Finally my visa arrived! Most simple & straightforward. Most expensive, especially for Yanks. We pay US$130—a $100 surcharge over all other citizens. Way to go America’s biggest creditor! Here’s what the visa looks like: The good news is that an agency in Marseilles handles the whole thing. Otherwise you must go and present your Yankee face in person. Went to the pharmacy and got drugs, I mean meds. A good strong antibiotic could be handy just in case. Pre-trip reading is Factory Girls, a riveting account of the young Chinese women that stream out of rural villages to work in factories. So determined! So motivated! Is western civilization doomed? Find the answer to this and other questions in future posts. My Itinerary

Emperor Guards Courtyard Inn I was welcomed like the newest imperial concubine in this cheery courtyard hotel. I particularly liked the location near the metro, Tian’men square, the Forbidden City and in a tiny Hutong neighborhood filled with local stores, noodle shops and restaurants.

Did the Long March from Mao to Ming—around Tian’men square and through the Forbidden City. Ate in the Red Stone restaurant after, wolfing down braised tofu and lotus stuffed with sticky rice (sweet) Lunch was my beloved noodle soup (80 centimes!) And now for my 10 Surprises: 1. Facebook and Tumblr are blocked in China (duh). 2. Metro is super-easy with signs and instructions in English plus helpers in uniform to sort out the confused. 3. A young woman noticed me puzzling over my map and offered directions. 4. A luscious assortment of fresh fruit in street stalls including strawberries amd blackberries. 5. Other westerners are rarissimo! 6. Uggs are also a craze here. 7.Roast sweet potatoes sold on streetcorners. 8. Guards at Tian’men square pose for pictures with tourists. 9. Baggage xray to board a metro just like the airport! 10. Most furniture in the forbidden city was spirited out by the British and Chiang Kai Chek.