Monday afternoon: I went sightseeing on the opposite side of the Bund along Huangpu River. It's a new side built in the last 15 years. The pace of development here is staggering. Rebecca tells me that at least three new metro lines have opened since she was last here in December. My destination is the Pearl TV Tower, a very controversial high-rise building, a huge tourist attraction which some find an architectural eyesore, but is a must see for visitors. It resembles something like a cross between the Eiffel Tower and a space station a la the Jetsons. It was inspired by a poem that spoke of pearls dropping on a jade dish, by a Chinese poet from the Song dynasty. It falls short of that, but it is eye-catching. As it's a hot day I spend about 3.5 hours there, the museum itself is at the base of the Pearl, and it has many interesting exhibits. Most of them chronicle Shanghai's more recent history since the turn of the 20th century. The Chinese are crazy for models and the Pearl museum is rife with to scale models of important buildings throughout Shanghai, as well as displays a la Madame Tussauds. The place is packed, as is any tourist spot in Shanghai, and mostly people are less concerned with seeing the sights and reading the placards than they are worried about having their photos taken in front the displays. There are wonderful photos of Shanghai in more recent history and replicas of old trolley cars, rickshaws, carriages, and sedan chairs, as well as bicycle powered taxis. There was one particularly ornate vehicle, a sedan chair made for a wedding by a master sedan-chair-maker, that took ten years to make. Notable displays included a period teashop, barbershop, cotton-making shop, blacksmith, costume-shop for Peking Opera, and other various examples of life at the beginning of the 20th century. That evening Rebecca and I ate our New Orleans style dinner at home. It was not bad for being halfway across the world, but let's just say that the Chinese sausage doesn't compare to a good kielbasa. Tuesday, I return to Pudong and spent the afternoon trolling the fancy Super Brand Mall, it's quite expensive for the average Chinese, but is incredibly Western. But unlike western malls it has 7 or 8 floors. There's the ubiquitous McDonald's, KFC and Burger King, but also Chinese fast food as well as pricey-fancy restaurants. The Chinese tend to trust brands and put a lot of faith into customer-loyalty so chains are considered good and consistent (if not status-inducing) places to dine. The stores had everything from Best Buy to Lacoste to department stores. Towards the seventh floor there was an area devoted to entertaining the youngsters complete with an arcade and games painting and the like. I sat at a table for a while just watching people and writing and a young boy came up to me and said hello. He told me his name was Howard and I guessed him to be about 8 years old. He was bright-eyed and a bit of a spit-fire. He asked me where I was from and chattered a bit in English, which was quite good. Then his mother discovered where he had gone to, and snatched him away. It was a really cute exchange. Later I walked several blocks down to the river, from there you can see the Bund. It's quite a spectacular view of old European and Art Deco architecture. The spot where I sat was really quiet and peaceful, something difficult to find in Shanghai. I sat on my step overlooking the river, and every once in a while a Chinese tourist would come up and ask to take a photo with them, but because looking at the Bund from this vantage point is not popular, there were few tourists there. I did have an unpleasant exchange with a pompous Russian tourist, who despite his ample frame had little-man syndrome. He was truly a caricature of some pretentious Russian autocrat. I was not unhappy when he left.
Wednesday: I spent the day doing what most people do when they come to Shanghai: shopping. I took the subway which I feel pretty comfortable navigating now down to Nanjing Dong Lu (Nanjing East Road). It is a walking mall about 1/4 of a mile long that is a shopper's paradise, as they say in Maine, "If we don't have it you don't need it." I bought a couple of T-shirts in the bargain basement of one of the department stores, which was kind of a neat experience. You pick out your merchandise, hand it to the salesman, he gives you a ticket, you go pay at the cashier, then you return to the salesman with your receipt and he gives you your merchandise. Not the most efficient thing I can think of, but it works for them. Next stop was the No. 1 Chinese Food store, a cross between Shop'n'Save, Whole Foods, and Dean and Deluca's. You can get anything from candies to baked goods and snacks. They had so many kinds of dried mushrooms and stuff I've