(Letter sent from China 8/11/8)

Sorry it has been a few days since I have written, so much has happened. When I last wrote, we were on our way to the Great Wall.... It was truly GREAT! Only a 1 1/2 hour drive outside of the city and we were in the beautiful countryside - totally different than urban Beijing. The air was clear and the skies were nice and overcast so it wasn't too hot. We got to take a chair lift to the top, yes, seven rode with us ion the lift (would totally not be allowed in the US), but she was securely strapped to me in the ergo, and I think she really liked it. We only had one hour to spend on the wall, so we didn't cover much , but it was plenty. There were many steps to climb, some very steep, and each stop off point there was something different to see. Seven enjoyed all of the steps and must have climbed over 100 steps with us holding her hands, she was sad to leave. On the way down we got to rid a toboggan. I sat Seven in front of me and just headed down, it was way cool. We shopped a bit at the bottom and then headed to lunch with the group. Another meal where they just bring a ton of Chinese dishes served family style, only this time, pretty much everything was good except for the soup which tastes like it had fermented fish juice and hot red pepper in it [mmm :( ]. We got back pretty early, rested then began looking for a place to eat dinner. We were still pretty full from lunch so we wanted something light, nothing fancy. We found a pizza place right around the corner and decided to try it. Michael wanted the buffet, but I just wanted to order one slice. They were very concerned to make sure I knew I was not allowed to try anything from his buffet plate. OK, of course. Then they told us we would not be able to sit together if he got the buffet and I didn't. Ha, ha, so we both got the buffet:) It was actually really good, they had everything from pizza to fried dumplings to brownies and ice-cream for dessert. Not the 'light' meal we set out to have, but a delicious adventure all the same.
We began the next morning very early and headed to the Summer Palace, another huge park with lots of ancient Temples around a beautiful lake and, of course, lots of steps and bridges to cross. The best part was when we were walking along one of the canals and noticed several signs along the edge of the water that were conveniently translated into English and read, "Protect the drinking water, No swimming or Fishing allowed." However, there must have been 30-40 Chinese people swimming laps up and down that very channel. I guess one of the many reasons we drink bottled water in China:)
That night we went to a Chines acrobat show, which was pretty cool. We got to see 14 Chinese girls all stack themselves onto one bicycle and ride around.
Yesterday morning we went to the Temple of Heaven, the most famous temple in the world. It was really pretty and the park was the liveliest park we've ever seen. There were Chinese people all around doing Tai Chi, or aerobics, or some kind of dance. Some had ribbons they were twirling through the air ( they actually let me step in and try it , it was fun, but a lot harder than it looks). There was one section with a bunch of workout equipment like chin up bars and sit-p benches and other things hard to describe. Everything was being used, not one piece of equipment was empty. Men and women were working out and stretching, and walking along the foot massage stones specially placed in the ground. In the US this area would have been vacant except for kids trying to play on it. No wonder the Chinese are in so much better shape than we are.
When we got to the temple there was a wall with beautiful blue glazed tiles over the outside. Michael wanted to get a picture, so I set Seven up there to look at the decorative lion/ dragon thing on the end. I set her down like she was riding a horse, which she loved. She was smiling and laughing and petting the 'creature.' Almost instantly a crowd formed, (probably the largest we've seen), and they were all taking pictures of Seven on the wall. Moms and dads wanted pictures with their own children and Seven, pictures of just Seven, it was so funny. She soaked up every minute and just sat there smiling and laughing and having a great time.
We then headed to the Silk market to do some shopping. They have more than just silk, pretty much everything you can think of, from clothes to electronics, to arts and crafts. Those of you who have been on foreign missions and have experienced 'market' shopping and bargaining can get a pretty good sense of what this was like. However China has about a billion more people than those other tiny countries, so it was pretty intense. We bought lots of clothes for very cheap, then had to get away from the madness.
We let Seven play in a nearby park with regular children's playground equipment. They had a merry-go-round there that she loved and wanted to keep going back for more:)
Last night we had to go to the grocery store to get more water and things, so we headed to the shopping mall since you enter the store through the mall, (this is not strange here in China). So we entered the mall and followed the sign that said, "Exit." We passed through a hair salon and a bunch of ATM machines into a hallway. Went down 2 flights of stairs and entered a back ally way that smelled like a grocery store, so we knew we were going the right way. We walked and walked and finally cam to an open door with a man standing there who looked like he might be the store manager. He smiled as we passed through into the milk and dairy section of the store. We were in and no one seemed to blink an eye that we came in the "back way." We had to pay for our groceries in 3 different places as tea and ice-cream are each rung up separately from other groceries. We also had to pay 3 Yuan (about 40 cents US) for a plastic bag to put everything in.
We were sad to find out that the US women did not do so well in the Gymnastics team competition putting China in first. We didn't get to see any of the performances, just little highlights they showed later on. But I can see why China dominated on bars - Wow. If you all saw it, you know what I'm talking about. We're still pulling for Shawn Johnson to take the all around and I'm very excited because I found one ticket so I will be able to go! We are still looking for Michael a ticket and may have some possibilities on Craig's list, so we are hopeful.
I'm not sure what we have planned for today, but I'm sure I will have more adventures to share with you soon:) Thank you for all of your prayers, so far we are all healthy and doing great.
God Bless, Kristen