Seven Miles in Kathmandu

Posted on April 29, 2014 by knevinger

We were up early today, probably because that’s what happens when you go to bed at 8pm. It seemed to be the trend, as there were a lot of people at breakfast early. Breakfast was pretty good – fairly large buffet and an omelette station. We are so much food…haha. I ate two omelets with cheese, a non-sweet donut shaped thing, four pieces of sausage, and a really sweet muffin.

Before heading out for the day, we relaxed after breakfast for awhile. The only TV channels we get in English are MTV, VH1, and CNN, which is kind of sad. We’ve had CNN on, it’s been kind if interesting watching it in Asia…a lot of the commercials/story highlights are local, so we’re still able to learn.

And, I have to say, it’s really strange being in a place that does not have power most of the day. It was off today by the time we woke up – we were up at about 6:45 and it went off at 6. It doesn’t come back on until 10pm…luckily it’s sunny. And the hotel does have a generator that runs some lights, but not all of them and they aren’t very bright.

After breakfast, we set out to walk to a place called Hanuman-dhoka Durbar square. The roads to get there seemed more dusty and more crowded than yesterday, and it felt like we may have been the only tourists around. The yellow buff definitely came in handy, and we managed to chase off a couple of probably would have been pick pockets. Luckily, we spotted them, and we know how to carry our bags.

We stopped at Bishal Bazaar for a little while, and hung out in the courtyard for awhile. It was really interesting people watching. A lot of what I read about women’s dress code suggested skirts and no sleeveless shirts. However, I’ve only seen a handful of local people in skirts, and a bunch of them are in tank tops. A good portion of them are dressed more like westerners, especially the younger generation. It’s nice to see that things are a little more flexible, but also sad that there seems to be a movement away from the traditional dress. We’ve seen a lot of school children as well, they wear nice pants and shirts, with ties and blazers. Not what I would have guessed at all.

Once we left the bazaar, we headed back toward Durbar square. Our next stop was Freak street, a small area of the city where hippies from the US once flocked to…and it seemed like maybe still do. Definitely a cool thing to see – shops named after Beatles songs and organic coffee shops.

Before we entered Durbar square, we paid 750 rupees to a guard in a little booth, we weren’t really sure why as a lot of people were just walking around it. As a side note, it seems as though there is no direction regarding traffic anywhere (foot or motorized). Being inside the square was nice – far less traffic. Before we really started to wander, we bought Nepal stickers for our water bottles from a street vendor.

We wandered the square for awhile, took lots of pictures, and got harassed by some more street vendors, before going into the palace museum. The palace used to be the home of the kings, but is now a giant museum with little arrows and people around every turn to direct you where to go. We spent several hours in the palace, complete with a wander up to the 9 story temple. Pretty cool – the whole thing was built in 1770, before the US was even an independent nation.

After the palace we went over to what I think was an Hindu temple called Kasthamandap. As with the rest of the architecture in the square, it was very intricately designed. Then we headed to a restaurant with the same name that had a rooftop deck. It was cool to see the city from way up there, but a little crazy how much smog was in the air. I had a chicken sizzler…came with noodles, three French fries, and veggies. I couldn’t eat the veggies, but the fries and the noodles were good…chicken was all pretty much fat though. Oh well…

Walking home was not nearly as crazy as our walk out, which was nice. Of course, I narrowly missed walking into dangling power lines and then rolled my ankle in the uneven street – ouch…I really am a complete disaster.

After a brief rest, we headed back out to get a couple of pens to take on the trek, and then head back to the hotel for dinner. On the way back, we ended up on the main road, on what I think is the edge of the Thamel district where we’re staying, and it was just…I don’t know, eye opening. Sad…a little of both, I’m not sure. It looked like a war zone…or an earthquake. Just rubble everywhere. Yesterday, when we drove through it, we asked if they get earthquakes. They told us no, they wanted to widen the road, so they just bulldozed it. And left. But, the buildings aren’t much better…

We came back to the hotel for dinner, and halfway through these odd tree lights came on…apparently those are considered essential power. Odd… But, I did try an Everest beer with dinner. Yay for local beer..

