What A Day!

Wow,

We started with Tian'anmen Square which flows right into the Forbidden City which flows into the Palace Gardens. I can't even describe the size and scope of these things. You've seen pictures of them I can guarantee, but you can't grasp the immensity unless you have taken it in first hand. Speaking of immensity let me just say SEA OF HUMANITY. This is a holiday in China so these places were even more crowded than usual. Because there are so many people in China personal space is non-existent, and it is normal for them to push. They don't shove. It isn't to be rude, but a little push to get you moving in the right direction is perfectly fine. Getting into the Forbidden City you have to cross a bridge. You are literally smashed together as you shuffle across the bridge with somewhere around 500,000 of your closest friends. I had a hard time getting pictures because in many places you can't stop. You just get pushed along with the current of bodies. (By the way, we have a full day tomorrow too, but if I get time I should be able to upload some pictures.)

The infatuation with Ben and Amanda was ratcheted up a notch. They had advance warning so they had fun with it. Cute Chinese teenage girls would come up and ask if they could have their picture taken with Ben. Parents would practically throw their young children into Amanda's arms for a picture with the cute white girl. Our kids know what it is like to be celebraties.

Off to the Pearl Market, I could have skipped it, but you could get good deals on all kinds of pearl jewelry. They have this tour/sell thing down to a science. They take you on a tour to show you what they do, and then they take you through the showroom, where they aggressively hawk their wares. Then we were off to the Summer Palace. We were too hot, tired, and people overwhelmed to do much there, so we just watched some men fly kites, and the kids posed for more pictures.

After the Summer Palace the Silk Factory -- another tour/sell place. You get to see the whole process from the birth of a silk worm to the weaving of the silk and the creation of the silk products, and then comes the sound of flapping wings as sales vultures surround you on every side. We bit this time. We bought a Queen sized silk comforter for $70 US. It is the heaviest they make. Shar is concerned that we will be too warm in the winter. There is no such thing as too warm in the winter.

On to dinner and finally the Chinese Acrobats. I'm sure most of you have seen them. If not live, you have seen the 30 second commercial on TV when they come to Spokane. The condensed 30 second version pretty much tells the story.

Once again I am amazed at the traffic here. When we were at the Pearl Market there was one particular intersection where everyone was trying to go at once. I'm talking about from four directions, with others parked in the middle of the street. We needed to get through in our bus. We jockeyed for position, nosed people out of the way, and somehow took a big bus through a very small hole. All of this is done without anybody getting upset or making any particular loving gestures. When people pull into traffic there is no waiting for an opening. You just pull out to reserve your spot. Need to make a right hand turn from the far left lane? No problem. Just start moving that direction. Bicycles, cars, pedestrians, and motorcycles will all ebb and flow around you.

We were able to spend some time with other adoptive families. A couple of them have done this more than once, so it was great to hear their experiences and get prepared for Monday. As I write this it is now 7am your time Saturday morning. I am getting ready to go to bed after a full Saturday. In a day in a half we will be a family of five. That's a little scary. Tomorrow a church service, the Jade tour/sell vultures, the Great Wall, then we pack to fly to Nanjing and meet Luke Monday afternoon.