Day 2 in Beijing

We all slept a lot better last night (though Bennett was still up before there was a 7 on the clock). Bennett was up at 5am, ready to eat breakfast  (since he was too tired to eat dinner)and head out for another day. Unfortunately Mommy and Daddy ate their dinner before bed and were hoping to sleep in a bit and knew that Bennett's good mood would wear off quickly. We were way too slow in getting up and showered for him and we paid the price with some less than stellar behavior most of the morning. 

After a good breakfast at the hotel, we met our guide and driver and headed over to Tianamen Square. The autumn holiday just ended yesterday, but there were still a lot of people there! The square was still decorated for the holiday (many brightly colored floats and flowers). It is a lot larger than you would think. We were told that the square could hold 1 million people!

After wandering through Tianamen Square, we walked over to the Forbidden City. Bennett was getting a bit leery of the crowds and tired of walking, so he took in the view from Daddy's shoulders. The Forbidden City is an ancient emperial city surrounded by modern day Beijing. The history and culture is so rich and interesting. We really tried to soak in as much as we could before Bennett's hungry meter kicked in.

So off to lunch we went.. We had lunch at a "local" Beijing noodle house. The food was awesome, the atmosphere was caotic. We actually spotted another couple at lunch who we also saw at breakfast at the hotel. Turns out they are a family I "know" from our orphanage yahoo group! They will be traveling to Nanjing and receiving their daughter the same day as us! 

After lunch we drove a few short meters to the Silk Factory. There we got to see just how silk becomes silk. It involves a worm... They have nice western bathrooms! Mark's mom would have loved our personal tour showing how the silk thread and batting is made from the cocoon. We made our first purchase - a silk comforter! We opted to pass on the beautiful silk duvet cover since we figured our cat and dog would destroy it in a minute :(  Did I mention they had a nice bathroom?

Still going strong - we headed over to the Olympic Park. So amazing to see up close and personal what we all watched on TV last summer. We really drilled Bennett and we think he finally understands that birds do not actually live in the Bird's Nest. Mommy also highly recommend the bathrooms at the Bird's Nest!

Bennett does not appreciate all of the attention and requests for photos - evidently pictures with cute foriegn kids are all the rage. Many people asked very nicely to take his picture with them only to have him scream and cry. At least the "stranger danger" lessons are paying off.

We had a special treat planned for this evening. Our agency's China coordinator recommended seeing a Chinese acrobatic show. Our guide was able to get us tickets to the early show and Bennett sat wide eyed and captivated through the entire show. We did as well! 

Afterwards, we headed back to the hotel. I got Bennett ready for bed and Mark headed out to the nearby convenience store for provisions (beer, water, sprite for mom and dad tonight; and muffins for the 5am breakfast). We also found out what happens when you take the room key out of the "power slot" when Daddy leaves the room. Yep - all the lights went out when Bennett was going potty and Mommy had to scramble to find the extra key in the dark with an unhappy, naked child.

Beijing is much cleaner than we expected based on comments from others. It also has a "NYC" kind of feel to it.. 

Whew - what a long day. Tommorow is our last full day in Beijing. We are going to the zoo to see the Pandas and on a Hotung tour by pedicab. Hopefully Bennett will sleep past the 5 on the clock!