Wow!

So, I'm here in the Taiwan Hotel Business Center on the Internet, which is so cool. This really is the international language. The trip so far has been amazing and I don't even have time before breakfast to tell about everything, but here are few things we've done/seen:

The Great Wall - the first day. Holy cow! My calves are still sore from climbing some really steep parts - it's all steps. About 5 of us went "to the left" with hundreds of other people instead of "to the right" with thousands of others. We kind of booked it and made it past a lot of people and got to a point where you can't go any further because the Wall is in disrepair - this was great because we were some of the only people here (except for the vendors, who are EVERYWHERE). THere are really no words to describe this wonder. Amazing.

Also went to a Cloisonne Factory and saw how the technique is done (and, of course, bought stuff), then to the Ming Tombs where we walked the Sacred Way - which only the emperor would walk to visit the tombs of his ancestors, and finally to a Jade Factory, where again we saw the technique and parted with our American dollars. We ended the day at the Summer Palace, made famous by the Empress Dowager Cixi, where we were the ONLY ones in the place - we ate dinner in an Imperial dining hall, right next to the dining hall that Nixon was entertained while he was President. The servers wore elaborate costumes and the food was exquisite.

Yesterday, we started off at the Temple of Heaven, the place where the emperor would commune with the gods, then went to a Pearl Market - I am now in possession of a great many pieces of pearl jewelry - Great fun haggling with the different stalls for the creation of necklaces and earrings. Lunch was in a famous Noodle restaurant - my favorite food yet, must be the Italian in me. We then went to the Lama Temple and learned about Chinese Buddhism and then for a light dinner at the Golden Bowl. Most of the group opted to go to a Peking Opera but 5 of us went back to the hotel for foot massages - if I could take my foot masseuse home in my suitcase, I would!

Off to breakfast now, more when I can.