Arrived in Beijng

Saturday
Our wake-up call came at 6am. I picked out clothes for today, then packed everything else in my suitcase. I bagged everything in case the suitcase was searched or came unlocked. I did my exercises. Then I washed up and got dressed. I put some peppermint and ginger essential oils in a glass of water and drank it. We put the suitcases outside the room and went downstairs for breakfast. Al and Cecily were there, but Michele and Marie had just left. So we took their spots. Cecily gave me another Dulcolax. I filled a plate with fruit and drank a glass of grapefruit juice. Then we went back upstairs. I took my supplements, and deleted e-mail on my tablet while Chris checked his work e-mail on the laptop. He got a referral for a job in Seoul. Then I packed my carry-on. I took out two chocolates from my stash and wrapped each one in a clean napkin from breakfast. I used the bathroom twice since we were taking a long ride to the airport. We met Michele at the elevators and went down to the lobby. Chris turned in the room cards and checked out. Boxed lunches were handed out. Mine had a special tag written in Chinese, probably gluten-free. I gave Cecily one of the chocolates. Then we boarded the bus. Shirley was sitting in the front seat. I handed her the other wrapped chocolate. I did not have time to explain. Soon we were on our way to the airport. We could see large burial mounds in the distance. Unlike Egypt, here the burial places of the Emperors are not to be disturbed. Historians want to dig them up and write about the finds, but the archeologists want to keep them intact and untouched.

An hour later we got off the bus at the airport. James handed us our passports. We went inside through light security to gather as a group. Some of us took the chance to use the bathroom before the flight. James took Ann and Shirley on ahead. We sang Happy Birthday to Chris. They have trouble walking and often use wheelchairs in the airport. The others gave him a round of applause.
Then we all went through strict security with a full body patdown. From there, we walked to our gate and waited. I nearly missed the bathroom because my eyesight thought the sign said 'Tickets' instead of 'Toilets'. Most of them were the squatty pottys.
We started boarding a little late. My seat was across the aisle from Chris. I conversed with my seatmates as Chris did with his. Then I leaned back and fell asleep. I noticed later that we were moving and dosed off. But we were still taxi-ing. In fact, it went on so long that I wondered if we were going to taxi all the way to Beijing. It was after noon until we actually took off.
My butt was already asleep. I did not wear my earplugs, but my ears were ok. When we achieved altitude, I noticed that Al was eating his boxed lunch. So I got out mine. There was a banana on top. Under that, was a sandwich shaped like a brick. The bread was hard and dry and cake-like. Maybe this is what gluten-free bread looks like? I ate the cucumber pieces and the lettuce, but left the mayo and most of the bread. Under that was a rectangle that tasted like custard. I gave that to Chris, as well as the muffin. Then I ate the banana, even though Chris read on the internet that greenish bananas are binding.

Soon, the stewardesses passed out the airline lunch. There was a small tray of rice and beef, which I ate. It was spicy. I also ate the package of pickled something that smelled odd. I gave Chris the package of crackers. He did not want the roll, so I threw it away with the remnants of lunch. There was bottled water, and I sipped that over the course of the flight. Normally I would not drink bottled water, but it is the only potable water here.
I wrote up my morning for my blog and then tried to sleep again. I was not successful. The seats were uncomfortable. But after almost 2 hours, we landed in Beijing. After a bit of a wait, we deplaned and boarded a shuttle bus to the airport. We waited in the baggage claim area for some time. The tour guides claimed the baggage and sent it off to the hotel. It was too early for us to check in, so we got on a different bus. We drove for an hour or more. We got off on a street corner. I needed a restroom again, but there wasn't one. We collected ourselves, then walked across the street to a long line of pedicabs. They were bicycle versions of rickshaws. We filed in, two by two. Then our man pulled out and pedaled in line with the rest. They took us through the narrow streets of the old neighborhoods, which the government was preserving. I forget what they were called, but once they were inhabited by high officials. But now, the blocks were divided up into smaller units to create more housing, thanks to the communist party.

We were invited into the house of a retired woman. With our guide as an interpreter, she told us this used to be her grandparents house, but now she takes art classes and helps her niece. Her niece painted the insides of bottles and other glass to create ornaments and necklaces and such. I wanted to buy a piece, but did not have enough money left. The lady mentioned that she had to go across the street to use the public restroom since her part of the house did not have a bathroom. Cecily and Michele and I went over there. It was clean, but there were no western style toilets, no doors on the stalls, and no sinks. Afterward, we walked down the street. A man was trying desperately to sell fancy chopsticks, and pocket purses, and fans. I was having a hot flash, so I talked him down to 10 yuan for a sandalwood fan. At the end of the street, we found our pedicabs waiting. They took us around and down a few more streets. Then our driver indicated we should get out. Everyone was getting out, so we tipped him and followed the group. In a big paved market square, we could see the drum tower at one end and a bell tower at the other. We went into the bell tower building. It had been converted into a tea shop. There was one room big enough to hold our whole group, with small tea cups on the tables. We sat down. A lady explained that China had over 3000 teas, but 5 main groups.

As she talked about them, another lady was making tea. The first lady poured some tea from the first group in each cup, and passed around a jar of tea leaves so we could see and smell it. Then she explained about the second group of teas and what they are good for. Again, she poured and we drank. Then the third and the fourth and the fifth. She also showed us cups that change color when hot liquid is added, and a little boy figurine that pees cold water when hot water is poured on him. When she was done, we went into the tea shop where she showed us packages of the teas that we drank. They were expensive. But if you bought stuff, you got a free pee-boy. I got two small tea packages, and then a third which was recommended for hot flashes. It was over $100. What was I thinking? Anyway, we went back to the courtyard. We gathered in a circle around a man who was the Guiness record holder for keeping an object in the air. It was like a hockey puck with feathers, just like in the zoo a few days ago. He kicked it around, then to people in the audience. Chris did the best. We were all impressed. Our guide handed each of us one of the hockeypucks. We walked to another street where we caught the bus. We marveled at the creative architecture of the new buildings. Then the bus stopped in front of a restaurant. My camera battery died at that point. We went inside and up to the third floor.

There were many large round tables. We sat at the ones with James' name on them. They each had a glass lazy susan. Waitstaff brought out dishes and put them in the center. I was presented with a full plate of chicken, and vegetables in a salad form. Still, I tasted the dishes on the table. Some were excellent, others so-so. My chicken was almost inedible because it was cut in cubes irrespective of where the bones were. So there was gristle and bones slivers in almost every bite.
After the meal, we went back to the bus, and finally to our hotel, Kerry. The guide explained about the internet access. He got a number for our group to use and a password. We waited while he arranged it with the hotel and then handed out room keys. We went to our rooms and found our luggage waiting for us. Also inside the room, were two apples. I ate one, then laid down on the bed to stretch. Cecily came to the door and said they were ready to go to the bar to have birthday drinks with Chris. Chris got the internet set up for me and then he left to join them. He insisted it would be alright if I did not join them.
I typed up my blog, first from the notes about the morning, and then from memory. While I was typing my blog, a man rang the door bell. He had a cheesecake on a tray. Since I did not order it, I tried to elicit why he brought it. But we could not communicate. So he left. I went back to typing and the phone rang. The lady explained that it was for my birthday. I said, yes, my husband has a birthday today. In a few minutes, the young man was back with the cheesecake. I put it in the little fridge that held drinks. But in a minute, Chris came through the door. I handed him the cheesecake, but he was too full, so he put it back. He said the bar had a really loud band and his mother stuffed paper napkin pieces in her ears. But they'd had enough and were back. Chris used my tablet to check e-mail while I worked on my blog.