Beijing - Xian, Wednesday, July 4

6:00 wake-up call (up at 5:00 anyway).

Luggage out at 7:00, Check out of hotel.

Breakfast at Hotel Lobby Restaurant – raisin bran and fruit.

8:00 AM on bus, unbelievable traffic.

8:45 AM Beijing Zoo to see the Pandas. Restroom 1 western handicap toilet, many squat toilets – 2 ** ?

9:15 – 9:23 – on bus to Summer Palace 頤和園
Olivia “in rural areas people eat dog in winter, believe it will make you warm and healthy. Not in Beijing – they are pets.”

11:15 back on bus to Mongolian BBQ – 11:45 – 12:40
Scallion pancake, grass fish – in a sweet sauce – didn’t taste like fish – very tasty, spicy chicken. Restroom – ¼ western, approximately 10 and TP – 4 ****

On the bus Ming collected our gratuity money - $49 each for the entire trip, excluding Hong Kong and the boat.

Ming: “Northerners are ‘noodles’ – show more feeling, southerners are ‘rice’ –no feelings, shorter men?”

2:00 at Beijing airport. Ming handled our luggage, tickets and passports for group check-in.

4:10 take-off, 3:35 scheduled

5:45 landing (restroom in Xian airport 2 **: 3 western, 1 broken). Pouring rain at the airport.

6:16 PM on bus – 32 person air conditioned coach for the 13 of us, plus Ming and Bo Bo our local guide.

1 hour to Xian city. Bo Bo: “Square cities are only for royalty. Both Beijing and Xian are both squares, with 1st, 2nd and 3rd rings.

7:00 – 8:00 PM Hot Pot Dinner. National Chain restaurant. Fondue type dinner with sesame, chili and soy/fish sauces. Noodles, many greens, lamb and beef. Phil loved this.

To Goldstone Xian Hotel. Hotel had all the amenities in our room such as shamppo, conditioner, toothbrushes and toothpaste (however we refused to use Chinese toothpaste!), shaving cream and razor, robes, sllippers, water, tea coffee. Our room had a king size bed. Like other beds in China they tend to be much firmer than we are used to.

Put some laundry out: 3 tops and 3 pants - $13.