Day 2 Here in Beiging!

(We don't think we expect you to read all of this or watch every video. Don't feel obligated since it might get pretty long pretty quickly. This is really for our documentation. You can do a lot of stuff in 24 hours and we want to keep good track of it. Like it says above: Feel Free To Peruse.)

We woke up at 5:45 after a very long night of catch up sleep and headed downstairs for "Western" food for "the breakfast". Once we were fed we went for a little walk/jog along the street outside where we found a very peculiar sight. It looked like a bunch of old Chinese people had gone to the playground to play on bright-colored equipment. Apparently throughout the city they provide parks with "exercise equipment" and people flock to them in their regular clothes early in the morning. "Good for the health" as our tourguide Allen would say. We are going back tomorrow with the camera and hopefully can get a shot of the group of old ladies practicing with thier samari swords.

Our first actual tourist stop was Tian'an Men Square which was a lot bigger than I ever imagined. Allen could not talk about the only history I knew of the place (student riots: "That is in the past"), but it was still cool to walk around. The square is called that because it is in front of the ate to the Foridden city. That gate is called: Tian'an Men. Some pictures and one of the Video we took while there:







We headed through that gate (behind us in the picture) and the three that followed for a tour of the Chinese equivalent to the Whitehouse of past ages.



In the Forbidden City we came across a four star bathroom which Maegan had to check out. Sure enough it was four stars - no toilet paper and smelly, but instead of the ground hole there was an actual "Western toilet" you could sit on. Yipee!



Everyone in our group took a picture of this sign and I am sure we were quite the site for the local chinese..."Uh...maybe they don't have bathroom in USA?" Well, we sure don't have 4 Star ones like this.

The Imperial Garden (Through the second to Last Gate) was the highlight of the Forbidden City and we are hopng to relandscape the backyard to mirror it.



Next came "the lunch" with highlights like fried pumpkin sticks, delicious dishes and a 30 second dance by this girl with a handkerchief. The most in your face, I want a tip event I have ever experienced. The equivilant of a animal baloon maker comming to your table, without asking, and making baloons for all your kids. Then holding out thier hand and asking for money. Anyways, funny.



We then went to the chinese government owned (everything is government owned) pearl place where I bought maegan some pearls. I am so nice. We were given a demonstration of opening an oyster and getting some pearls out of it. Interesting. Much to our suprise there were 24 pearls in this one oyster. Aparantley that is pretty common:



The Temple of Heaven (where we went to next) provided a cultural exhibit of Chinese at leisure that even surpassed the exercise place! Rewathing this does not portay a 10th of culture shock it did in person. The Music, art, games and Elderly Chinese acting like you would not catch most American Elderly if they were sleep walking. If you are going to watch any video on this trip so far, this would be the one. We wish everyone could have experienced this in person:



Brian showed off his Hacky Sack skills before we headed out and to the Acrobat Theater. People were doing amazing tricks and we tried to capture some of it. We recorded about the whole thing but just put a litle bit on there since this blog is getting long enough. The boys should like this one:



We then went to do a little bargaining where Brian bought some $198 dollar knock off ties for $2 a piece and probably still over paid for them. It sure was fun to shop.

Today we are going to the Great Wall of China and the Sacred Way. We will make sure to again take more videos and pictures that you are willing to watch! We have about 3 times as many as what we have posted here.

We love you Lincoln, Truman and Jefferson.