Sunday 3/25/07 from Beijing

Sunday, March 25, 2007 2:30 AM
We had a very western breakfast at the hotel to start our day. Although it wasn't exactly what you would find in a mid-range US hotel, it was very nice. Even more important, it didn't make anyone ill! We had omelets, bacon, toast, fruit, yogurt and juices. However, we also had a round white ball covered in rice paper with a brown sugar/cinnamon filling. We also had noodles and a rice hot cereal. Nicest, however, was the coffee which all four of us enjoyed very much.

We took a taxi to Behai Park on the city’s northwest side. It was a beautifully developed park around a medium sized lake. In the center of the park was a white pagoda sitting high atop a hill on an island. It was very impressive. It was typical of Buddhist construction where you enter this area through a gate and thn proceed up a hill side on a straight line. On the center of the axis are a series of small temples through which one must pass to proceed up the hillside. In each of the temples there are more Buddhas in various manifestations. At the top of the hill around the white pagoda are beautiful views of the city of Beijing.

All around this park there are people trying to sell their wares. As we entered the park, many men were trying to get us to go on a rickshaw tour of the city around the park. The rickshaws are pulled by bicycles. With all of the walking, biking, and use of chop sticks (very frustrating way to eat your food!), it is no wonder that an overweight Chinese person is a rarity. We also saw an open air market that looked very earthy. Not much sanitation in the place. I would have loved to try some of the baked or fried goods, however. We were definitely stranger there. Looked like mainly lower class individuals trying to eek out a living.

At Jingshan Park, which is immediately to the east of Beihai Park and immediately to the North of the Forbidden City, we enjoyed the most spectacular views of Beijing. You can get a feel for how immense the Forbidden City is and can get a layout for the entire downtown. We saw the drum tower to the north, Tiananmen Square to the south and the large number of new high rise construction projects. An interesting fact about this park is that this “hill” was created with the diggings from the moat around theForbidden City. It is a huge hill, but also a huge moat. The Forbidden City was constructed in the 1400’s which makes this feat even more impressive. That dirt was moved in much the same way that you see it being done today - with a lot of men using hand tools and small wheel barrows. Staggering!

As you look across the city, you see dozens of high rise construction cranes. Beijing is booming! I was speaking to someone in the US recently and they were lamenting the lack of construction cranes in our large US cities. I am not sure how the economy of China works, but there is no lack of money for building and developing this city. I am told that is true across China. And yet, many people live in squalor. It is enigmatic that there are huge, beautiful, thoroughly modern buildings going up everywhere, and yet there are people living very poorly. We have not really identified a very wealthy upper class in China, but it may exist.

After Jingshan Park, we decided to walk south past the Forbidden City and down to the Tiananmen Square area - a bad move. It is a lot farther than it looks on the map or the top of Jingshan Park hill. We were all very tired by the time we got to the south end of the Forbidden City. We stopped in the Beijing Grand Hotel (very nice) and asked where we could find a Starbucks or McDonalds - a place to sit down, put our feet up, and get something to drink. We were directed to a McDonalds three blocks to the northeast along the nicest (read most pricey) shopping street in all of Beijing. Very similar in appearance to a mini 5th Avenue or Times Square in New York. We got bottled water, French fries, and a couple of McChicken sandwiches. We also got a couple of hamburger and egg sandwiches - not bad and a nice change from the typical McD fair.

We came back to City Hotel and crashed for a few hours before going to dinner. Erika, Trevor and I slipped over to a clothing market across the street from the hotel. Wow, what an experience. There were hundreds of clothing, shoes, electronics, jewelry, toys, leather, fabrics booths set up in very close quarters in this 6 story building. About every brand name imaginable was available for pennies on the dollar. We bought a couple of things and learned some very valuable negotiating skills. Erika got a pair of stylish Puma shoes for $13. Great price for us but you never know if you could have gotten them for less. We saw one Coach bag look-alike that started at about $90. By the time we walked away without it, t vendor was willing to take about $6.50. We are scratching our heads trying to figure out how this is possible. We can’t imagine being able to buy the materials and put in the labor to make a profit. It also helps us see how much mark up there is on US goods in department stores. An interesting contrast to Saks Fifth Avenue a few days ago.

We had dinner with the group of LaVida adoptive parents that had just arrived in Beijing. They looked pretty strung out as expected. This is a ver nice group of people. There were a couple of little Chinese girls with the group that have been adopted in previous trips. Very cute! We look forward to getting to know these people over the next two weeks. I bet that we will need each other as we assimilate these children into our families and out of the orphanages.

Lord, prepare Julie’s heart to be an integral part of our family. Thank you for adopting us as your children. Thank you for the joy and the eternal hope that is our in Christ Jesus.