never seen before! You can get any type of fresh fish or seafood, they had a licorice section, tobacco, frozen foods, prepared foods, ready-to-prepare food, teas, at least five kinds of eggs (from quail to duck and in varying sizes), the most intriguing section was the "pickle"section where there are many kinds of pickled vegetables to choose from. I also saw the spice section, and wended my way upstairs to the food-court so that when the smells attacked your senses you can satisfy your hunger in any sort of fashion. I spent at least an hour and a half in there, just taking in the sights, sounds and smells that barraged me from every side, before meandering back out to Nanjing Dong Lu. I wandered in and out of shops including the pearl market just to get a glimpse of stall after stall of pearls in every hue shape and size. All the while being beckoned in "Just take a look-a, just take a look-a." Today's venture was merely for "Kan-yi-Kan", a little look, and I won't even attempt going to this place without my trusty bargain queen: Rebecca. I also wandered in and out of a store exclusively selling chopsticks, recommended by my guide book that was totally overrated, as well as a shop that was just selling silk fabrics. My taste for shopping culminated that day with a trip to the Carrefour on the other side of town. It is a grand supermarket, even larger than a super Walmart, with every Western product available as well as Chinese items. The first floor is a food-court, the second floor is everything from appliances to clothes to kitchenware etc. and the third floor exclusively groceries. Things that are hard to find in the average Chinese markets are found here, because they cater to the Western clientele, but there were plenty of local Chinese shoppers here as well. I came away with an electric fan, as well as some other items I had been unable to get like basil and thick tomato paste. By the time I arrived home it was close to ten. I went to bed early because Thursday Rebecca was bringing me to Qibao, a suburb of Shanghai. An hour's subway train the next morning brought us to Qibao, "Qi" meaning seven and " Bao" meaning treasures. It is a Chinese Venice of sorts, and very touristy but not overrun with tourists, and a pleasant way to spend the day. As you enter the gates to the shopping area, the most fascinating to me was the vendor selling crickets of all sizes. We meandered up and down the stalls buying a few tchotchkes to bring home, and quenched our thirsts with coconut juice and a mango slushy. If you buy a ticket you can see several different museums in the area including one dedicated to the art of cricket-breeding and fighting, one dedicated to traditional shadow puppets, a famous artist who collaborated with the TInTIn cartoonist Hergé who had studied in Europe, and an exquisite miniatures exhibit. We had Jasmine tea later on that afternoon in a teahouse/restaurant while the workers were on break, all playing cards or napping. We spent about 45 minutes watching an animated game of Chinese Gin Rummy between the cooks, who chain-smoked and aggressively threw down cards, while Rebecca sketched the scene, focusing in particular on one fellow with a lopsided grin and a large persona who was obviously the ringleader. He got the others going quite easily. It was as much fun to peek into their break time as it was to sip our tea. Later we visited the monastery nearby with its accompanying pagoda, and climbed up to the top, obtaining a stunning view of Qibao. There were several halls that we passed through including a hall with sixty different deities dedicated to different aspects, brightly colored, and each holding a varying pose. It was funny because so few people were there, perhaps because it was off of the beaten path. However we did run into a family from Los Angeles, the mother was from Taiwan and dad from Vietnam, with two teenaged boys. They asked us to take their picture in from of the pagoda and we chatted with them as we walked back to the subway. We were trading stories and giving travel tips to places within Shanghai. It was somewhat ironic, since they were originally from Southeast Asia, especially when the mom asked me if it was safe to travel in the area. The father was particularly skittish eating something that he was uncomfortable with. It was very hot that day and we all ended up in the same place to get something cold to snack on. Rebecca got the best mango smoothie we've had yet (can you tell that there's a mango theme here?) and Melinda thought she was ordering another type of smoothie but instead, when it came out, was a bowl full of custard floating in milk, shaved ice in the center and around the sides were little sections of sweet red beans, barley, and two different kinds of tapioca