Here is our journey through China thus far. Hainan is the little island that is actually cut off - too far south! We are now almost as far south as we were in Vientiane, Laos!
Christi is so excited to be out of the cold and wearing just a T-shirt and sandals that she's dancing in the streets. Hey, it's China, why not?
Tauru is happy too, because he can again sport Tim Lee's shirt! Yay!
The view of Sanya - it's rural by Chinese standards - I see grass!
Every night is a party here. This is the "Summer Gastronomy Square", complete with Merry Christmas signs, New Year's lanterns, and a giant Christmas tree. The crowd? All Russian tourists. Actually, most signs and menus were in Russian. Strasvitya!
Yaaay! We found dark beer in Asia! Let's party!
Doh! It's actually beer mixed with instant coffee!!!
(Their "red" beer was mixed with grape Kool-Aid!)
Oh, China...
Wow, sushi! Once we found this, there was no turning back. Time to party on! Sushi? Of course it's of Chinese quality -- we braced ourselves the first night to see if we'd get sick or not. But all was good!
(Note the sign in Russian - all the menus are also in Russian.)
Boy is it a relief to be in a place that looks like this after two months in China. Memories of huddling in huge coats and Russian "party hats" are fading away...
Do we have to go to Beijing tomorrow? Really? (It's our next destination.)
To the left it looks like paradise.
To the right, Christi is running away from Fat Man in Little Speedo.
Tauru is embracing old-world China. Here is the razor he's been using all month. Those blades could kill! Christi tried it once, but she ended up looking like something from a horror flick.
Red Line shows our flight from Hainan to Beijing. The Blue Line shows our intended path after seeing Beijing -- to Xi'an where the Terracotta soldiers are. After Xi'an, it's over to Tibet ...then outta China-land! To Nepal for some trekking.
Here's a little bit of Beijing ...blocky communist style buildings that now have a little more character since China's "opening up" campaign in the 1980's. After Mao Zedong's death in the 70's, China realized how much of a mistake the whole Cultural Revolution was and so they started a big change that steered away from communism, the 20th century social experiment that failed.
More blocky buildings near Tiananmen Square.
Here's Christi in the touristy area. "Follow the arrow, Christi."
Christi again... standing next to the "red" wall. It used to enclose a park for the emperor's family next to the Forbidden City (more on this later).
Tauru's future next to the "red" wall. Yeah, this guy's not a descendant of the emperor.
Here we are in front of gate to the Forbidden City. Maybe better to be called "The Gate of Mao's 70%."
Tiananmen Square. Remember this? Where were you in April 1989 when students in China demonstrated here for democracy but were crushed by the Chinese Military. This was where it happened. We hope those students are now in positions for change. We'll see over the next generation or two.
Tauru in Tiananmen Square.
Still in Tiananmen Square. The sculpture depicts "the people's struggle" for communism. Yes, this is the image China wants to portray... not that democracy stuff.
Time for the Great Wall. This section is only about 40 miles northwest of Beijing; therefore, it's CROWDED! The Great Wall of Chinese! Yikes, 1.3 billion + Christi and Tauru. Unfortunately, the day was a little hazy. It's probably dirt from the Gobi Desert that blows through this area.
More of the wall snaking through the mountains. It was made over hundreds of years to keep out the northern invaders. But Ghengis Khan found his way through when the Mongols conquered Asia back in the 13th century.
More...
Another one...
Alright, enough of The Wall... here's Christi.
They say that all Asians look alike. Can you pick out which one is Tauru?
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