Since there's never much time to actually get on the computer, and I can't actually see the blog, I sometimes forget what I've said or the pics I've sent. The last couple of nights I have fallen asleep when Isaac went to bed and I may have been asleep before him...at least he gets a nap in the middle of day. The first four nights we were here in Beijing, he has cried when we put him in his crib, but tonight (Wednesday) he was great and just curled up and went to sleep right away.
He is quite the handful and it is not easy trying to feed him and Ella at breakfast...oh, yeah, and to feed ourselves as well. He is a good eater, but also very picky. This hotel does not have the same great selection as the Dolton in Changsha. Also, once he's done, he now plays a game of saying he has to pee just to get away from the table. We brought pull ups with us, but we haven't used them and we haven't had any accidents...yet! He had a couple in his bed when he didn't get up in time, but otherwise, he has been great. I think he has peed at least four times on the streets of Beijing. Ella...three times. It's no longer a big deal! Actually, Ella is very good at getting her own breakfast at the buffet. She loves getting juice for everyone.

After our day at the Temple of Heaven (Monday) we went out for our Peking Duck dinner. The food was really great. We walked there from our hotel. On the way back, we discovered the hotel we had stayed in that last time we were here. After the restaurant, we went to a supermarket next door. Neil recognized the place and thought it was the same place we had visited in 2005. On the way back, we passed the Chang An Hotel where we stayed in 2005. Ella and I ran in to check it out and sure enough...the seal was still there. It's definitely a nicer hotel than the one we're in now. (This one is O.K....just not the level of service as the other one).

We asked our guide about the 'dirt market', Ted. We went there today. (Ted had told us about the 'dirt market' close to our old hotel, but since we were in a different hotel, we never thought about it again. We really had no clue where we were or that we were so close to the Chang An until Neil saw the supermarket).

As I mentioned in the last post, we went to the summer palace in the morning. We decided to go to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City in the afternoon (and then the Hutongs....a very ambitious guide). However, our guide and the driver had to go back to their office for a special lunch (spring festival celebrations). We were O.K. to have the little break. Then we headed out around 2:30. However, the square was being shut down by the police and the army in preparation for the big celebrations tomorrow. As well, the forbidden city was closed.....had been for a few days. We walked around the outside of the square and saw many foreigners. We attracted a bit of attention from a group of Chinese...asking about the children. They also had children with them.

The 56 pillars on the square represent the 56 ethnic Chinese groups.

The police were very strict and ushered us away. We then went to the Hutongs for a ride in a rickshaw. It was the same spot we had gone to in 2005, but we went to a different house. Most people who live there are poor....it's a kind of subsidized housing for those renting from the government. However, to buy a full quarter house there, it would cost about a million yuan or more. After the rides, we walked to a shopping district just behind the Hutongs. It was very beautiful and would be nice to visit at another time - we just walked through it as were all getting hungry and tired. Many foreigners shopping there.

We got up early this morning and went to the silk market. It was open until 2 pm. I think Lisa could have stayed longer, but we left the market at 11 am (our driver waited for us). We've decided that the silk market is much better in terms of nicer people...not as aggressive...as the Pearl market. I'm sure mom will have many stories to tell about her shopping experience at the markets. The city is shutting down tomorrow for about three hours, so we'll sleep in...finally...and watch the celebrations on TV like most Beijingers will be doing. The airport will be closed during the parade, but we are hopeful that our flight will be on time. Everyone's ready to go home now. Just not looking forward to the long flight...this time with TWO kids!!!! Yikes!