And the power just came back on…and then went off…and then on. Maybe three times. Welcome to Nepal….

Ok…time for some sleep. Over and out, until next time.

Welcome to Kathmandu

Posted on April 28, 2014 by knevinger

So, Kathmandu has blackouts, lasting 14 plus hours a day. But the hotel has a generator, so as I type this, the light above is flickering overhead and I’m wondering if it’s just going to go out at some point.

Kathmandu is…something I’ve never seen before, yet oddly familiar. I think maybe it’s similar to some of the more rural parts of China, but definitely very different too.

Getting into the place was pretty crazy, there were so many forms and signatures and lines…and more lines. Luckily our bags made it through just fine…and we got waved through customs. Apparently we must have looked friendly or something.

Why is there someone playing a flute outside our window??

I only had to tell two taxi drivers we didn’t need a ride before the REI guide found us. Really glad they picked us up at the airport…I don’t know if I’ve seen anything crazier coming out of an airport. Pre-paid taxis and regular taxis and people with signs and travelers and don’t forget the guys who want to carry your bags for money. Luckily the REI people told him to go away.

We met one of the other ladies going on our trek. She was actually on our flight. She’s American, but currently stationed in Seoul. Very nice and very friendly.

The REI people hid us a ways down the airport driveway to keep us out of the clutches of the bag carriers and taxis for hire while they brought around a van.

The drive to the hotel was interesting. No traffic lights and police directing traffic, but the police weren’t armed. There were other guys in the streets will weapons…army, maybe? Amongst the traffic and the motorcycles and the bikes and the people, we also found cows in the middle of the road….just chillin’.

We got to the hotel and met someone who I think is an REI person…he gave us orange fanta, a folder of information, and told us where to be when. Then, the day was ours. I couldn’t wait to explore. We wandered for a bit…traffic is crazy – one lane dirt roads with cars and bikes and motorcycles and rickshaws and people…and no sidewalks…yeah busted foot, I see this going well…

It was cool to explore, until we came upon a giant traffic jam and I got hit by a rickshaw. Good times….something else to cross off the bucket list. And then he tried to get us to ride in his little cart. Yeah, right. You just hit me, do you really think I want to ride with you?

We had a quiet dinner at the hotel, and could pretty much tell the minute the power went off, when all the air conditioning units quit. After dinner we did a quick night walk and realized how dusty it really was. Luckily, you can buy a buff here for $1. So I now have a yellow buff with red Asian writing, I wear it pulled over my nose and mouth and look gangster…hahaha. We also procured a couple of pens (if that’s the only thing we forgot, I’ll take it). The hotel in Seoul didn’t have any and the one here just has a pencil – I didn’t see that holding up while trekking.

What I’ve learned so far…I need to drink water, lots and lots of water. Don’t entertain the people trying to sell you something, unless you actually want to buy it (they’ll follow you down the road). And the yellow buff I bought for a dollar may make me look like a bandit, but it may save my lungs.

Wow…I’m far more tired than I thought. I’m not sure how far we wandered, but I’ll have to wear the Garmin tomorrow and track it. Apparently I will be falling asleep to the musical stylings of the Kathmandu streets…the pied piper, car horns, hammering, and the occasional voice.

4500 feet….over and out. Until next time…

Three Weeks and Counting….

Posted on April 5, 2014 by knevinger

I realized today that we have three weeks until we leave for Nepal…crazy. And it feels like it’s so much closer now than when it was four weeks away. haha…I’m sure next week, when it’s down to two, it will feel even closer. Second to last prep hike tomorrow….eeek! Crazy….

