We had a FULL day of touring. I think they try to just wear you out so you don't have time to focus on the fact that we're in the same country as our daughter and we will hold her in only a few days! I mean we went non-stop.....so much so that we were both nodding off during the Acrobat show at 5:00pm....completely wiped out.

We started by seeing Tiananmen Square which is like a public gathering space (very famous of course) that can hold a million people! There weren't a million people there, but it was pretty full. And there were a TON of people selling all kinds of memorabilia. Once they saw the bus full of Americans coming, they were with us non-stop. I did buy Ashlyn the cutest little paper butterfly kite.

Next stop was the Forbidden City....let me tell you it felt like we walked a whole city. The Forbidden City is the imperial palace that used to house the emperor and all of his wives/family, etc. It was huge and very intricately painted. We were told that it has so many rooms that if a boy was born and slept in a different room each night, he would be 27-yrs-old before he slept in all the rooms in the place! We didn't see the whole palace, but towards the end it felt close to it!

Next we went and toured a Hutong community and experienced the "Hutong culture" by meeting two Chinese families and seeing their homes. It was quite an experience; one was wealthier and the other was less wealthy....these terms are relative as neither compare at all to our American living. Here is a picture of one of the kitchens shared by 4-8 families.

This was one of the most enlightening parts of the touring for me. Just to see the way they live and understand more about their culture. It is rich with history and a somewhat set way of living that has been handed down for centuries. Luckily we toured this part on a rickshaw (bicycle with a seat on the back). At first I felt so bad for the man that was pulling both Mike and I on a bike, but I was so ready for a rest....luckily he didn't complain!

It's Saturday morning now for us and we are going to the Great Wall today and visiting a Jade Factory. I'm sure it will be another busy day. I didn't post much about the food, because I haven't had much to talk about. When Mike writes he can tell you all about the AMAZING things he has eaten. Luckily, all without any problems!

We will post more updates soon. Hard to believe that TOMORROW we leave Beijing for Gansu and will meet our daughter....it's finally here!