Ming Tombs

This morning we were all awake by 5:30. After breakfast, we met the other family we will be traveling to Shanghai with. A couple with a 6 year old bringing Grandma along to adopt a boy. Sounds like they waited as long as we did, maybe more. We headed off for the hour drive to the Ming Tombs. It's a whole complex where 13 of the 15 Ming Emporers are buried. Only 2 are available for touring. One is underground and the other above ground. We chose the above ground one. It was quite the complex. We all had no idea what it really was. A lot more leisurely tour today.

We're just having a quiet afternoon. Last night we went down to the hotel's western restaurant. The portions were huge and none of us ate more than half the meal. Today, we're just snacking for lunch and may go out for supper. I'd like to go back to the supermarket. I thought it was kind of funny, but yet not, at how there were only Chinese characters on all the pop bottles, but you could tell exactly what kind of pop it was, from Pepsi, Coke, Diet Coke, Sunkist and even Fanta. Brand marketing at it's best.

I also liked just walking around yesterday and seeing daily life in China. We stopped in a mall, saw lots of street vendors, went into McDonalds, but none of the menu was in English and since we weren't hungry, only thirsty, just went to the supermarket. Our exploring on our own gave my girls a chance to see the real and normal China. I know they were surprised that it wasn't really that different than a big city anywhere in the world. Jessica did say she liked that she blended in while I was the one who stood out. I could tell she really liked walking around. Anna only likes to walk if we have a definite agenda. She said she only wants to see the Great Wall and then go get Amanda, but she was surprised that China had big cities and not everyone is poor.

Tomorrow we add to the group and do the all day group tour. We have to leave the hotel Sunday morning by 5:30. That'll probably the morning we adjust to the time difference and have trouble waking up.