Ni hao to one and all!

We are finally in Beijing and arrived safe and well. Flights were okay but the lack of airconditioning was good preparation for the heat and humidity of Beijing. This is a brilliant city…an international metropolis racing towards the 2008 Games with great enthusiasm and vigor. Basically, it is just one big construction site, with anything here that hasn’t been pulled down, under massive renovation. This is a developers dream. We must add though that they are greatly pressured because this is the last year to pull anymore buildings down prior to 2008….that wouldn’t be perfect would it! I suppose that’s very typically Beijing. The city is also full of grassy/flowery/leafy median strips and roadsides. This is another Games initiative and is rather beautiful in fact. That brings us to the pollution. For anyone that hasn’t been here, it’s definitely worse than you can imagine. The skysrapers and traffic disappear within a block or two and the sun is always that nasty bushfire orange. We are both very much looking forward to escaping for some cleaner air.

On a sad note, my luggage decided to spend an early 2 day holiday in Bangkok so failed to come off the plane when we arrived in good old Peking. According to China Air…my bag actually went MIA so that was rather stressful and in this 30+ degree heat we are sweating like crazy and fresh clothes are quite a luxury. It did all end happily ever after, with my bag arriving at the hotel last night. Today was EJ’s first day of fresh clothes since boarding the plane Sunday.

So far, we have luged down from the Great Wall, wandered through The Silk Market (that doesn’t actually sell silk), strolled through Tiananmen Square, had tea in a palace, eaten cheap Peking duck, got lost in the slums, walked the Hutongs, saw the Shaolin Monks at The Red Theatre (the kung fu was wicked) and tonight we are boarding the overnight train to Xian (shee-an).

We are both well and looking after ourselves and trying not to buy too much Mao memorabilia. Having a ball and the group of Intrepidites are great fun.

Hope everyone is well at home.

Love B + EJ