May 16, 2008

BEIJING, China -- After another early-morning wake-up call today, we were ready for a full day of sightseeing to the Temple of Heaven, a silk-carpet factory, a Kung Fu show and a trip to the famous Silk Street. The Chinese call it "the fake market", but who knows the difference between a real coach purse and a fake one? I sure don't.

But first things first.

Lauren Carter hams it up while taking part in a game Friday, May 16, at Beijing's Temple of Heaven.

For breakfast today I ventured from the mini-pancakes and bacon and tried the wonton soup and "cheego," which would best be described as pudding.

I guess you could say it's a little better than the "cheego" I make back home with boring instant rice. Another thing that's interesting about our hotel that I just can't get over is when you turn the fan on in the bathroom when you take a shower, a big no-fog square shows up on the mirror so you don't have to wipe the mirror off to see yourself when you're done! I'm thinking we need to invest in some of these in the United States.

After breakfast, we headed to the Temple of Heaven, which is a place where some Beijing senior citizens go to get their daily exercise.

As we walked through the park, we saw many elderly people doing all sorts of things, from dancing to playing hacky sack to performing Tai chi. I got embarrassed by the old folks when I tried out my own Tai chi skills!

Breanna VanDerMost sets her price and doesn't budge Friday, May 16, at Silk Street in Beijing.

After the Temple of Heaven, we ate at a popular restaurant in Beijing, and it was one of my favorite restaurants of the trip with bananas and apples covered in good syrup to eat for desert. It was delicious.

Then, after lunch, the real fun began at Silk Street. Oh, man, was that an experience! It taught me to fight for what I really want (like knock-off purses) and to not take "no" for an answer. As a team, we probably totaled 35 purses, 15 wallets, 10 North Face jackets and a few pairs of sunglasses.

And nobody paid more than $30 for any of it!

Before and after the trip to Silk Street, we all discussed bargaining techniques, and we will go back tomorrow for some more good deals during our free time in the afternoon.

Northern Colorado assistant coach Tom Hunter roughs up Confucius after lunch in Beijing on Friday, May 16.

Next, it was off to the Kung Fu show. It was one of the best shows I have ever seen, and I plan on taking Kung Fun up as a hobby in my spare time when we get home. Now I understand how Jackie Chan does all of his stunts in his movies!

We are going to bed early tonight so we are rested for our second match of the trip tomorrow (Saturday, May 17) morning. We'll keep you posted. Check back tomorrow for Allison Raguse's latest trip-journal entry.