chunks. It was certainly different and not unpleasant but definitely weird! We got home in the late afternoon and Rebecca fixed dinner for us as we have an early day tomorrow as we are going to the Expo. Friday morning we got up and headed to the Expo around 9. It was really hot so we made sure to bring water and/or clothes that would be appropriate for going to services later if we didn't have time to go back to the apartment to freshen up. The Expo site is HUGE and spans the Huangpu River. I'm not sure how large an area the whole complex takes up, but the buildings are impressive as are the streets, sidewalks and elevated walkways. We went to the urban best practices area as Rebecca is interested in seeing what is going on regarding her research. I was happy to tag along as I was interested in seeing the expo and wanted to get a feel for it before Matthew comes as he will want to go, and this way I can scope it out to see where to go. Tickets for students are 15 dollars for the day. Adults pay 20. For what you get , it is an amazing deal, but perhaps above the price range of a lot of Chinese folks. The amount of visitors that day was staggering. There were lines everywhere, some for as much as 4-6 hours wait to get into a Pavilion. That was definitely not for us. We only chose places that had no lines. Some of the pavilions were totally dorky, but others were fascinating. My favorite that day were the Mongolian Pavilion where we saw a wonderful performance of Tuvian throat singers and the Korean pavilion where we were treated to a dance performance. We also saw a really cool, brightly colored and wonderfully elaborate yurt in the Kyrgyzstan and watched several craftsmen working on a manpowered lathe in the Maldives Pavilion. The North Korean Pavilion was so devoid of any fascination that it was so terrible that it was great. We ate in a Chinese cafeteria with basic food…filling but unremarkable. The Iranian Pavilion was very interesting and they were selling some of the most beautiful (and pricey) silk and wool rugs…pieces of art really…not for use in the mud room. Several of the other Middle Eastern countries were selling wares as well, set up like the souks that you find all over. Rebecca was always greeted with smiles and whistles. Her blonde hair was striking in the midst of these shopkeepers and the Chinese tourists. We also went to many pavilions that were touting new methodologies for environmental change and showcasing cities and towns all over the world that have put these into practice. We left around 5:30 in order to make it back to services at Chabad. The place was packed again and we sat this time with a group of American tourists from New York and New Jersey who were on a kosher tour. They were led by a wonderful woman who lives in New York who has lived all over the world and was originally from England. They took this particular tour because many of them keep kosher homes and only eat in kosher restaurants. However, some of them wanted to go to China but were filled with a bit of trepidation about the food. Clearly not risk takers in the food department. They ranged in age from 50 to 70 and were fun to sit with. We also were greatly entertained by the Rabbi's three children who had returned home with their mom from a trip to the states. The oldest son loves to sing and his chanting of the Prayers during the service was awesome to listen to. Saturday was very uneventful. Rebecca taught her lessons and I stayed home to take care of laundry and such, and relax after a long week. That evening we went down Feihong Lou "Road" and ate street food consisting of grilled meats and vegetables and an assorted hot pot of vegetables noodles and fish. We found a new little market to stroll through and as usual they are fascinated to see people in their neighborhood who are not native. We turned in early because tomorrow we had plans to go to Suzhou with Ayelet. We met Ayelet at the train station and got on the train around 10 AM. We didn't have seats for the way over, but it was only an hour ride. Some kind Chinese woman moved over in her seat so that I could sit down and Rebecca and Ayelet perched on the edge or stood during the ride. As fate would have it, there was a French couple and one of their sons on the train. The father spoke minimal Chinese and the son spoke minimal English so I was chatting to them in French. Rebecca on the other hand and Ayelet were chattering with the Chinese people around us and then Rebecca started translating from French to Chinese and back. It turned out to be a really interesting and fun trip over. We had originally planned to rent bikes but had difficulty in finding where any sort of bike rental was despite the fact that we had been given instructions. We asked at several