Beijing Day 2

Today we left the hotel bright and early. It was cold and rainy. We headed for the jade market. We got a lesson in jade walked by many workers polishing jade. I learned that jade is white,green, purple,red,black, yellow,and orange. I thought it was only green. There were thousands of pieces of jewelry for sale. I foundation beautiful bangle bracelet that fit. It was green and white. Of course they start out high on the price and you go back and forth with them.they would only come down to $340 so I had to walk away. That was way more than I wanted to pay. I found lots of pretty things but too high (sorry K!). There is another jade market in Guangzhou.

polishing jade

Next up the Great Wall of China. It was amazing. It was also raining. I climbed what seemed like a thousand steps but the steps are all uneven so some were a few inches high and other steps were two feet high. In the rain. I have noticed that Chinese people do not adhere to the 'stay to the right' philosophy. So I was holding onto the rail for dear life and people were coming down holding onto the rail. We had a stand off a few times. I will try to post pictures later-I am having technical difficulties. Unfortunately because it was raining none of my pictures are great but rather foggy. Oh we'll-I came all the way to China so rain or no rain I had to climb the wall. I didn't even come close to the top and commend the folks that did.coming down was scary enough in the rain. Tiffy I would like you to know I have burned lots of calories here!!!



Next we went to a traditional Chinese lunch. I thought I was eating chicken but it was duck. I tried some rice liquor and it was awful. I could feel it going down and it made me hot. It was obviously popular because they sold it there and many people bought a bottle. I also saw it in Wal-mart. Otherwise lunch was very good except a random plate of French fries. Every meal here including breakfast has French fries. 

Then we went to the Birds Nest, the site of the 2008 Olympics. It was very crowded and a popular tourist spot. It was also pouring rain so challenging to get a good picture. It still felt awesome to be there and there was excitement in the air.That night we attended an acrobatic show. It was amazing. I loved it even though I was exhausted. Went back to the hotel to have a little dinner then fell into bed. Flying out early in the morning to Zhengzhou, Henan Province (pronounced like Jing-joe, Hunan).