Jen & Clare Flee the Western Hemisphere

Today's theme is haze. We have yet to see the sun in Beijing. The smog just sits above the city making the sky a constant shade of grey. Today's adventure number one was going to the pharmacy to find medicine for Jen's sore throat. We're not sure what we bought, but you take 4 tablets 3 times a day and it has a picture of a flower on the box. It's what you get when you point at your throat and say medicine. Adventure number 2 was breakfast. Pointing at what the man next to you is eating gets you two big bowls of noodles in broth. The noodles were delicious and thankfully the man next to us wasn't eating any mystery meat. We spent the morning paying homage to Mao. Then we visited the Forbidden City, which is enormous! We learned about the Ming and Qing dynasties -- emperors, empresses, concubines, and the good life -- and explored the many halls and gates (Gate of Divine Prowess, the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Palace of Heavenly Purity, the Hall of Mental Cultivation, to name a few). Tonight we're seeing Chinese opera and tomorrow we plan to go to the Great Wall.