Finally!

We are in Beijing after, oh, I don't know, about 4 days in the air? We only had one layover and it felt like an eternity. We spent 5 fun-filled hours in the Tokyo airport and had to sit in COACH for 3 hours to Beijing -- imagine the horror of Coach class. We were devastated. No more shiatsu massage? No more footrubs?

We spent our day with Vivian, our guide and Mr. Wang who took us to the Great Wall, a jade factory and the Cloisenet (bad spelling, I know) Factory. Lucy, you are exactly right, the pressure to buy something was incredible and although Vivian assured us it was ok to not buy anything, the saleswomen and Vivian herself were saying "yes, but the quality here at this factory is not going to be the same in Guangzhou! There - everything is crap!" We wanted to get Frannie a little jade rooster -- the animal of the year of her birth -- and this teeny little rooster jade pendant was something like 1,000 yuan or $130. I held strong and said no, we are going to wait.

The Great Wall -- hmmm. I had no idea that I needed a harness, carabeeners and cramp-ons. Kevin made it to the "top" of the steep portion and I made it about 75% of the way up and realized a heart-attack was not worth the accolades I would receive for having made it to the top. The steep side was less crowded, but I'm sure I have 50 new grey hairs.

We had to forego the rickshaw ride due to my annoying back issues. I think 19 hours on a plane did a number, regardless of the comfort -- 19 hours of sitting is 19 hours. We came back to the hotel and rested and didn't wake for hours. My back feels better.

Beijing is great. They are preparing for the Olympics like crazy and the traffic is awful. No one seems to be overly concerned when a little old lady walks right out in front of your speeding car or bicyclists veer in your path.

Kevin's daily column is known as "Kevin's Two Cents."

August 25 Associated Press -- Beijing

"Kevin's Two Cents"

"The Great Wall is ...... Great."

"Why do they eat with two pieces of wood?"