And She's Buying a Stairway to Heaven

Third day in China and I am missing Mexican food.  We are all getting a little tired of Chinese food.  But the good news is that no one is sick.  So rather than complain, I will be grateful.

Today's tour included a visit to the Beijing Museum of Art and History.  We saw some really beautiful ancient jade pieces and some ornate bronze.  We looked at a calligraphy display but it was hard to

appreciate the beauty of the poetry when we could not read the writing.  Now we know how the illiterate feel.  While at the museum, Deanna had to use the restroom but none of the workers could understand what she was asking for despite her use of several variations such as bathroom, washroom, toilet and restroom.  She really had to go, so I grabbed my crotch and crossed my eyes and was immediately understood.  Some sign language is universal.

We went to a jade factory but everything was so expensive we decided to buy our jade in Hong Kong.   It is pretty funny how we are taken to some really high priced shops every day.  But as Deanna pointed out, "We are a bunch of educators.  Why are they taking us here?"

The Great Wall was amazing.  The drive was reminiscent of a drive through the canyons in Utah.  I asked our tour guide if he skied and he said that he does.  He said that there is skiing about an hour out of Beijing.  He said that it costs about three hundred yen to rent the equipment and to pay for the lift ticket.  That is about fifty bucks.  That sounds like a good deal to me.

Deanna and I got our picture taken in traditional chinese soldier costumes - think Moulan.  The altitude is really high.  I ran out of steam after about a hundred feet.  Deanna helped me to pace myself by climbing twenty-five steps at a time then taking a rest.  We made it up to the eleventh guard house.  But the best feeling of all was standing on the Great Wall of China today.