We were served a traditional Chinese breakfast buffet at our Hotel Timbo of dumplings, fried rice, strange white sausages, black eggs, chicken feet, watermelon and tea- Just like home! With full stomachs, we set off to explore Beijing. Our first stop was Tienanmen Square and the Forbidden City. It was hard for most of us to absorb the vastness of it all. We were quickly surrounded by street peddlers - "sticky rice". Dean Martin made the first purchase after intense negotiations- a Mao watch. Of course Seth got one for the same price with 3 "official" Olympic hats thrown in. We walked across the main boulevard into the forbidden city, which seemed to go on and on. It is very easy to get lost in here. We did find some familiar faces too. Dr. Martin ran into a group of EMBA students and faculty from LSU and an alumni group he knew from Georgia Tech - small world.
Flags are at half mast, no entertainment (theatre, clubbing, regular television) is allowed today, as we enter the third day of the 3 days of mourning for the earthquake victims. The numbers of causalities keep growing. The major US companies operating in China are sending relief. However, only a few Chinese companies feel it is their responsibility to help financially.
During the afternoon we visited the Summer Palace, played dress-up, (blackmail pictures forthcoming), learned everything you'd ever want to know about fresh water pearl cultivation and learnedthe art of drinking tea. On our way to dinner, we passed the Olympic "Birdnest", and through a Chinese market. I think we all lost our appetites after the beetles on a stick, fresh squid, snake, and eels. Yum!
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