places including the police station but nobody seemed to know where one could do this. We started out our sightseeing at a small garden called " ? ", which was off-the-beaten-path and not crowded. As always the feng shui took a prominent role in the layout of the gardens and there was one little building where a young woman was having a lesson playing on a zither. It was really cool to see the thin mallets flying over the strings and surrounding the building there were special rocks placed there appearing to lean as if to listen the music. The next stop was the tallest pagoda in Suzhou, the North Pagoda, meandering in that direction for about 45 minutes through the downtown section. As we approached the pagoda there were hawkers outside selling random Chinese themed trinkets and snacks. Ayelet purchased one of the long European-style cucumbers, which people eat like fruit. Peeled right in front of you and tucked into a filmy "diazo", bag, they munch on it quenching their thirst. I had forgotten my fan that day and so I selected one and asked how much. The woman selling the fans selling them told us 3 kuai, and not having any kuai coin I attempted to pay in mao, which is the equivalent of 1.5 cents and she vehemently refused to be paid in 30 mao. A chinese who was also looking to buy a fan, yelled to her husband to give her 3 kuai and motioned that she would pay for me and I paid the woman in 30 mao. We all had a good laugh at the obnoxious vendor. Unlike the pagoda at Longhua, we could climb up this one, 7 flights and a spectacular view of the city. Playing on the feng shui theme, we went to eat a chic vegetarian restaurant not far from the garden, to make it easier for Ayelet who keeps kosher. We had Jad rice, which was a stir-fried rice with garlic and some unidentified but spectaular ingredient rendering our mutual favorite dish. We also sampled some odd once type dish, some stir-fried vegetables, and a few other dishes. We went to one of the most famous classical gardens in Suzhou after that. Suzhou is noted for is potted feng shui plants, also known as "bonsai", which the Japanese also stole from China. This particular garden had some of the world's finest specimens, a few of which had won world renown. Unfortunately it was densely packed with ear-piercing Chinese tour guides who nattered loudly on their microphones at the gape-jawed Chinese tourists wearing neon-orange hats and posing with shit-eating grins and peace signs. The noise level and crowds lessened our enjoyment, but the gardens are extensive and beautiful and we saw our French family from the train within the garden. After the garden we browsed some of the stalls surrounding the garden. Rebecca purchased some blue and red paper cut-outs, Ayelet bought some traditional clay flutes, and mom some random trinkets. We were going to try to buy some Biluochun, which is a notable Suzhou tea, and as we were planning our route to a vegetarian restaurant and a neighboring tea store. As we were consulting our map a nice, middle-aged Chinese woman approached us and offered assistance. Her English was very good and I inquired where she had learned it and she told me that she had taught herself. She showed us to how to get to another vegetarian restaurant across town and suggested a tea shop we should visit. We chatted with her for a little bit and then went on our way, Our cab driver wasn't quite sure where we were going and so dropped us off at a hotel near the restaurant, thinking that that was the only logical place for foreigners to go in that part of Suzhou. We went into the hotel to find out how to get to the restaurant, and there was some kind of contest going on inside. There were people wearing silly costumes, men dressed up in ridiculous princess costumes and holding fairy wands, and spotting the "laowai" they played it up. Pretty absurd. The restaurant was about block away so we walked over. It was a vegetarian buffet, and the restaurant was cavernous, with at least 15 small, private dining rooms off to one side. I've never seen so many different kinds of tofu dishes in my life. After dinner we headed over to try and find the teashop, but it was too late and it was closed. On the way back to catch a cab, we happened upon another restaurant and just as we arrived the whole kitchen staff came marching out. Evidently somebody had messed up or perhaps this was a weird training exercise. But the head chef proceeded to do an inspection of his crew and if they didn't stand at attention in the correct fashion they were ordered to push-ups. We stood there fascinated and giggling, and when they realized that they had an audience they seemed to ramp up the whole performance, especially when the cameras came out. We've seen exercises like this before and I think