Day Next

Breakfast this morning in the Beijing Crowne Plaza Hotel was diametrically opposed to Shanghai also at a Crowne Plaza. The calm delightful breakfasts of the past turned into a frenetic every-man-for-himself feeding frenzy. It was like a third world country where food was brought to the long buffet tables to be descended upon by mobs hungry predators until gone. More people than seats finalized the deal. For the several hundred guests in the restaurant there was one double spout espresso machine. That in itself is a formula for disaster or at least caffeine riots. Everyone in our group is really quite polite so they were appalled at the behavior of the other diners.

After the breakfast we were all exhausted from fighting for our life sustaining nutrition but we headed to a jade factory. Another “demonstration of the product” was followed by a showroom for retail sales. This is where the jade metals for the Olympic winners were constructed for the 2008 Olympics. I must say this was more interesting than the silk factory mostly because some of these carved and polished huge, intricate sculptures cost as much as $85,000 (but you could barter them down to $79,000 I am sure). Ann thought some would look nice in our garden but I reminded her we have enough rocks already.

Off we went to attack the Great Wall of China. Unfortunately the weather was brutal – cold and windy with a steady downpour. Any amount of time outside in the elements produced soaked clothes since the rain was coming down almost horizontally. Even umbrellas were only partially successful. Walking the wall was nearly impossible due to the slippery stepping stones. We saw it, we walked it and we left completely soaked to the skin, frozen. Check that off the life list.

But in China there is the yin and yang and the sweet and sour. In other words rain today will make the second and third days here clear – free from smog. Hallelujah. All in all that may make the rain worth it. I do not know if I could have stood the severe smog and lung decay for three days.

After lunch we went to the Summer Palace. It was cold but the rain stopped and the weather was breaking. That part of the day was interesting. Ann enjoyed it more than I did I think because I was wandering taking pictures while Joy, our guide now in her city, was describing in detail the importance of the place.

I have some thoughts about going to a foreign country with a tour group. First off, our large group is a wonderful mix of personalities. There is no person I do not enjoy talking to. It is rare for me to like that many people but I do. But now that we have been in China for four days, I do not have the feeling I am in a foreign country. We are surrounded by Americans; we talk to Americans, the language is English. On our usual vacations Ann and I are on an island in a sea of foreign culture and language. Here we are in the US while in China. I can talk golf with Joe and Shelly while Ann talks the Food Channel with Connie and Jill. You get the idea. This is not exactly immersion into Chinese culture, is it?

Past vacations are delightfully stressful for us since we are out of our normal environment. This trip has been as easy as going to Spokane. Nearly everything is being done for us. We just follow the leader, as wonderful as Joy is, and are driven wherever we need to go. I seem to be learning as much about the culture, politics and economy of China as I am about the culture, politics and economy of our New York members. [Being from the West Coast New York has always seemed like a foreign country to me though!] We are not forced to interact 24/7 with people not speaking our language.

Having said that though, we are thoroughly our enjoying our trip. I do not think I would be doing as much as we are if we were on our own. The obstacles of oral and written language make this the only way for us to see China for the first time.

Since we had a full lunch (at a Chinese restaurant!) with the group this afternoon, all Ann and I wanted for dinner was to go to the large department store next to the hotel with a grocery store in the basement. This was good since this dinner was not included in the trip. We strolled through it buying our food for dinner. We had a wonderful eclectic Chinese grocery store dinner with Tsingtao Beer. A large bottle of the beer cost 4.8 RMB or 75 cents.

Thought for the day: “Into every life a little rain must fall” - even after traveling 6500 miles to see a wall.