Goodbye Beijing, hello Xi'An! I must admit that I was not too sad to be leaving Beijing. I met some great friends and had some fun times, but the crowds, pollution and cold have been wearing on me for quite some time now!
BB&T'ers - I FINALLY wore my hat that you all signed and gave me! When Mom and I were about 80 km north of Beijing on our way to the Great Wall Sunday, I jolted up all of the sudden and remembered that I had left the hat behind in our hotel room! I so wanted to take a picture wearing it on the Great Wall. I suppose one of the next most recognizable spots in China is the Gate of Heavenly Peace, where Mao's famous picture hangs, just across from Tian'anmen Square. I got some funny looks while taking the picture! I thought of all of you and the wonderful friends I made while at BB&T! Thanks again to Steve P, Matt L, Jordan B, Hai F, Scott R, Mendy M and all the others who helped put together my going away party a long 7 months ago!!
Monday, Mom and I toured the Forbidden City and then the Temple of Heaven. Mei Xian joined us for the Temple of Heaven and then we went to a really good Korean restaurant for dinner. A lot of the little Chinese kids were following us in the parks, anxious to practice their English with us. They also laughed a lot at my pronunciation of their language!
Tuesday, we slept in and went shopping! It was fun to watch Mom try to bargain with the people at their various stands. We got 90 minute massages for $10, then headed back to our hotel for a dumpling making lesson. Ours were not that good...poor form! But, it was fun making the dumplings with a Swedish family also staying in our hotel and at least they tasted good once the Chinese girls cooked them for us! We had a fantastic dinner at a very nice Chinese restaurant (thanks to Lance & Lenna for my birthday/Christmas dinner!), then Anna-Lina and I put Mom to bed and met Michael for a few good-bye drinks in Hou Hai!
Mei Xian met us at the airport to say goodbye....tears were shed and promises to keep in touch were made. I am blessed to have met some wonderful people during my time in Beijing. I love that I now have even more friends from all over the world. That's one of the best things about traveling and living abroad!
We made it to Xi'An with no problems. Xi'an is very polluted and there is construction going on everywhere. I lost count after 15 cranes on our way into the city center from the airport! The problem is that, in addition to the buildings under construction, there are so many buildings sitting empty all over the place. The Chinese definitely must believe in the 'build it and they will come' philosophy. I, on the other hand, feel that China is most certainly heading for a big correction in the very near future!
I took Mom to a Wal-Mart last night. She was "impressed" with the displays of chicken feet, whole fish, racks of meat hanging and drying, barrels of rice, etc. that sit all around the store. Our hotel in Xi'An is very Western and high end. I took my second bath in 7 months last night! It was wonderful! I don't feel like I'm in China when I'm in our room, which is a really nice break from the last 4 1/2 months!
Clothes watch: Mom bought a new jacket and left behind the massive, teal jacket which was last fashionable back in the 80's (it had huge shoulder pads!) and a black fleece jacket which she wore to my softball games in high school! I'm really proud of her for breaking with the old and getting something new!
The following is contributed by co-author, Pat Barden (aka Mom):
My week in Beijing was one I will never forget!! The highlights of the week were climbing The Great Wall, walking through the Forbidden City, interacting with the Chinese people, especially the children ,and meeting many of Jamie's friends. Simply awesome!
We have eaten Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, and Korean food, and I haven't gotten sick. It all has been very good, but I'm about ready for a big juicy hamburger. :)
If you've never experienced a 'squatter toilet', let me tell you...you don't want to! My thigh muscles are getting in shape!
Mei Lan, the panda in Washington DC, will arrive in Chengdu on Feb. 5th and we will arrive there on Feb. 6th. We hope we get to see her when we visit the Giant Panda Breeding Research Base. Wouldn't that be cool?
We think of y'all often.
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