5:30 PM Nick left this afternoon to return to the States. He’ll fly to Chicago, change planes, and fly on Birmingham. He and Mark and Dave have had a blast hanging out together. I don’t think this will be his last trip to China.12:56 PM I’ve already commented on the traffic. Just one more word. I thought d …
3:15 PM Today we saw three different sides of contemporary Beijing. First we visited the mausoleum in Tiananmen Square where the body of Mao Zedong is preserved (thirty years after his death) for viewing behind a glass enclosure. The guards informed us that absolutely no pictures were allowed. Before entering the building, …
4:29 PM CNN says the temp in Beijing is 32 and the skies are smoky. That’s a pretty good description of the air quality most of the time.4:17 PM Today we had lunch with a man who has a very broad view of China. When asked about the church in China, he said, “Everything you hear is true somewhere.” Remember that China …
8:31 PM Some general comments . . . Beijing is the most polluted city I’ve ever visited. Much worse than Los Angeles where we lived for almost five years. Most days a heavy gray pall rests over the entire city . . . Marlene noted that the traffic seems worse this year . . . People wonder about the status of the Christ …
3:23 PM Tonight we’re eating supper at Peter’s Tex-Mex Grill, the best Tex-Mex restaurant in Beijing, which is presumably a small category. 3:16 PM We spent last night at the Holiday Inn Chang An West. I think it was a very nice hotel but we were so tired that we didn’t have a chance to enjoy much of it. I …
The TV at the Beijing hotel where we are staying tonight has about 45 channels. Most are Chinese, of course, and it seems as if you can find counterparts for every sort of channel you find on an American cable system, including game shows, soap operas, music videos, movie channels, and so on. There are a few English-languag …
7:13 PM The weather in Buffalo changed dramatically overnight. A cold front hit, dropping temps into the low 20s. The day started with rain that turned to blowing snow and ice. The low tonight should be around 17.7:06 PM Last year I made a list of all the last-second things that had to be done before leaving for China the n …
3:46 PM I’m writing this note from the lobby of the Holiday Inn somewhere east of Buffalo, New York. Buffalo in January is supposed to be cold and snowy. Very snowy. Not this year. The weather here is a lot like Tupelo, a little colder but not much. I didn’t see a bit of snow on the ground as the plane landed.I& …
6:54 PM We’re in the countdown for our China trip. Here’s the latest Beijing weather forecast. That’s a lot colder than Tupelo. We heard (via IM from Mark) that Nick arrived in China early this morning. But he forgot to pack his shoes and his winter coat. So he’s wearing moccasins and a sweater, head …
5:17 PM Just found out that I will be interviewed by Mark Elfstrand tomorrow morning on WMBI, 90.1 FM, at 7:45 CDT.