I had culture shock coming to Beijing. Compared to the rest of China, it was almost like an American city. The only thing I thought when I was looking out the bus window on the way from the airport to the hotel was, "money." Everything was sleek and clean and new, and when I went to the drugstore, it sold things like deodorant (which is simply not available in Yunnan) and people formed lines to get to the cash register. Buildings are made out of glass windows instead of smudged concrete and Beijingren are polite and apparently have political opinions. It was weird to walk down the streets and not be blocked by tricycle carts and linked-arm girls, and not to see fruit vendors and people shouting at shopkeepers.

at lunch at a nice restaurant yesterday, Kelly and I were raving about the food and the ambience when all of a sudden the huge heating vent fell from the ceiling and cut her as it came down. The waiters and Lu Laoshi hurried over to put medication on her side, and she was just sitting there awkwardly trying to eat as they were lifting up her shirt.

today we had a snowball fight on the Great Wall. Driving through the countryside, the branches of trees were covered in ice, and Ashley and I sang christmas carols. I bought a panda backpack.

I prefer Beijing to Kunming, but I don't think anything's better than northwest Yunnan. I miss the mountains already.