perhaps they are meant to foster company loyalty or spirit. It's rather amusing to watch. As we made out way back to a larger street to find a taxi, we passed along the road that was obviously preponderance of massage parlors with "happy endings." We got a taxi and took it back to the train station with plenty of time to catch our train. When we arrived however I realized that the ticket I had put in my pocket had somehow fallen out, so we went to the assistance desk. Ayelet and Rebecca explained to one of the officials what had happened. At first he seemed to be ignoring us but then told us to wait and told me that I would have to buy a new ticket. Finally after a few minutes he took us down to our gate and called to the gate official to explain the situation, so she would let me on the train without my ticket. He indicated that I would have to purchase it on the train. We sat down to wait for our train and I was checking my stuff and looked through and realized that my phone was also missing. Rebecca called the phone thinking maybe it was tucked in some part of my purse or bags. And it rang but it was obviously not with me. Finally somebody answered and Rebecca and Ayelet and I started to explain what had happened to the person on the other end. They tried to find out where it was or if the person could send the phone in a cab to the train station, but because of the noise of the train station and his heavy accent there was some confusion. Finally, the guy at the other end said to call back in ten minutes, and so we called ten minutes later and he kept repeating something that we couldn't understand. As the last resort Ayelet and Rebecca went to try to find somebody that could speak English as well the Wu dialect, and spotting somebody that they thought could do so, asked for his assistance. The outcome was that they guy was repeating that he was one floor up at the train station. They went upstairs to collect the phone and thank the kind gentleman for bringing the phone to us, and offered to pay him the cab fare for his trouble. He adamantly refused, just another example of the kindness we have received since we have been here. We sat down to wait the last 20 minutes or so for the train. Rebecca got bored and noticing a young man sitting in front of us trying to take our picture surreptitiously plotted a silly prank. Ayelet and Rebecca were to walk by he and his friend and point and exclaim "Look, Look a Chinese!", much in the way the Chinese often exclaim when they see us foreigners, and they would then insist on taking a picture together. We ended up embarrassing him slightly, but all had a great laugh, and chatted until the train came. We got home close to midnight, and hit the hay, it had been a long day. Monday Rebecca went back to the Expo and I stayed in the neighborhood and relaxed while getting ready for Matt's arrival.
He arrived on the same Delta flight that I had several weeks earlier. I made my way out to the airport on the subway to meet him. Rebecca was going to be meeting us there as well. Matt came in looking a little disheveled but had had an uneventful flight. We then mad our way back to the apartment only to find when we entered that the place was completely torn apart, because of the landlord was doing a "little" renovation. We went to eat "La Mien" again at the same restaurant that I had eaten the first night. Matthew was as fascinated as I with the whole process of making the noodles and took a great video. Then back home, fortunately Kevin was out of town so Matt could sleep in his bedroom (with working AC), because the living room was totally out of commission. Tuesday morning was a trip to the fabric market, we first went to get Matt fitted for suits, choosing the fabric, taking measurements and he ordered three jackets, and four pants. All in all, the total for custom made clothes was $280 USD. Unbelievable! Then it was upstairs to buy oxfords for all of us. Matthew, Rebecca and I each bought fabric and got about 4 shirts apiece. I had one shirt copied that I really liked, then Rebecca picked out a really nice navy blue dress and then we found another place to have cheongsams made. I had brought some Nigerian cloth to China and I had a traditional Chinese jacket made, with matching capris. The whole process took several hours, between measuring, picking designs, and finishes, and Rebecca haggling, and Matt sitting patiently throughout our fittings. Finally, we went to one more stall across the street to have our couch cushions and bar stool cushions copied, I had two sets of couch cushions made, as well as 5 bar stool covers, total cost: $150 USD. After that we brought Matt to the Bund to get a view of the modern China. Along the way we went into the famous Shanghai Peace hotel, noted