Hello All!

Sorry to be delayed in the first entry, and sorry to be brief. The internet situation is less than desirable here, so pictures will have to wait. However, I can say that I visited all the same Beijing tourist spots from the last trip and didn't enjoy them quite as much - if only because it's miserably hot. Everything is gorgeous, but covered by a layer of smog, so you can't see it.

So far we've visited the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, the Great Wall, the Temple of Heaven, the best roast duck restaurant in Beijing and a Yunnan minority people's restaurant that was kind of cheesy. Not literally - but the performances were cheesy.

The food is delicious. Every one should go eat roast duck with plum sauce. I also re-visited a huge store that I visited the last trip, and yet again saw the sign reading "Chopsticks, the integration of Chinese intelligence."

All for now.

-Sarah