Day 3 - Beijing Joe's first ever post!!!

One word - COLD!!!!!
OK, maybe my blood has thinned out a little bit over the past year and change but it is cold here.
Today we did Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City in the morning. In a word - Wow. I remember being a teenager watching that kid standing in front of the tank and it was really something being able to see the actual spot where that famous event took place. The square itself is amazing. It is definitely the center of politics within China and it shows. It is kept meticulously
clean and the Chinese people that we saw throughout the square really looked to have a very high sense of national pride.
Did I mention that it was really, really cold? Being a large open public area, the wind swept in from every direction and ... Oh yeah, it's really cold.

The Olympics are coming to Beijing in 2008 and just about everywhere you look, there are the "Beijing 2008" signs with the Olympic rings and above all else, new construction. Something like 65% of the worlds largest construction cranes are currently located in the Beijing area. If you're a heavy equipment operator looking for work, Beijing is the place for you to be.

The Forbidden City is located just north of the Square. It has that very famous portrait of Chairman Mao hanging over the primary entrance. The city was built in the 1400's and was the home of the emperors through the early 1900's. Very elaborate carvings and statues throughout the entire city. It took about 2 hours to do the full tour of the city. I', sure that AM will throw some pictures up. Words don't really do it justice.

After the Forbidden City, we bused over to a smaller part of town for a tricycle tour of a local neighborhood. These are basically rickshaws powered by bicycle. We drove (actually were driven) around and got to stop at a local kindergarten class. Didn't get to see many kids (they were busy learning) but got a chance to see how the school looks. Surprisingly, it looks like just about any kindergarten class back home. Trucks and dolls, drawings and paintings that the kids did hanging on the walls. A computer was at the teachers desk.
After the school, we were triked over to a local families home were we had lunch. All of the homes in the area were made up of only 2 or 3 rooms. The entire house could have fit in our bedroom back home in Houston. All cooking was done with LP gas, the home was heated with coal. Our hosts provided a fantastic meal (I'm definitely not loosing any weight here). As we were coming out from lunch we were mobbed by vendors, worse than any car dealership or furniture store you have ever been in! There was one item we saw constantly which is a MUST have for eveyone...A Chairman Mao watch. The watch is hysterical...it shows a picture of Mao with his one hand continuously flicking up and down as if he were saluting or talking to his people...had to have it. We bargained down to 8 USD but others who bought it only paid 4 or 5, we need to work on our bargaining skills! We also could have gotten a REAL Rolex for only 5 dollars ...WHAT A BARGAIN!!! ROTFL, but we were not swayed :)We got a pic of this guy's "loot" case...he had more in his jacket in case he ran out. You can see the Mao watch on the left side I believe.
After that, we triked around and visited a local farmers market where we got to see a pigs head. Very Lord of the Flies. Tons of meat, veggies and fruit all over the place. You could easily live like a king for only a couple of hundred $$$'s per month in this area.
We visited a local silk factory and got a quick lesson on how silk bedding was made before being let loose to spend our Yuan.
A bunch of families went to an Acrobatic show. There were about 8 of us left with nothing to do for an hour and a half so someone (it may have been me but I can't be sure) came up with the idea of getting foot massages. Our guide took us to a local massage place (yes, a legit one) and get this - A 60 minute foot and neck massage was $6.25 + about a dollar tip. Unreal. The massage was awesome (and a little painful) but I think that we all made out pretty darn good.
After that, another face stuffing session at a restaurant (this time, featuring Peking Duck) and then back to the hotel for some rest.
Sunday brings the Great Wall, Ming Tombs and a trip to a local Jade factory to spend more Mao money.

All for now. Talk to you tomorrow!!!

Love Joe and AM