I slept super late today: noon, about eleven hours. Last night we went to the lake district to try to view the full moon. Of course, no one saw any hint of the moon through the pollution. Y said she heard Chinese people joking about it. One guy said that he was seeing 3 or 4 moons.

The lake district was heretofore undeveloped. The lake itself, just north and west of the Forbidden City (the center of the universe) is man-made, supposedly by Kublai Khan. Or Genghis—I don't have the guide book handy. Anyway, it's OLD. But in the last year or so, crusty cheapo tourist stands have been replaced with trendy bars and nightspots. A Starbucks now greets you at the entrance.

This is just a trip. Say it: " * bo kse."

I ordered an americano with chocolate in the language of Starbucks ("with one pump of chocolate") and the information exchange was seamless. I had a harder understanding that it would cost me 3 kuai more.

We sat outside with Y's friend J and people watched. Lots of trendy Chinese and tourists from everywhere. Later we went into a bar/teahouse and drank Chrysanthemum tea. All the places use the thermoses like the blue one I have.

These places were lit with vibrant red lamps and they ringed the lake. The lights were very pretty and you could also see the little lights on paddleboats being paddled by nightgoers.

We didn't leave till midnight.

Today we were going to go to Tiananmen Square, but it was closed. Well, Mao was closed. Apparently some big thing is going on for the 55th anniversary of something—probably victory—later this week. Mao is only open tomorrow morning. I'm not particularly excited to see Mao's corpse—or what passes as Mao's corpse—but I like the freakshow aspect, so I guess I'll give it a shot.

The restaurant occupies an old estate house.

Y took me to a nearby restaurant for lunch. It's called The Orchard and she says it's like any high-scale restaurant in California, which it is, except this one is *in China.* The place is indeed in an apple orchard. It's an old estate house that's been preserved and converted to fine, organic-only dining. A German woman and a Chinese man own it. Lots of expats were there. I liked seeing the old architecture.

Note the fat speakers and decidedly unChinese decorations.

Afterward we took a long trip into town to visit a teahouse. It's hard to find authenticity on short notice, so I felt a little bad to pack Y, T, and the maid into the car for such a quest. But once it was initiated, I couldn't stop it. Traffic was bad, the air quality worse, and the tea selection poor. It's better just to get tea in the tea house in the Chinese garden in Portland. I drank puer and it was fine. The place was mostly authentic-looking and T found it intriguing at least. I enjoyed the drive as I haven't had much opportunity to just see Beijing.

For example, Microsoft occupies a high-flying monolith, and iPod ads scream huge and pink and green through the yellow haze. I asked Y if iPods were as expensive here as in the States, or whether U.S. and European people pay more so that the Chinese can have them for less. She didn't know. I'll ask A when he returns.

Y also told me an interesting anecdote she heard from the general manager of the Ikea store here. He said that when he was hiring security guards, he would ask every candidate about the most challenging security situation they had ever handled. One man, who was a security guard for a hotel in Shanghai, said that his most challenging task was to discreetly dispose of dead prostitutes.

Tonight we are home and I had leftover Indian food for dinner. Tomorrow might be a long day. I hope to get to Tiananmen Square at 8:30, when it opens. Perhaps I'll try to visit a tea shop that I just found online, or the one I visited the last time I was here....

Speaking of, the last time I was here, Tiananmen Square and the area around it were all torn up. The streets for blocks were dustbowls of construction. Now, enormous new buildings skirt newly paved streets. It's amazing. You can see where the old gray brick buildings that constitute my memory of the city have been razed and swiftly replaced.

In the afternoon, I'm going to the Great Wall. I'll be traveling alone, with the driver. The drive is about 1.5 hours each way.