We got the final trip email yesterday, so that may be why it feels closer too. It looks like there will be eleven of us in the group, plus the staff from REI. They’re going to pick us up from the airport, which will be nice. Less to figure out is always good. Of course, they’re going to identify us by our REI t-shirts, which they ran out of in my size. Good news, they’re sending me a bag…bad news, I’ll get lost at the airport. Haha…we also have luggage tags, so I should be good. But, knowing my luck, who knows.

It also looked like our carry-ons might not count toward the 30 lb weight limit, which, if that’s the case, will be a huge relief. Not that I want to bring a ton of stuff, but 30 lbs is not a lot and once I add in contacts, contact solution, medicine, first aid kit, etc, etc, I feel like it’s going to add up quickly. As long as I can bring enough snacks to quell my ‘im always hungry’ appetite, everything will be ok. haha…I emailed them to confirm, so we’ll see what happens.

I spent a few hours today running through the headlands. I added a trip down to muir beach into what has become my normal route through pirates cove. Time wise, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it might be. I felt like I was walking a lot more, but I was only a few seconds/mile off of my pace from last week. Looking at my splits, I think my time through pirates cover was a lot faster than I was last week and the week before. Hopefully that means I’m getting stronger and will continue to do so. I’m trying hard to build some distance before the trip – who knows what I’ll lose or gain while trekking for days on end, but we’re looking at a 50k (classic me, right?) a month after we get back, so want to at least give myself a shot at it.

However, crawling out of muir beach was as awful as I remember it. Not as bad on the way down as it was during North Face, but the way up was pretty rough. Probably not as rough as North Face, since I was only at mile five or so instead of mile 16. Of course, as I’m crawling my way up the crazy hills, I come upon paw prints…giant paw prints. Sweet…I was hoping I could get mauled by a mountain lion today…but, after a nice trip down miwok cutoff, I was back to my car. Which was in a really good parking spot….complete with the satisfaction that the car in front of me blocked traffic for several minutes to wait for someone to pull out, yet, I ended up with the best spot and didnt hold up traffic.

Other than that, Game of Thrones starts tomorrow! Yay! We’ve been waiting for quite some time for that….like, since the end of last season. haha.

Until next time…

Pirate’s Cove!

Posted on February 22, 2014 by knevinger

I returned to the trails in the headlands today, for the first time since since the North Face marathon, I think. Knowing that I need to get faster for the 50 mile, especially on hills, I chose one of the most challenging parts of the marathon course – pirate’s cove in the Tennessee Valley. It’s pretty much seven-ish miles of straight up followed by straight down, straight up, straight down (you get the idea), and some scary stairs mixed in. These are the stairs I slipped down during the race, hence, scary stairs.

I ran pretty slowly, and walked a lot of the hills. However, it was the strongest I’ve felt on this course in the three times I’ve been on it. So, hopefully a great start to building a foundation, because I need to learn to run that hill well. Really well, since I’ll hit the back half of it at mile 40 or something crazy like that. I’m not really going to look too much at training until after Nepal, but hilly runs will help with that training too. Here’s to practice making perfect….or just the ability to finish and have fun.

In other news, the hike we have planned for tomorrow is in an elk preserve – that should be interesting :). I also have hiking pants….finally. And they fit. Haha. And they’re not black. I’m also trying out bag number three. This one is a way better pack – better ventilation, pockets, fits better, etc. also, it’s bright blue and not black. Apparently I won’t be the goth chick on the mountain. Haha.

Until next time….

Everest, et. al

Posted on February 9, 2014 by knevinger

Apparently, I’m not as good at updating this thing as I thought or hoped I might be. I was shooting for once a week, but it’s been more like once a month. Or in the case of January, not at all. Oh well, things happen.

