Beijing for the Last Time

By Rachel

Now it was time for some special time with Doug and Georgine. We visited the Antiques Market and an Art Museum.

We ate many tasty meals, including two at a Uigher place down the street from out hostel where the food was delicious and cheap and our table got so big it stretched into the street…

…which made it all the better to see the neighborhood sights.

We spent a day hiking on the Great Wall.

The Wall is basically nice, but everyone is followed by someone who is selling water, postcards and books. Here is Charlie’s Little Friend.

We visited the Summer Palace, where we found a few quiet spots away from the throngs of Chinese tourists.

We thought we would take the train back to UB, but the tickets were sold out for weeks. We flew instead, trading 28 hours on the train for about $200, and arriving here in UB with Charlie’s NPR colleague Michael Cullen, who is the next contestant on the Visitor Show.