My first two days in Beijing have been amazing.  Jaime met me for the weekend, which was so much fun.  Friday was a little crazy due to my detour to wuhan, but we still managed to get in a foot massage before the spa closed.

Saturday, we went for a run…man I am out of shape, and days of focusing on biking and swimming, not to mention the absence of our weekly runs, are catching up with me.  She totally kicked my butt.  Get back in running shape…definitely on my list for when I get back.  Then we wandered the art district we were staying in and found a place for brunch/lunch.  Im not sure what pizza at 11am qualifies as.  Super cute and interesting area.

Then we headed out to the great wall will two of her coworkers and their families.  So much fun, and I can say ive seen one of the seven wonders of the world.  It was amazing.  There really are no words, and I spent a good portion of time in awe.  And then I got a bunch of cute photos.  Im heading back to the wall on a day long hike at the end of this week, and I cant wait.  I thought about canceling, but it was so fun seeing part of it, I imagine it will be equally as fun seeing other parts of it.  However, im sure nothing will compare to seeing it with the great group of people I was with.

We finished the night with dinner at German restaurant in Beijing.  I don’t  know that ive ever had german food, but everything I tried was amazing.  Then we got our nails fixed and ended up back at the spa…such fun and such a good time.

Today, we went for another run, where I was once again left in the dust….must. get. Back. In. shape.  Then brunch with some French toast, cappuccino, fresh juice, and miraculously, an egg white omelet.  We continued to wander the art district, looked at the statues, came across a wedding photo shoot, and shopped.  Well, she did…im a terrible shopper.  Yet, still so much fun.  I could wander there for hours…and so much more fun with a friend.  Not too much time after that – check-out and airport and dropping me at my final hotel.

so now im at my final asian destination.  and i have mixed feelings.  this has been a ride…an eye opening, amazing, ride, that i wish i could stay on for a bit and get to know a local area.  like today, i needed sunscreen and toothpaste…and my hotel is on a pretty local street, so i ended up finding both in local markets here.  and i was able to say hello and thank them in chinese.  so not like anything back home, yet so amazing.  i feel like i can read so much for school, but actually seeing it, is so different.  At this point, its all come down to kindness – from the person at the store to the girl next to me on the plane, a smile and a nod go a long way.  if youre friendly, people will forgive a lot.  And getting to know it for more than a few days would be amazing.

But, I miss Brian and home and my normal.  I miss my Saturday swims in the bay and my Sunday Canada workouts…and our nights out.  I miss knowing what I’m eating and being able to drink the water and my own bed and my cats.    I’m looking forward to driving my car and eating a real chicken sandwich.

But, this has been amazing, and I plan to continue to enjoy it until Friday.  Starting with tomorrow’s bike ride around the city.  I cant wait to see all the things on the list – forbidden city, Tiananmen square, Olympic village….i cant remember what else, but I’m sure I will love it.  And, they pick me up at the hotel, so I cant get lost.

Until next time…