Could there be a worse Monday morning? The milky haze that blankets beijing is hot and sour. It’s the worst weather we’ve seen in the past week. On the day we went to the wall, we could see the mountains, which is unusual at any time of year.

But this is even bad for summer, which is often foggy. We can’t see buildings on the next block. It’s oppressive and stifling.

Unfortunately this is also the morning we set aside to do the major Beijing sights: Temple of Heaven, Tienanmen square and the Forbidden City. Trish wilts seconds after we get out of the cab at the Temple of Heaven. Beijing isn’t making it easy on our last day.

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Beijing has been usually cloudy and smoggy this past week. It’s normally a hazy city but apparently the rains have been much heavier this year.

Blue skies overhead and a view to the mountains is better than I could have asked for on our big day to the Great Wall. The view out our hotel window is beautiful.

Mr. Zhang, our driver for the day, picks us up at 7am and begins the 2+ hour drive to our destination, the tiny village (even by Chinese standards) of Xizhazi (Shi-zah-zde).

He’s a cheery guy and speaks much better English than I expected for someone in a green and yellow Beijing Taxi. He’s a neighbor of our friends in Beijing, and agreed to do the day for a discounted price.

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The hotel made a mistake when it gave us free breakfasts and evening appetizers.  Not only do we look like scruffy barbarians from Dunhuang, we eat  like them too.  We, the hungry wolves, scarf down fresh fruit, cereal with skim milk and brewed coffee like it’s our last meal.   And in the evening, everyone fills up on the appetizer-ish food in liu of a full dinner.

It’s not that we are trying to save money.  Food in China isn’t expensive.  But the girls have struggled to eat here.  At most Chinese restaurants Emma eats only plain rice (‘with no salt’ as she reminds us) and Lily eats a little pork dumpling and fried rice.  Finding and ordering a meal takes a fair amount of time away from other activities, which include working a lot this week.  We’d rather save the time.

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Perhaps we have left the best for last, but we all regret that our week across the country of  China is over.  Today we head to the capital, Beijing, and it will be completely different than anything we have seen so far, especially rural Yangshuo and Dunhuang which we loved.

And it means I have to work more.  I’ve been working on the road a few hours a day, but in Beijing it will be very busy  - at least until the weekend.

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