Beijing Zoo and Aquarium

What?????

Meiting at the Beijing Aquarium.

This is just a random picture.

Today we went to the Beijing Zoo and Aquarium. We mainly wanted to see the panda's and we were not disappointed. They are so cute and cuddly for ENORMOUS creatures. They have a playfulness about them and are fun to watch. Some of the other creatures were also interesting like the porcupine. It was very sad to see that the condition of some of the animals was quite bad. You can tell the panda's are the favorite and are treated as such. The aquarium was beautiful featuring many exotic fish. It was a great place to visit.
We have learned some interesting things about the Chinese culture. Most are very kind and helpful and are not afraid to ask personal questions. They spit and pick their noses in public. I have gotten used to this and just look away. Very young children wear split pants not diapers. This allows them to squat and go ANYWHERE, and they do. I must have seen a dozen kids "going" in various places. The hardest thing to get used to is the staring. We get stared at ALL of the time. At dinner last night, people were adjusting there seats so they could stare at us and talk about us. We had eaten at the restaurant before so the hostess explained our situation to the WHOLE restaurant. We were trying to be good sports because we know she meant well. She gave Meiting a free plate of sliced tomatoes because she wolfed down a whole plate full a few nights prior. Even the chef came out to watch because they couldn't believe that such a TINY girl could eat so much. I guess they thought it was cute. For lunch on a different day we went to a restaurant that was playing nice Chinese music. The next thing you know, we hear Whitney Houston belt out "I Will Always Love You", Brian Adams "Everything I Do..." and "Moon River". We ARE in China right? Dennis said they were trying to make us feel more comfortable. I wondered if there was a neon sign lit up outside announcing that Americans were NOW eating in their restaurant. It's just weird! I was hoping for more traditional China and all its wonderful customs. Instead we are finding a city that is trying very hard to be Western. It's just sad.