Miscellaneous

These pictures are some extras I had. Basically, I'm still missing a roll of film from the latter half of our trip to the Ming Tombs, as well as our whole day in the Forbidden City. So, until I get those pics done, these are going to have be in a vague category of miscellaneous.
The top pic of is of me outside The FRIENDSHIP STORE! In reality, it's sort of a tourist trap with tons of souvenirs that our guide really REALLY wanted us to buy from. Problem is ... I wasn't really in the market for souvenirs. I came to Beijing to see the sights, and didn't really need any silk or jade. (Especially since I can get silk or jade easily enough in Hong Kong). Still, the place is named the FRIENDSHIP Store, so I had to get a picture of me, the creator of SUPERCHUM, outside the FRIENDHSIP Store for posterity's sake. Standing with me is our guide's sister. She was actually our guide that day, because the regular guide called in sick. She was a whole lot of fun to talk to during that day's events. She's an English teacher, so she was really curious about me and Jake and our home and what life is like in the states. Plus, she provided a lot of information for us on what her life is like and her family. A real cultural exchange, if you will.
The middle pic in this row is a big shot of the Ming Tombs. This place was really nice. Very peaceful, very beautiful. I actually found the Ming Tombs to be just as impressive as the Forbidden City (probably because the tombs were a bit more out of the way, and these days, the Forbidden City doesn't seem so FORBIDDEN anymore, now that it's this huge tourist attraction).
And the final pic in this row is one of my favorites. It's of me standing in front of a sign at the Ming Tombs that says "No Drawing" ... our guide couldn't figure out why we wanted this picture at all, even though I'd tried explaining I was an artist. But at least Jake and I totally got the IRONY of it all.

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