Tianfang Hotel, home for now.

Hello from Beijing!

First of all, let me say that I cannot see this page. I'm using cable internet in the hotel, which is in Chinese and not everything translates. I also cannot load the site that I'm supposed to be using to post (poeticaljustice.com). So if none of what I'm typing translates for you to read, I won't be surprised.

We're in a rather dead area of Beijing at Tianfung Hotel. I went out with some of the other students last night looking for a bar, and found abundant barbershops open at 10:00pm, but no bars. I suppose it would help if we could read the signs.

I remember some of the phrases I learned, so I could thank the waitress and concierge, say no thanks to the bellboy and excuse me to people I bump into while I'm walking around, tourist style: slowly shuffling along, mouth agape, eyes on the skyline, camera snapping. The students I went out with last night are all from Brooklyn, and we're not too happy with the fact that we've turned into those tourists that stop abruptly on the sidewalks to take pictures of and say "wow"... to the scenery.

This morning we're headed to the Great Wall at 8:00 am, so there'll be more of that tourist mess going on. My camera is charged and ready!