The Forbidden City

The Forbidden City was a great experience. If you've watched the Last Emperor, so much of the city has a familiar feel to it. It felt as if you were walking through such a rich history- except that the whole place is under construction for the Olympics in 2008. Hopefully they will be done in time, so those tourists don't have to fight the construciton to get a photo.

The afternoon we spent walking around the Summer Palace. My hopes of a tranquil stroll through a quiet place were shattered after pulling up and seeing all the tour buses in a huge parking lot. Despite the crowds- there was still much beautiful scenery to take in.

We ended the day at one of the markets. Bargaining for everything from a Yao Ming jersey to an extra suitcase to take all the "good buys" home. Chances are good to hit up one more market in Shanghai.

All day Thursday was spent in route from Beijing to Shanghai- which included 3 hours of sitting on a grounded plane- not fun. But intersting to see the locals get worked up.

Tomorrow- Adrianne and I head to Nanjing to meet up with an old soccer teammate from college. Looking forward to hang'n with a local, as he's been here for about a year.