Shopping and eating

So on our last day in Beijing, we spend it walking, shopping, and eating....eating, shopping, and walking in the heat. Yes, Jim and I tried scorpion. Passed on the tarantula....it was too expensive. And yes, the girls had "ice pops"to take the edge off the heat (and as bribery).

Overall, a nice stay in Beijing. We can highly recommend our hotel. Stayed at the Marriott Sandalwood. Huge apartments. Good pool. Excellent breakfasts. Perfect for a family. Would we go back to Beijing? Probably not anytime soon. Pollution was overwhelming; heat was oppressive; smokers were everywhere; and aggressive drivers with complete disregard for human life frankly scared me. We never did see the sky...although we did after a few days (once the smog cleared a bit) realize that we had a view of a nuclear power plant from our window. That said....we did have a very nice time.

Jim heads home. Next stop for me and the girls....Chengdu.