I thought January would calm down, since the holidays were over, but that wasn’t the case. There was getting sick, dinners with friends, getting back in shape (I re-joined bootcamp), and the end of the fiscal year at work. Early February brought Brian’s birthday and the super bowl, as well as a trip back to NY for my aunt’s funeral. It was my dad’s sister, and she was too young – 69. She was always the fun, eccentric, artistic one, and I have great memories of her from when I was little. Many of them involve standing on a chair telling a story. I’m pretty sure that happened a lot when I was six. Many of the stories I heard about her over the weekend from family and friends made me wish I had more memories of her from adulthood. Seeing a lot of family that I haven’t seen in awhile was nice – I met one cousin’s two little girls, met new second cousins, and learned that one of my cousins is an ultra runner. While it was great to see the rest of the family, but would have been much better under different circumstances.

At the end of January, we picked our seats for Nepal and Everest. So on 1/26, we were 90 days from take-off. I don’t think I could be more excited. We’ve been hiking every weekend to break in our stuff and get back in shape for the trip. I’m treating this like a race – nothing new on race day, nothing new for the trip.

Two weeks ago, we did a seven mile hike in the headlands and tried out our packs, poles, water bottles, as well as ourselves (those hills were no joke ;)). I should have tried out some gatorade powder or something in my water. I ended up fighting low blood sugar all day. Not fun.

The pack (Kelty Women’s 40 Liter pack) felt great, hardly knew it was there. I did struggle all day to get the water bottle in and out of the holder on the bag, luckily, I would have time to practice. Or so I thought. Last week, I noticed a hole in the water bottle holder, so it had to be exchanged. Good bye blue bag, hello black bag. Which is fine – other than all of my outer layers are black. Apparently I’ll be the goth girl on the mountain.

Poles were a great help once I got used to them. Helpful going up hill, fantastic going downhill. Excellent way to feel a little more stable.

Today, despite the rain, we decided to hike and headed up to Mt. Tam. We were planning on a short hike, since it was raining and a little chilly. But, we were excited to try out some more of our gear. I had my new pack (still Kelty, but now black), it would definitely need some adjustments to fit me.

So, I pulled out the heaviest of the three base layers I had – Smartwool’s Women’s Mid 250 hoodie, and a pair of Exofficio underwear – tag line, ’17 countries in 20 some days…one pair of underwear’….(let’s hope it doesn’t come to that)….I also grabbed the shell of my component jacket – Marmot Women’s Cosset Component Jacket, as well as the rain/snow pants – also Marmot…I think the PreCip pant, but I can’t remember.

The good news is that the gear was fabulous. I was actually a little warm, despite having only a base layer and an outer shell. I also stayed dry. All good things with the mountain coming up in just over two months. We had a great hike….found a salamander, trekked through a waterfall (thank god our boots are fabulous), and got to experience nature in a way that it hasn’t been in a long time.

Overall, a good weekend – rested up Saturday, got some cleaning done, and then hiked today. Now the Olympics are on for the rest of the night. Until next time….

Weekend Adventures

Posted on November 17, 2013 by knevinger

Oh, what a weekend….maybe the most adventurous in awhile. A lot of fun, but not the most restful…haha.

Saturday, I did my last long run before the north face marathon. And, I might be in trouble (I only made it to 15 miles…maybe 15), but it’s such an adventure every time I’m out there. Saturday I had planned to run to the lighthouse, back to the car, and then do another loop in a different direction. But, I couldn’t figure out how to run to the lighthouse…why would the trail be labeled on the map? So, I went a different route, and ended up finding one of the trails on the race course, so I ran Alta until it ended, and then all the way to the starting end. And, found several places where the trail went off state land and onto private land. Which you were allowed to cross, as long as you stayed on the path, kept your dog on a leash, and cleaned up after your dog. The benefit to running through the trailhead was that there was a map, so I figured out how I would get back to the car…what fun is simply going back the way you came?

So I planned a new route…Alta to the end, pick up SCA, then the costal trail back to the visitor’s center. Then I could assess the distance and decide if I needed another loop on one of the closer trails. Of course, nothing goes according to plan….especially when it comes to trail running. So I’m running along, feeling great, enjoying the awesome views of the SCA trail (single lane trail on the side of a mountain), when I see it…….

