Day One in China

Today we went on our first tour of Beijing! Our guide George wanted us to experience how the locals live, so we went to the Hutong district which is on the outskirts of the Forbidden city and is about 200years older than the city. This was a first as a we rode around the area in a rickshaw. One of the locals invited us into his home and explained how it had been in his family for 150 years. We then went to the silk factory and watched the harvest of silkworms to the production of blankets, clothing, etc. After a lunch at a local restaurant, we toured Tianamen Square and the Forbidden City. We fell in bed at 7:30 trying to force ourselves to stay awake. It was neat to see China from the eyes of my first Chinese princess, but she was quick to say KY is much better. Beijing has changed so much in ten years! The population has grown from 13 to 20 million with many more cars now, although people are regulated on which days they can drive. Gas is 5.50 per gallon in US dollars and everything is much more expensive!!!
I know all of this busy running has two purposes,to introduce us to the culture of our child and to distract us while we wait two more days, but every child I pass on the streets reminds me of why Im really here and it's enough to catch my breath! Two more days!