Back to Beijing

Once again, I'm faced with the fact that I'm just not much of a blogger.  I can't seem to make myself sit down and type a post in one sitting.  Usually when I write, I end up typing a couple of pages, then editing the pages, then thinking about what else to write, resulting in several long not-quite-posts and no actual posts for the blog.  As we say around here, "Zen me ban? (What's to be done?)"  Someday, I'll have a novel out of this.

Since my last post, we've returned safely to Beijing.  The weather is incredibly humid, but we were lucky enough to have a real thunderstorm (just like the Midwest!) last night that cooled things off a little bit.  Before I get too far into our adventures in the city, let me give a quick update on the past few weeks.  Over the last few weeks we...

-Traveled the Silk Road - Urumqi-Kashgar-Hotan-back to Kashgar- back to Urumqi-Turpan (I skipped out on this one to spend a day editing an article in the air-conditioned hotel!)-and back to Urumqi.  Keep in mind Xinjiang is about three times the size of France, and check out the red lines on the map!

-Logged two flights (both delayed at one of the world's most uncomfortable airports), a 26 hour train ride in close quarters with three strangers (I have a separate post about this special circle of hell in the works) and an 8 hour bus ride (after which we turned around and took an 8 hour car ride back the next day)

-Got caught in a dust storm in the desert (that was actually pretty cool)

-Spent the night in a hotel with armed troops in the lobby (that was actually kind of scary)

-Spent about a week in a hotel, whose slogan "Tomorrow, we will do better!" was all too true 

-Did several loads of laundry in a hotel bathtub (keeping in mind I mean a bathtub in western Chinese hotel...add some mold and a leaky faucet to that picture in your head)

-Braved many a Chinese breakfast buffet (I love Chinese food, but I have a Western appetite at breakfast)

-Attended a Uyghur wedding in Urumqi with lots of dancing

-Palled around the desert looking for a sign (a literal sign, not a metaphorical sign) that we never found but we are certain exists

-Ate more lamb than I ever thought possible

-Met up with old friends, made new friends, and felt pretty lucky that I know so many amazing people halfway across the world

-Took a ton of pictures

-Drank a lot of tea

-Discovered Texas Cafe, probably the most awesome restaurant in Urumqi

-Watched my husband be ultra productive and

-Generally, had an awesome time.