More on Thursday in Beijing

We went to The Great Wall first thing this morning. We were very impressed by it. I can't even begin to imagine the sheer torture it would have been for the people building the wall. Jeff climbed to the top of the section we visited. Our guide said that made him a hero. Kim and I stopped climbing after I just could not step another foot, and instead sat on the side and talked politics. I explained red and blue states to her.

After the Great Wall we went to the jade factory. After a quick lesson on the types of jade we were ushered into a shop. I spent more money than Jeff wanted. We purchased a rooster pendant and bangle for Maizie. For us, we purchased a male/female lion pair.

Then onto lunch. For all those concerned, I am doing well with the food. We have a western style breakfast at the hotel in the morning. For lunch, we eat at a restaurant along the way. Although I am a picky eater, I am finding plenty to eat. I keep falling asleep before dinner. Jeff is still having trouble sleeping and so we are not getting any good night sleeps.

Then to the cloisonne factory. More mini lessons followed with shopping.

We went to the Ming tombs in the afternoon. I have heard that this is one of the least favorite places to visit, but I enjoyed it. There is a long avenue of sculptures that we walked by and then we visited one of the tombs. You cannot see the tomb because it is underground, but you see the structure on top. Kim is very impressed with the third emperor of the Ming dynasty because that is the emperor that made Beijing the capital city.

We had a traditional Chinese massage after all of our walking. I think during it we could not decide if we liked it or not because they really pounded on us. I felt like a drum. Afterwards we definitely felt refreshed. I felt really bad for the workers who had to get near our feet.

Then a quick break in the room before we went to a kung fu show.

Beijing really is an amazing city. There are buildings going up everywhere, but the city is sprawling and so I do not feel like the building are on top of each other. The city also is planting everywhere. It is the greenest large city I have seen. The rose is the city flower and so there are rose bushes all over the place.

You see so many amazing things, that I think you forget about the negatives of China. On our way to the kungfu show we say a bunch of workers by the side of the road. Kim explained that the laborers work hard for very little money. They are only paid once a year and so can easily lose out on their wages if the employer skips out before pay day. Most of them sleep outside to avoid rent. This harsh lifestyle is preferable to being a farmer. We also discussed how hard the health care system is. In China, you are not given any treatment until you pay. Because the cost is so expensive most people chose not to see a doctor even though they should.

Tomorrow we are going to a temple and acrobatic show.

I am getting very anxious to get to Maizie. I love all that we are seeing. I would recommend a trip to Beijing to anyone, but Maizie is the reason we are in China and so the sooner we get to her the better.