More notes from the day

I'm up early again today, so I thought I'd add a bit more to our post from last night.

- If you ride a bicycle you take your life into your own hands here, unless you're in the bicycle lanes which many are not. It's amazing the way people drive. Traffic lanes and lights are merely a suggestion. The interesting thing is that we didn't see any accidents, whereas in the states people run into each other all the time. Go figure.

- Many of the signs are in Chinese AND English, which presumably was done for the Olympics.

- Our guide told us that China, which still is a communist country, is also gradually moving more towards a capitalist society instead of socialism.

- I haven't seen any chocolate here. What's up with that???

- I've mastered the squatty potty. It's actually much more practical once you figure out how to maneuver around your pants and figure out how to keep your balance without ending up in the bowl. Think of it this way: it's much more sanitary than sitting on a toilet that hundreds have sat on before you.

- I'm just not coordinated enough to maneuver chopsticks. Jason, on the other hand, is quite good with them. They haven't slowed down his eating at all.

We're off to get some breakfast and meet up with the group at 8. I hope everyone at home is doing well. Group 2: We all wish you could be here with us.



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