On to Xian

Getting out of Beijing involves--for the cost conscious traveler--a trip to the city's cavernous West train station. Its crowded waiting rooms resemble an American airport after planes have been grounded for three days. The trains themselves are another matter. Because of the ditstances, you typically go by "hard sleeper," a small room with 4-6 comfortable bunks. They're quite a nice and restful way to go.

Because we slept most of the way, we thought we'd leave you with ten observations about the trip so far:

1. The people are extremely friendly and nice, and they're quite happy to take a few minutes out of their day to point to you whatever you want.

2. They find Westerners so exotic that we were stopped several times on the street and asked to pose for pictures. We obliged, but held our wallets closely.

3. They are environmentally tone deaf. They dry corn for cornmeal on the sides of rural highways. Apparently the exhaust from the cars speeds drying. Problem: the cars use leaded gas which is then deposited on the corn. Yum.

4. The Chinese love McDonalds and KFC. They also have lots of western-style bakeries.

5. The Chinese have few Internet cafes and online gaming venues. Given government policy, we can understand the first, but not the second.

6. The beer in China is disgusting. Oddly enough, the Tsingtao you get in the US is quite good. And China consumes more beer than any other country.

7. If you enter a Chinese restaurant, regardless of linguistic difficulties, you will leave with a meal.

8. They stare at Nicole more than Joe. Of course, no one usually stares at Joe.

9. If you have to pay for a toilet, it is invariably ten times as foul as one that's free.

10. Through all the chaos, order eventually emerges. It is really not that hard to travel in China. They are nice people, just different.