After sleeping in rather late to catch up on our jet lag and our late Sunday night, Bill and I were ready to hit the streets.  On Monday, we had lunch at a popular international restaurant known as The Den.  Of course, we spent much time visiting with the locals, and taking pictures together.  Afterward, we went across the street to visit the newly opened Hooters restaurant.  While the young waitresses only speak some English, they do know how to cheer, "Welcome to Hooters!"  Most were very proficient with a Hoola Hoop, and could sing a few American songs.  Though only opened for about 10 days, we both felt that Hooters Beijing has a bright future.

Afterward, Bill and I ventured to the Silk Market to picked up some souvenirs.  I will have to go back there with the video camera later in the week.  Only then will I be able to capture for you the sales tactics and negotiating skills of these young sales people, most of whom are young Chinese ladies between 16 and 22 years old.  I wish I could bring several of them back and train them to be future sales reps for my company.

Wednesday took us to the very heart, and heartbeat, of Beijing, as Bill and I visited Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City.  I don't nearly have the time here to document all of the history and background behind what we saw, but I hope to in the near future.  After spending time at Tiananmen Square, we walked over to the Forbidden City.  Here, we were fortunate enough to meet an enterprising young Chinese man named Zachary, who spoke excellent English.  For a modest fee, Zachary took us on about a two hour walking tour through the Forbidden City.  Here, we not only saw incredible sights, but got to learn much of the history behind this massive complex that was home to several of the Emperors.

The Chinese people that we have met have been so gracious to us.  They are facinated by foreigners, especially Americans, and many of them have handed us their cameras to have their pictures taken with us.  They know that Yao Ming lives in Houston, and many of them assume that houston and the United States are one and the same.  Thank goodness we can say "Yes" when we are routinely asked if we live in Houston.  Although most people do not speak much English, we have been able to communicate well enough with these wonderful people.

Huitou jian! - See you later!

Well, today Bill and I left Beijing and took the short 1 1/2 hour flight west to Xian to see the amazing Terracotta Soldiers and Horses Exhibit.  To fully appreciate this, you might want to read a bit of the history of the soldiers and the tomb of Emperor Qinshihuang.  Even though we traded blue skies in Beijing (after last night's rain) for smog and light rain in Xian, it was well worth the journey.

Included are some of the sights of the day, including my first trip on Air China.  The service is superb, and meals are served on all flights, even the short ones like we were on.  Take note, Continental!  When we finally got to the Bell Tower Hotel in Xiang, Bill and I cleaned up and then walked to a relaxed meal at KFC.  mmmm....mmmmmmmmm.  I have tried to capture a little of the local flavor along the streets of this historic city.  This could just as easily be any large U.S. city, as there is a huge Western influence here.

Tomorrow morning we are off to Beijing again for two more days, and there will be more photos to see as well.

This was mainly a travel day for Bill and me, as we flew back from Xian today.  Still, there were many new sites and new people to meet as well.  Soon, I will have all of the photos labeled

Enjoy!