As it turns out...

So here's something that was interesting about our tour group - I think it was sponsored by certain businesses. Because here we were, running through Tiananmen Square, sprinting through the Forbidden City. And then we were scheduled to go to some Chinese Ancient Medicine Clinic place, and dude. We were there for like 2 hours. And there was plenty of opportunity to buy all of these Chinese herbs there, you know what I'm saying? The same goes with later that day, when we went to a pearl market, and then the next day, when we went to the jade-carving market. I think they pay for the tours if the tour guides make sure there is plenty of time for the tourists to buy stuff there. Funny.

So we go in to this Chinese Ancient Medicine Clinic, and they had this dude speak to us about the ancient philosophy of Chinese medicine, and how it's so much better than western medicine, and how western medicine is too invasive, and that Chinese medicine takes more time to take effect but isn't as invasive, etc. etc. etc. I mean, I can see in some cases that it's better to kind of try different things if you don't need surgery, right? And I can also see what he was saying about a lot of western drugs having harmful side effects. Absolutely. But sometimes western drugs save peoples' lives. And sometimes surgery saves peoples' lives. So whatev. It was interesting.

And then they brought in four or five Chinese doctors. And they had interpreters with them. They said that they could tell what each person's health problems were by just feeling their pulse - not by taking blood or anything invasive. Just by feeling the pulse. So they had all of us line up and wait our turn for the doctors to feel our pulse and tell us what was wrong with us. We were at the very end of one line, and at one point, maybe half an hour or 45 minutes into these little consultations, the doctors had some place to go, so they just up and left. Ben and I never got our pulse taken, but oh well. I wasn't heartbroken about it.

From what I could see, they would consult with each tourist, and then give them a long list of herbs that they should buy from the shop downstairs to help with their health problems. Our cute little Indian/Irish friend - I think his name was Aardem - finished up his consultation and came to sit down by us. We asked him what his official diagnosis was. He said, in his little Irish brogue, "Well, as it turns out, I'm prrrrrrrregnant!!!" He's a crackup. Here he is with his wife - they've only been married a few months:

And then it was finally lunch time. Phew. That's right, folks, I've only taken you through half of one day of touring in Beijing.

I was nervous about the food, because well, you know. I haven't had good experiences with the food there. :) But it was actually kind of decent!! It was a little bit like the Americanized Chinese food that we have. There was sweet and sour pork, and normal rice, and then some kind of potato thing, which is fine by me (as long as it doesn't involve sheep's brain's, I'm cool with it), and broccoli, and eggs.

So the kids, Ben, and I were happily wolfing our food down, like, "Hey, this is okay!" Remember, we hadn't had decent food in three months. But our European friends in our group weren't very happy about it. They were like, "Where are the fish and chips? Where are the crepes?" Hahaha! They wanted western food; to them, this was really gross. We were like, "Oh, honey, you have NO IDEA how good this is." Perspective. Aardem and his wife hardly ate a bite.

Sitting at our table in the above picture is a cute little couple from Malta, and then a mother and daughter from Spain. (The waitress is in front of the daughter in that picture. Here, I'll put another picture on so you can see what she looks like.):

She's the blonde. The man from Malta is actually a travel photographer. What a cool way to make a living, eh?? And the daughter from Spain had just arrived in Beijing to study Mandarin for a couple of years. Her mom brought her over and was going to help her get situated with an apartment, etc.

After we ate, off we went to the Temple of Heaven.