And that was it. Thursday morning we flew back to Beijing, Friday was spent at yet another temple... it's supposed to be a wonder of acoustic architecture. I'm sure we would have been suitably impressed had we not arrived at the same time as six other tour groups, and one aspiring yodeller.

Friday evening was capped off by a trip to the Beijing Hard Rock Cafe. It looked just like every other Hard Rock you've ever seen. Amazingly, we were not ejected when they caught Mike and I playing Target Practice with the complimentary snacks. (They did, however, confiscate the popcorn.) After dinner, Rich and I thrashed our way out onto the dance floor. It was just like this hip club we went to in Madrid, except all the people looked exactly like us, and had no rhythm whatsoever. Hmm, we look the same but boy, are we dancing to a different beat. Now there's an appropriately cheesy analogy for an ABC travelling in China.

Saturday morning we did some high speed shopping. Note to shoppers: cheap goods alert! Cheap goods alert! Talk about a reality check - just wait until you see what goods cost on the street in Beijing. Just chant "needless markup" to yourself as you shop. Upon return to the US, you will laugh openly in the face of mall retailers. It is *worth* paying seventy bucks freight for an extra suitcase, and pack that sucker until the seams stretch. Believe it.