Beijing: More Old Stuff

Beijing was a great end to our time in Asia. Thaddeus & his girlfriend Kris were outstanding hosts. Kris is actually a PhD candidate in Chinese Art History, and so we really lucked out when she offered to give us a tour of the Forbidden City. She enthusiastically pointed out some of the quirkier things that we never would have seen on our own, making our visit all that much better. We also visited Tianamen Square and shuffled past a very pickled-looking Chairman Mao.

Of course we made the obligatory journey out to the Great Wall. We went to a less popular part of the Wall and enjoyed whole sections to ourselves at times. We also had our first (and last, since we're headed for the desert) snow while hiking on the wall. It was beautiful, but it really made us glad that we weren't the ones stuck there for years at a time watching for Mongol invaders.

And now we're in the Dubai Airport on our way to Cairo. Yesterday, when we were heading out to the Great Wall, we passed by a billboard displaying the Pyramids. Our cab driver, making conversation, asked, "Have you ever been to Egypt?" Gus responded matter-of-factly, "No, but we're going there tomorrow." He looked pretty skeptical, but it reinforced for us how lucky we are to be seeing both the Great Wall & the Pyramids in the same week.

We're racing the internet rental clock, so watch out for Beijing photos later.



Sarah and Kris at the Forbidden City.



Who is this guy? We have no idea. Everywhere we went in China, random people would come up, put their arms around us, smile hugely, and have their friend take our photo. We have no idea why. This was the only time that we thought quickly enough to hand our camera to the photographer so we could get our own photo.