AM Thoughts from Daniel
It's Thursday and we're having two people write for the day. Our first activity was, like always, breakfast at the hotel. After breakfast we filled out our departure, health, and customs forms. I am glad we have David (Delay) as our guide. He is really organized.

Our first stop for the day was Art Street. This was really interesting especially for those who love art. There you could find everything from ink and calligraphy brushes to huge statues. Some people went for the scroll art, which are paintings suspended between wooden rods.

Next stop was lunch and again, it was delicious. There was some kind of rice noodles that are a Beijing specialty. They didn't have much taste by themselves, but became amazing when a spicy pork sauce was mixed in. Here's Cailey with the afternoon report.

PM Thoughts from Cailey
After lunch we piled back into the bus and it was off to the Pearl Market. We had three hours of shopping there, and by the end of it everyone was exhausted. I had never experienced anything like the Pearl Market before. Picture a mall and then shrink the building so that all the stores are squooshed together and the shop managers don't stand there smiling at you pleasantly, but are instead shouting at you to buy their things. It was an overwhelming and exhilarating experience. The bargaining was definitely the best part. It is going to be hard to just accept the prices at home; I'm going to want to argue with the shopkeepers.

What I will remember most about the market is the shoe section. I would compare it to walking through a gauntlet run. People would shout at you, grab your arm, and several of us were even thumped with a shoe. It was very fun to come up with different bargaining techniques; my favorite was getting a friend to run up and proclaim that they had found that item downstairs for the price I wanted. It worked almost every time.

When we had finally been shopped out, we got on the bus again and went to dinner, which, as usual, was delicious. Afterwards we had a very special treat. We went to a performance of Chinese acrobats, ages 8-18. The performance was made even more wonderful by the fact that my friend, Callie, who has been living in Beijing for the school year, was able to come too. The performance was more breathtaking than I had ever thought it could be. Even the smallest child had so much talent that it was almost unreal. Mistakes were made during the show but I'm glad they happened. It made the performers into actual people, instead of these perfect, not quite real beings.

Everyone was completely drained of energy after the show so we went right back to the hotel. We had a choice of either staying up and packing or getting up early to do it. I chose the staying up option. After I was done, I brushed my teeth and flopped into bed, thoroughly satisfied with my last full day in China.