Our last evening in China

We walked around downtown near our hotel, which is surrounded by high-end stores. If there is any remnant of econmic communism left in China, it is hard to find. For luxury car buyers there is this selection:


There were few customers in those stores, but many of the shoppers in others are clearly locals. We walked to dinner from through an area filled with hundreds of vendors selling street food. We had been warned by our guide that it is inadvisable for "foreigners" to eat from the market because the food might not agree with them. Although all of it looked fresh and clean and most of it edible, there were an amazing assortment of questionable comestibles like starfish, snake, sillk worms, scorpions, and bugs.

We instead ate at an east/west "fusion" restaurant situated on the moat surrounding the Forbidden City. This was the view from our window table.

There were no worms or bugs on the menu, and the food was wonderful. It was a perfect end to a great first trip in China. Donna and I head home this (Sunday) morning; Lev and Galina are staying for a few more days for an alternative energy conference.

-- Len