and all the way up to people in their 80's. Then lots of people watching. It was dark out but the church building was all lit up and all the big neon signs on the street made it awesome!
I have been up now for 29 hours so I better hit the hay.

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