Half-Way

Sadly, I'm half-way through my time in China. Tracy and I are having a GREAT time! I'll just give you the highlights for now.

We hiked 10k of the Great Wall on Tuesday. It was hot, humid, hazy, and very steep. I wouldn't trade that hike for the world, though. We earned our Great Wall experience with every step. Hopefully our pictures will show at least a fraction of the amazing sights on and around the Wall.

On Wednesday, we flew to Xian to see the Qin Terracotta Warriors. Again, what an experience! There were three pits of warriors, two of which are still in the process of being fully excavated. We'd been told that some people are disappointed by the size, and one of Tracy's friends told her it was "skippable." Hardly. We both thought they were REALLY fascinating.

On Thursday, we went to a panda breeding center. While we didn't get to hold a panda as expected, we did get to watch some cubs playing with their keepers. I'm looking forward to sharing my videos. Pandas are ADORABLE!

Last night we got our first look at Tienanmen Square when we happened upon China's version of the changing of the guard. We're headed there and the Forbidden City today.

I've gotten plenty of laughs over our stardom here. Tracy, in particular, is a popular photo subject. Last night we were both asked to be in family photos at the Mao photo outside the Forbidden City. Good times!

More later... :-)