Wednesday, April 2, 2008

I'm Here!

I am posting this from the Gui Shan Hotel in Guilin, China. I slept for about 6 hours last night, after having been awake for most of the previous 28 hours. I'm feeling much better than I thought I would! We're heading out soon for our first painting adventure, a village on the Li River. It's chilly and overcast (though probably not as chilly as Chicago).

The biggest challenge so far was the lack of heat in our room last night. Things improved once we figured out how to turn off the cold air that was blowing in, but pressing the button for heat had no effect. We are surmising it is part of China's campaign to cut down on pollution by reducing energy usage before the Olympics.

I saw an early Olympic event last night between the airport and the hotel. It consists of people on motor scooters darting in and out of traffic. I think they get technical difficulty points for coming the closest to large trucks and buses and for doing the most unexpected (read "against or across the flow of traffic") moves. The winner is probably the one who stays alive the longest. I'm not sure how they award silver or bronze medals. That ceremony must take place in the hospital emergency room. Truly a marvel to watch the bravado of these cyclists!


Well, I spoke too soon. In the few minutes that I've been sitting here, my brain has begun to freeze up and my body is acting like it's almost bedtime - which it would be if I were in Chicago. (For reference, we are thirteen hours ahead of Chicago time.)

I hope to be able to post again soon.