Yangshuo...

Left what have become old friends this morning on the next and last leg of this jaunt... I'm in Yangshuo for a few days of site seeing and cooking! Two mornings of the four that I'm here I'll be taken to the market to shop for ingredients and then learn how to toss them together to make something edible. Yummy! I have a few favorites since I've been here so I'm hoping to learn how to make those...
So, I've been on the hard sleeper train, hiked the Great Wall, and wandered around Beijing since last I wrote. Overnight train was lots of fun! :) Six bunks to a cubicle so we filled two right next to each other... We had beers, wine, bowls of noodles, mangos from Olive's mom, and chit chatted and made a good night of it - till the lights went out at 10pm, which is apparently always the case on an overnight train... Started the next day bright and early in Beijing - the taxi cue was insane. Really long and people cutting in all over and grabbing cabs out of turn. There were a few Aussie yells when people tried to cut in near us. :) China has some very orderly things about it but the people are not included in that category... Whew! Don't get me started! Our taxi ride was hilarious. The driver yapped the whole time. To us, altho he must have known we couldn't understand him. Pretty funny. We were involved in a road rage incident. I think we cut someone off and then they swerved into us and our driver was hitting the window with his fist and then windows were rolled down and words were exchanged. We three girls sat in the back and just kinda' giggled. We shook our fists after the guy after he sped off and our driver was pretty pleased by that. Our hotel is again in a great location. We walked to Tienaman Square and the Forbidden City. About 10 minutes... Still astounded by how clean everything is. Everyone smokes and it's hard to find a cigarette butt! There's always someone with a broom just sweeping - sidewalks, streets, corners, potholes, alleys, etc. Didn't get to see Chairman Mao - the cue was days long. Spent hours in the Forbidden City. I think I was mostly lost for a good portion of the day. I'd eventually see someone I knew and get led back to the fold... :) It's beautiful inside and there are many twists and turns that lead to gardens, pagodas, and shops... Left early the next day for the Great Wall. We went to an area that's more remote than where most tourists go. Instead of half an hour we drove for three. It's called the Simatai section. Really beautiful. We'd been told to plan for cold and rainy and it was a beautiful day! Yah! Not really sure how far we hiked but it was a really steep section and we hiked till the wall was closed and crumbling. We were all able to take our time and meet up again since there was hardly anyone on that section. Very cool. Had a great night back at the hotel. Had beers and a great dinner. Seems to be lots of drinking with those Aussies! :) And I'm finally feeling like drinking again. Still congested but I think it's just China... Ugh. Saw the Olympic Stadium on our way back into Beijing the next day. Very impressive. It's called the Birdnest Stadium. When you see it, you'll know why... Went to Pizza Hut for lunch. It was my suggestion and everyone was more than willing to comply. We'd just been missing CHEESE! Yah, Chinese don't eat a lot of cheese... Visited the Temple of Heaven and did yet more shopping. Had a Hutong tour the next day. Rickshaws took us thru an old part of town with narrow streets and courtyards near the Drum and Bell Towers. Each city seems to have a Drum and Bell Tower and the area around it's usually old. Fun visit and we had a lunch at a locals house. It was Kate'd B-Day so Keith and Ann hauled a huge bottle of champagne in for lunch. Nice surprise for Kate. We walked into this simple little room with our lunch all set up and there's this magnum of champagne! :) Spent the rest of the day shopping in a five story building with all kinds of stuff. Went a little crazy but mostly on gifts so I don't feel too badly... Had a yummy Peking Duck dinner and said our goodbyes. It was a great tour. Pretty sure I won't visit China again but it was a great trip because of the group I was with... :) Will write more about Yangshuo later. My hotel has a free computer! Yea! Someone else is waiting, tho... xo