A kitty….a rather large, muscular, kitty. Crossing the trail and running up the hill. Too big to be a bob cat….which leaves one option. Yup, definitely a mountain lion. And, as I later found out, there is one living in that area, and they’re warning pets and small children to stay away….

Good times. Luckily, I had plan B – there was another trail a bit back that would take me to the trail I started on that morning, thus taking me back to my car. So, I backtracked. And got back…but then it was cold, and I was stiff, and it was windy. I got back to the visitor’s center and actually went inside, and….it’s pretty cool. Half store and half museum, lots of cool stuff to look at. And a good place to thaw out. Of course, then I didn’t want to run anymore….but I made myself walk a few miles to get them and some more time in. Saw the hostel and the art center…cool to see, but still cold, so I called it a day. Despite the race….I decided that I was doing it (and trail running) to have fun. So, I’m going to have fun…have an adventure…and hopefully finish. If not, well I’m the first to admit that I probably bit off more than I could chew with this. And I’m still up for next year….50 miles would be cool, right??

We had a somewhat low key night….friends over for dinner….cookie baking….sent a pizza back for the first time in my life. Let me back up, we ordered pizza from Paxtis, the only place that delivers to us…not the first time, and probably not the last. We get the pizza an hour later….and one of them looks like it’s been tipped over. The other, well, it looks like its been kicked down a few flights of stairs. So, I call them…not sure what I’m hoping to get, because this has never happened before. They were very nice, and offered to bring us new pizza. An hour later, we had decent looking pizza to eat. Great customer service. And lunch for the rest of the week.

Today we went on another hike, to further break in our boots for Everest. I took Brian and one of our friends on the trail I ran a few weeks ago. Great views of the bridge, and of course we went off the main trail and found a bunch of bunkers in the hillside. Some connected underground. Sadly, they were all covered in graffiti and full of garbage. But, still really cool to see. I love the headlands…so much cool stuff to see. I also ran into one of my former classmates…cool to see him too.

I can’t believe the weekend is almost over…and I’m back to the craziness. Is it December yet? Really, is it mid December yet? Then school will be over too. I can’t wait for graduation. Really, I can’t wait for Black Friday. I definitely had nightmares both nights this weekend….that I hadn’t set the alarm, and was late for work/to deal with whatever crazy had come up now. Just like I used to dream about new flow and inventory when I was an assistant manager in college…glad to see some things never change. Haha….it will all be over soon.

Until next time….over and out.

Is it April yet?

Posted on November 9, 2013 by knevinger

So, I’m finding myself asking if it’s April yet….which is kind of funny, since there is so much going on right now and in the near future that will be a lot of fun – Thanksgiving, Black Friday, graduation, my parents visiting, North Face marathon…but, we’ve started to really plan for everest. And, I’m really excited….really, really, excited. We’re figuring out how we’re getting all of our stuff and looking at flights.

We got our boots tonight and are going to start breaking them in tomorrow. I’m sure that will be an adventure….and I’ll have sore feet – these boots are really stiff. But, I guess we have to start somewhere. Hopefully they’ll be good in time for the trip.

Other than that, I’m working through the last few weeks of school…in a rough class. We can’t seem to figure out what the professor is looking for, or what exactly she takes points off for. So frustrating. But, it’s my last class. And, they don’t do any sort of graduation with honors for grad students…so, I really can’t bring myself to care. I mean, I’m still going to do the work, but I’m not going to stress about it. Or at least I’m going to try not to.

I’m also in the process of organizing an MBA panel for my professor that sponsored my paper. Oh the things that sound good over a beer in Germany….haha…it’s been a good experience thus far. I have some panelists…and HR wants to come, so that’s a good thing, right?

