So far so good

Well, we arrived safely in Beijing...after a very long day of travel...but we didn't get stopped by any quarantine issues or anything! We did have to stop in our hotel lobby today and get our temperature read before we could be cleared. Apparently we all passed...I guess. At least our guide seemed to think so.

It is blasted hot and humid in Beijing. Our first day, we arrived into China at 5:20 a.m....so, we couldn't check into the hotel yet and we just figured we would go and jump into the sightseeing. I'm not sure that was such a good idea. It was so hot and we just walked and walked and walked...sweat dripping, exhausted, jet lag setting in...and because it was Saturday in China is was soooo crowded. I swear there must have been a million people in line in Tiananmen Square waiting to go into Chairman Mao's mausoleum. Boy did I wish that I had brought a stroller with me...or insisted on stopping to get one before heading to Tiananmen and the Forbidden City. It was sooo hot and Emma just couldn't walk it...so me or one of my nephews ended up carrying her. We all were extremely grateful for a bed when we got home...and mostly slept from early evening until this morning. That was great for jet lag. I don't feel the effects at all today. I'm exhausted, but I think it is from walking and heat.

Today was a trip to the Great Wall, pearl factory, jade factory, cloissone factory and the Summer Palace. Again...lots of walking. But it was hazy/fog all day, so that made a huge difference with the heat, I'm happy to say. We had a great time at the wall. Some of the young and strong hiked quite a ways up...but not me. With the 400 or so stairs I took, that was enough hiking for me. Emma sure had fun, as I took a bubble blower thing. Watching her dance around amidst the bubbles on the great wall was wonderful. A really once in a lifetime event.

Now I am tired and I'm going to shower, tend to my 4 blisters and go to bed so I can be ready for another full day of adventure tomorrow. We sightsee for most of the day, then tomorrow night we get on a sleeper train and head to Xian for two days. Sounds fun!