Beijing - Day 1

Day 77

It is really hard to be woken up at 3:30 a.m. when someones car alarm keeps going off.  We live next to the campus hotel and they are not very quiet over there.  They like to go out back and talk at about 5 some mornings, loudly!  Oh, well.

My knee has been doing a LOT better today.  I was able to sleep well last night (except for the stupid car alarm that kept going off) and walking up the five stories this morning was okay.  I don't usually teach on Thursday, this was the makeup class for being able to leave tonight for Beijing.  Class went well.  David taught also.  I did a bunch of work for my classes so that I wouldn't have a ton when I got back to do.

We met Eva for lunch at the teacher restaurant and had a nice meal.  Talked quite a while until she had to leave for a meeting.  JIN Li was also there and she has a lady that she likes to have cut her hair and wants to take me there.  We told her we didn't have time today because we were leaving for Beijing, but we will get with her next week.  David is getting shaggy again.  We really didn't think what we paid for the last hair cut was that great.

We worked at the apartment and I had just finished up what I needed to when Eva texted us and said she was done with her meeting and could take us to the train station.  She drove us there and then took us a far in the building as she could to make sure that we got to the right place and knew how to get on the right train.  She worries over us so much, but we are grateful for her care.  We texted her when we got on the train to let her know we were okay (such a China mother to us!)

Waiting for the train.  One leaving.

Here comes our train!

The car we will board.

Inside the first class car.

We rode the Bullet Train to Beijing.  It took about 2 1/2 hours to get there.  Very comfortable seats and plenty of leg room.  It was first class and very nice, but we all decided that it was better than flying!  Marvin met us at the train station in Beijing and got us to the hotel.  Most of us were hungry because we had left without dinner, so we went to the hotel cafe and got a decently priced meal.  We sat around and talked, exchanging stories of our different experiences and finally decided we better get some sleep because when Marvin takes us on a tour, he tries to fit as much in as he can in the few days we have.