Looks Like We Made It!

Welcome to Beijing.  After a 13 hour flight, we arrived around 7 pm on Sunday night.

Things I've learned in the first four hours:

1) Read the picture on the door before choosing a restroom stall.  My first bathroom experience involved a trough built into the floor.  Picture a urinal, only instead of being installed on the wall, it was installed on the floor. If I come across another one, I will take a picture.

2) Only take the yellow taxis (too little, too late, Abbey).  Shelley and I ended up in a gypsy cab driven by a very nice man who did not sell us into white slavery but who did charge us an arm and a leg to deliver us to our hotel.

3) Sunday night may be a public dancing/singing night in Beijing.  We took a walk up the street and encountered multiple groups of people line dancing, ballroom dancing, and breakdancing, as well as singing karaoke in the street (OK, it was a public park area, but still - full on karaoke with speakers and a monitor ON THE STREET CORNER).

That's all for now.  It's been a long day and I'm ready for bed.  Good night!