Day 2 Beijing-Temple of Heaven & Bi Yun Temple

Good Morning all!
Last night we were just too tired to post so we saved it for this morning. Yesterday we were up at about 4-4:30 am , just can't seem to sleep later than that even with the assistance of Ambien,but I think it will get better...today I got to 5 am but Joe only got to 3..ouch!!! After we got up we got ready and went down for breakfast, it was beautiful!! The amount of food available was incredible,everything from waffles to baked beans, fried rice to frosted flakes, brie cheese to some type of hairy fruit...you name it! We ate way too much to say the least. So far(knock on wood) neither of us have gotten sick at all. We are religiously taking Pepto in the morning so perhaps that is helping? After breakfast we met Jane Shellhammer,Maureen Sharp,Denna & Kevin Hardin and their daughter Courtney(who is a awesome little girl) and Corrissa & Brian Post. We heard that 5 more families were due to arrive yesterday as well.At 8 am we met Joe(our tour guide from Harrah's) in the lobby and got on the bus. We got a great talk about Beijing, history and what we were going to see for the day. Unfortunately, due to the 2008 Olympics the Summer Palace was cancelled but...oh well! We arrived at the Bi Yun Temple first and it was fabulous. The history and culture here is unreal...the architechture and statues are amazing. We experienced the local vendors who mob you as you walk by, it can be a little much at times but you get used to it real fast and just Bu Xie Xie them and walk faster! We all got some stares being that we are like a sore thumb sticking out in the crowd, but I think Courtney (Denna's daughter) got the most attention...her hair is down to her rear and it gorgeous, so many of the locals wanted to touch it and take pictures with her...LOL. The Bi Yun Temple was really beautiful, but beware, this is only a test run for the Great Wall as far as exercise....the amount of steps were exhausting and difficult as they were marble and not even...so you really had to watch your step or else you are going to wind up falling down a flight of steps! The Vendors were everywhere at the entrances and actually had some good stuff, but I am sure we will be able to find the same things everywhere so no purchases today from them. After the Temple we went to Lunch at a Incredible restaurant. This was the best meal yet...LOVED just about everything...who said we were going to lose weight...huh...not as of yet anyway. We ate a ton and then went next door to a pearl shop...a very high end on and got a movie/demonstaration of how they get the oysters to make pearls and why they are certain colors etc, very interesting. The guy at the pearl market was funny, he told the husbands to go sit and have tea & coffee while the wives shopped. We bought a baby bracelet for Sydney while she is little and a GORGEOUS pink pearl necklace for her wedding day. Next we went to The Temple of Heaven. Personally, I wasn't too impressed with this BUT what I did love was the park part of it ...there were seniors playing cards and instruments all over the place...hundreds of them. They saw us coming and started playing Jingle Bells and Old Suzanna...Too Funny!!! Back to the bus after that. We headed back to the Hotel and Joe told us that we had to be back in the lobby by 5:40pm for dinner. I took a shower and Joe fell asleep... I didn't realize the time and we were a little late getting down but made it. We went to dinner at a local restaurant...not as good as lunch but ok. Only day 2 and getting tired of Chinese food already :( The highlight was a group of Belgium Families were at the table next to us and had their babies already(all from Jiangxi)...none of us could help staring and gushing over them !!!!
Today after dinner we were really beat, could not stand it anymore so we went back to the room and passed out. The tours have been re-arranged because of some of the families not coming in as early as the rest of us and also because of the Olympics, so I am not sure of what we will do today, but I am sure it will be great!!!
Until tomorrow...love you all, miss everyone!
Anne Marie & Joe