We've had an incredible few days in Beijing since arriving via the overnight train from Xi'an. Probably the most noticeable thing to us is that the citizens of Beijing smile a lot - at least more than the other cities we've been in. They are laughing and having a good old time here in this city of 22,000,000. No, I didn't add too many zeroes.

Our days have been packed with sightseeing to take it all in. We've hit the Temple of Heaven (one of four massive temples around the city with the others being Earth, Moon and Sun), the Forbidden City, Tianemen Square, an acrobatic show, the Great Wall, ancient parts of Beijing, and a kung fu show.

A major surprise has been how open the citizens have been about past events in China. Our guides and people we met shared very candid stories of important historic events like the student march on Tianemen Square, the Chinese Cultural Revolution, the (mal)practices of Chairman Mao, the financial penalty (at least 10% reduction of wages or more for the family) if you have more than one child, and the obstacles girls/women face in this city due to the overwhelming number of men. In fact, our guide, Marco, was actually a "penalty baby" and he shared with us how his brother vehemently hates him because of this.

The history in China is rich with incredible stories of Emperors, dynasties, warriors, and concubines. The size and scale of the history boggles your mind so I won't try to recite it for you. As a westerner it has been fascinating to become exposed in more detail to this history. Just thinking about the construction of the Forbidden City (in addition to what we just saw in Xi'an with the terracotta warriors and the Great Wall which I'll get to) and its many layers leaves you awestruck. The size, the number of people required to construct these achievements, who lived there, the attention to detail and feng sui or superstition of everything really leaves you wanting to hear more.

Before making our schedule, Amy jokingly said, "It doesn't get any better than a Chinese acrobatic show!" It turns out she was right. Both shows we've gone to - the acrobats and ku fung warriors - were, how should I say, AWESOME! The music in each was riveting (who doesn't like banging drums) and the feats of the performers were off the charts. It's hard to even explain the physical feats they were doing. I say scrap the stock show in Denver and let's have a week of kung fu and Chinese acrobats instead.

Yestrday we got up early and visited the Great Wall of China. On a recommendation from a family we met in Yangshuo we toured the Mutianyu section of the wall. It was a GREAT recommendation. Mutianyu is 1.5 hours from Beijing and not very crowded. Plus, we got to toboggan down. We trekked the wall for over four hours and it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Truly breathtaking and with people from everywhere (Highlands Ranch, Sun City, Detroit, and more) sharing the experience with you along the way. We hadn't seen this many Americans since leaving DIA last year.

Enjoying a cold Chinese beer on the top of our climb was an incredible feeling. How does beer get to the top of this section of the wall you ask? A local villager climbs from below two hours each day with beverages. The thought of a million men leaving their families and carrying millions of bricks up and down the rugged mountains (with no cable car or toboggan) is almost too much to comprehend.

We discovered a great breakfast place this morning, Maan Coffee, and had delicious waffles. Its weighted us down perfectly so we can enjoy a restful day today. Tomorrow we are going to to the Olympic locations of the Birds Next and Water Cube. The following morning we have an early flight on, wait for it, Delta Airlines, from Beijing to the Land of the Rising Sun. Our first stop for four days is three hours outside of Tokyo in the town of Nikko to enjoy the quiet country-side of Nippon. We're looking to re-charge our batteries before a final push into Tokyo, Kyoto, and Hiroshima.

AG