for its striking Art Deco ornamentation and facade, to get a glimpse of Shanghai's more notorious and glamorous past, as the Paris of the Orient. Matthew whined the whole way, and we sat in the sun, sketching and taking pictures on the Bund as Chinese tourists requested to take pictures with us. After making friends with a young student from Hebei, who spoke minimal English, we headed back home to get out of the heat. On the way back we also stopped at the electronics market just for a quick look. We went back to the apartment to gather up our stuff and got ready to catch our train to Beijing. We knew that we had standing room tickets but weren't quite sure what that meant: a word to the wise, avoid them. We planned on arriving early to make sure we had some sort of advantage and/or perhaps attempt to upgrade. However, when we got on the train and made inquiries there was nothing to be had, and our best bet was to sleep in the dining car. Fortunately, there was a spot to put our carry on bags, on one of the seats, and I slept on top of that, Rebecca was able to lie down on one of the bench seats, and Matt made due by putting his head down on the dining car table. We arrived the next morning a little tired, but first thing was to get tickets for the way back, because you can't purchase roundtrip tickets. While in line we met two guys from Belgium, who when the realized Rebecca spoke Chinese asked for assistance because they did not speak any at all. She negotiated their purchase and then we bumped into a Spanish guy that we had met on the train who she also assisted in getting tickets back. Finally we called Astri and Phil Brooks to let them know that we were on our way to their home. They live in a lovely apartment complex near the 4th ring road of Beijing. It took us about an hour to get there and when we arrived, we showered and Astri presented us with a lovely brunch. Refreshed she took us to the Hongqiao market area, first going into a back-door fake market to buy glasses. Mom bought two pairs for about $60 USD and Matt and Rebecca each bought new and flashy ski goggles. Next we went to her favorite pearl seller to pick up some pearl sets she had requested, Rebecca talked to the saleswoman but thought she could do better with her pearl lady in Shanghai in terms of quality for price. Afterwards Astri departed and Rebecca led us to the Tian Tan, or Temple of Heaven, where the emperors used to make yearly offerings for the health of the crops and his people. Now I see why everyone says that Shanghai does not have nice gardens…these were spectacular. We walked around for a couple of hours before making our way back to the Brooks'. On the way back, we went one stop too far on the bus, and the lady we had been chatting with on our ride was getting off at the same stop. She refused to leave us until she was sure that we were going in the right direction…so nice. We met Phil and Astri and walked to a neighborhood place that they like and had a nice meal of smoked duck, fried julienne potatoes with cilantro and hot peppers, eggplant and stir fried vegetables. It was a nice family restaurant and a nice meal. We had so much fun catching them up on stuff going on at home particularly Beth El. They are planning to return next summer to Maine. Then it was back to their home and to bed for us. We are going early to the Great Wall tomorrow and have to be at the tour bus station at 9 am. Astri had recommended a tour for us and we had made advance reservations. Next morning we were treated to another wonderful repast by Astri. Phil has breakfast with us before heading off to work. We caught a cab to the tour company and boarded our bus. Our tour guide was a cute young Chinese woman by the name of Iris who had studied English and Tourism at Beijing University. Her English was exceptionally good if a little accented and she was very informative and accommodating. Or group was a mixture of Lao Wais. We met a man from Australia who lives in Kyrgyzstan with his Kyrgy wife. He is a sound engineer and has lived all over including an 8 year stint in Dubai. Also we met some French women and an American family from Rhode Island. The mom is living in Beijing for 3 months for work and the family was over visiting. The bus ride over was about a little over an hour. When we arrived at Mutian ( the section that we were going to go to), it was a bit disappointing at first because the base of the area was wall to wall vendors selling trinkets and food and souvenirs. We had the option of climbing up or taking a gondola up and we chose the latter which would give u more time to explore the section of the wall itself. At first glance, the Great Wall is larger than life. I had seen picture of it, but seeing is believing. Nothing can prepare