My view on the last couple days

First, we're having a good time. At 8:30 a.m. we're headed out to THE GREAT WALL for most of the day, and perhaps an acrobatic show. Last night we ate Peking Duck dipped in a special sauce, wrapped in a thin pancake with cucumber, and fresh Spring onions. It was pretty good. We also tried several other authentic foods, and I enjoyed most everything.

Yesterday, it was about 88 degrees F. with a humidity level of 64%. The air was thick enough to cut it with a knife, and it felt like you couldn't really get a clear breath. Any slight improvement was a blessing even just walking into a non-airconditioned store. The longer we were out that more we got used to it, but our entire bodies were just pouring off sweat (I know you want to read stuff like this). Another thing, everyone drinks bottled water over here. The water in many of the restaurants, the hotels, and throughout China is not purified, chlorinated, or purified in any way. So, even the local people drink bottled water, or boil the water first and then drink it. If you take a shower (and I highly recommend them to most people) you have to remember to keep your mouth closed, because if you get any of the water from the shower into your mouth and/or swallow it you are likely to pick up a bug from it. From other people who have traveled to China I understand that it does not have a pleasant outcome for a few days. We brought a prescription with us to immediately take care of such things should it accidently occur either from the water, or from eating in a restaurant that has washed their food with the water, or from anywhere else.

The rest of our group showed up last night. There are now eleven of us here adopting five children. Everyone is very nice, and last night they were very tired from their trip. It looks like we'll have a good time with them, and really bond through this experience. We all ate together last night (Peking Duck, etc) in a local restaurant that I was talking about earlier. The table had a large glass lazy susan, and our guide ordered all sorts of dishes (including Peking Duck) for us to try. She even ordered sweet 'n sour chicken, and lemon chicken which she said the restaurant fixes because they are american dishes, and that is what americans like when they eat there -- they were pretty good, but I enjoyed the authentic dishes more.

Well, it's almost time to go to breakfast. We had a nice time talking to a lady from Portland, Oregon yesterday, and her to teenage boys. She used to live here 27 years ago, and she has brought her sons that were born in the U.S. back to explain how she lived and grew up here. Her story about going to school three times a day, carrying buckets of water several times a day, and other facts were very interesting. However, I'm not sure the boys are going to really appreciate it. Hopefully, it will help them understand more about their mother, and where they come from. Another lady at our breakfast table was from Indonesia. She is here for a conference, and we had a good conversation with her as well.

Everyone keep in touch. We've received a few personal emails, and enjoyed them. We've also gotten compliments on updating our blog, and how people are enjoying reading along as we continue our journey here. If you would like to send us a personal email you can send it to either jeff_gilman@yahoo.com or trisab@comcast.net.

Jeff