OK….I think that’s it for now. Must finish the midterm and get ready for tomorrow’s hike….over and out…for now.

wild, wild wall

Posted on June 1, 2012 by knevinger

Today’s adventure involved a return trip to the great wall. I had considered trying to cancel since we went on Saturday, and there’s other stuff I haven’t seen yet, but – it was a different part of the wall, and well, given the choice, am I going to choose a museum or going to play outside? This is me – of course I will choose to play outside.

After my experience on the bike tour, I will admit, I was slightly afraid of being with another guide on my own. But, I got lucky in two ways…I got emails last night stating that two people had joined my tour, so not only would I not be alone, I was getting a refund for some of the cost. And, the guide showed up this morning and was so professional and organized. The other two on the tour were a couple about my age, also doing a tour through China. It was great having a few other people along.

So we drove two hours or so outside the city to Jiankou, which is not officially open to the public, but the local people keep it open and have a toll. The last bathroom before the hike, and Mutianyu over 6 miles away, was a public toilet in the middle of a completely rural area. Half the squat toilets didn’t flush…my second experience with them was not nearly as scary as the first, but I will say it makes the wildflower bathrooms look like the four seasons. Surprisingly, there was a working sink. Saweet….especially since the hand sanitizer was at the hotel. We drove a little further, and then stopped…literally in the middle of nowhere. Had I not known better, I could have been in rural New York, or California. Then the guide was like, ok, we’re off. Really? Where are we…this doesn’t look like the wall.

After 45 minutes or so of uphill on rocks, off rocks, by fields, through bugs and bushes, you name it, we crossed it, we made it to the wall. And…well, it was amazing. The restored part we saw on Saturday was pretty darn cool, but the unrestored, wild wall adds a whole new experience. There were make-shift ladders, and stone steps, and we got to climb in towers…complete madness and I am so sore and bruised, but it was totally worth it. And our guide and group, were fantastic. We came up on another guide and lady, and she asked us if we were afraid coming through the woods. We were like, no…we have a guide. She said so did she, but he kept second guessing the right way to go….reassuring since our guide told us about someone who tried to hike there on their own and was never seen again.

It was so amazing and so crazy, just another level. We’re walking on loose stone (one flew up and smashed my ankle – ouch!) and to the side of us is a cliff, god knows how far down. Something that you’d never find in the states, but, its thousands of years old and has never been restored. The fact that its still standing at all makes it that much more amazing. It was such a relief to hit the restored part of the wall, yet a little sad as well.

We ended the hike at pretty much the same place we were on Saturday, and then went for lunch at a Chinese restaurant on the way back to town. Sweet and sour pork and rice and something that looked like green beans, but was apparently some veggie that if it wasn’t cooked enough would kill us….that was hours ago, and I’m still alive, so I’m thinking I’m good.

After the hike and the two hours in traffic on the way home, I had the best intentions of going for a walk, but I was so sore, the bar and dinner just sounded more appealing. Of course, it was raining, so I couldn’t sit on the roof deck…oh well, I did spend a ton of time up there. While I was eating one of the waiters came over and talked with me for a while, then asked if we could take a photo…I kind of felt like a celebrity…or a spectacle. I tried the last of the signature cocktails and went back and tried to remember my favorites. One I got, the other, not so much.

Then came back to the room and packed up my stuff…I cant believe that my adventure in Asia is over and I’m flying back tomorrow, I’m ready to go home, but after all the planning and craziness, and whatnot, I can’t believe it’s over. It doesn’t seem like that long ago I was checking in for my flight out here and panicking that I would get lost at the Hong Kong airport at SFO…if only I knew then what I do now. Now I’m checked in for my flights home…here’s to keeping my window seats. Vegas is next, and that will be a blast, I’m sure. And, hopefully a good way to get used to the time difference, or a good way to pass out by the pool….

Until next time…I have four hours in Korea tomorrow, perhaps I’ll be able to access the blog then…or gasp, facebook, and post some photos.

Kim and Jaime (and a couple of other people) take on beijing

Posted on May 28, 2012 by knevinger

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.