you for the immensity of it. It is approximately 3800 miles long and wide enough to have four horses riding abreast. It is also way taller than I expected…in spots it may be as tall as 30 feet or more and was built over many generations to keep out invaders. Along the various sections are guard houses which were used for living quarters for those posted there. There were small canons set up as well as holes through which one could shoot arrows at the enemies. To think of the blood and sweat that went into the building of this massive structure is something that is hard to imagine for us especially without benefit of modern technology. It is truly one of the seven wonders of the world. Not all of it is passable today, but a good portion of it is. We spent about 2 hours hiking around and marveling at the construction and the views. Unfortunately he pollution that day hampered our view a bit, but it was spectacular nonetheless. We had a couple of options of getting down to our tour bus…walking or a toboggan ride that was included in our ticket. I opted for the latter while the kids hiked down. The toboggan ride down was really fun if not fast enough for my taste. We then met at the bus for another ride to see the Ming tombs. These were built in the Ming Dynasty (I think 1600's, but not sure). Again they were in a large park/garden, beautifully laid out in fen shui fashion and the path leading throughout the park was lined with statues of the most prominent animals in both standing and kneeling positions showing the important stature of the tomb's inhabitants We got back to the tour bus office and decided to walk the half an hour home. We found a place to pick up some wine and flowers for our gracious hosts…the least we could do…and went back to the apartment to refresh before going out to dinner. Phil and Astri had chosen a place to go that we could get Peking Duck. The place was a bit nicer than the place last night, and we ate Chinese style at a round table with a lazy susan so that you can access the dishes easily. We had a great meal there…of course the duck…crispy skin and all and they will carve it table side if you want. They also give you the carcass, (ok shut your eyes you vegetarians) head included if you want to take it home to make soup, but most often they will make the soup there on the spot. We also chose a fish dish and they bring it to the table before it is cooked in a metal container with a flap that opens so that you can check out the fish before it is cooked. Imagine Matthew's surprise when he opened the container up and the fish literally jumped out at him. We had a lovely greens dish that was served room temp, kind of like a salad, eggplant (not as good as last nights) rice and the fish (which was deep fried and served decorated on a platter with a sweet and sour sauce…hen hao chi (delicious) For dessert we had steamed pumpkin cakes which were beautiful but unremarkable in taste. We strolled home and made plans for the next day's outing…the Forbidden City. Astri fed us another wonderful breakfast including homemade granola and locally made yogurt. We had on our walking shoes again because today we would cover a lot of ground. It took us over a hour to get to Coal Hill overlooking the Forbidden City between the subway and walking. Nothing had prepared me for the view…spectacular and amazing…I really don't have words to describe how large it was. You cannot get a feeling for it until you are there because the area that it covers is massive. Unfortunately, despite arriving in the afternoon, the Chinese tourists were out in droves and this too is something that is hard to fathom….the sheer number of people!!!!!!!!!!!! We spent most of the afternoon walking around the city listening to a guided tour on headphones. There were rooms in which the emperor(s) lived along with wives and concubines. They had halls which housed all sorts of artifacts including the most beautiful huge umbrellas used for different occasions to shade the imperial family. We also saw clothes and furnishings as well including the tiny shoes used by the women with bound feet. I'm not kidding when I say that these shoes wouldn't fit a small child. The halls and courtyards went on and on with covered walkways in between many of them all beautiful decorated, but because so many visitors go through, it's hard to keep the place up despite the plethora of workmen and custodians and guards etc. One of the funniest parts of the afternoon was noticing a group of Italian tourists being guided by a native Chinese person speaking perfect Italian and making hand gestures just like an Italian would…just somewhat incongruous. More on this later. I will catch up on the rest shortly...Just want to post this now...coming home soon...ciao babies!