Hard Rain in downtown Beijing flooded a couple streets.
It was especially fun to see how bikers rode through it.
Ben, Joni, and I went to the Great Wall at Simatai a section a bit farther out and somewhat unrestored. We hiked from Simatai to Jinshanling another section of the wall. This is a picture from the end of our trip where Ben for some reason, in a country with no safety codes, decided to take this wee piece of wire, other wise called a zip line down to the bottom.
Granted the zip line looked faster and took less effort both Ben and I reached the bottom at the same time due to a slow moving boat he then had to take to the exit.
The Great Wall at Simatai.
The bridge before the exit guarded by a man that you had to pay an extra two yuan to. (That makes a grand total of three people at different intervals you have to pay to hike one section of the wall)
Steep.
Climbing.
Ben with sand in his eyes from the wind at one of the towers.
Me with some crazy hair as it gets later in the day and I am getting tired.

Ben also tired.
Me poking my head out (if you look to the right of the arching bricks really hard). These are stairs leading down.
Me trying to fend off one of the people trying to sell us things. This was the section that had the most hawkers I have ever witnessed. And its not necessarily things they are trying to sell you. We had about four people who tried to hike along side us to be our guides. They were not easy to persuade to leave. One persistently followed Joni for about 45 minutes.
The more unrestored section.
In an archway.
Joni and I resting. Despite the clothes Joni is wearing it was stifling hot that day!
Ben viewing the section of the wall we had already climbed.
Ben wondering how much more is ahead.
Joni and I again.
Joni down below. There were strange steps that went way far down and then back up that allowed for side entrances to the wall. Otherwise you could walk on a narrow path along the side of the stairs.
The Great Wall Trash Bins! They read, "recovery" and "no recovery" what ever that means....
The Great Wall trash can and its predecessor, The Great Wall.
A tower.
Ben and the mountains.
Ben and Joni before the climb, looking refreshed and happy!
A sign at the Great Wall park.
Ben drinking Baijo, the really cheap and heavily drunk alcoholic drink that most people in my village liked. It tastes completely artificial with a twinge of jolly rancher and a whole lot of burn! This picture was taken in my favorite restaurant Fei Jia Cun...in the village just a bit away from my studio.
This was taken at a mall when Ben and I were trying to figure out where to pick up our plane tickets and got a little lost. Interesting name for a mall, "Beauty Bar Runway Bling Garden"
Ben outside his mecca, Subway....but no he did not eat there.
This was taken at a photo gallery in the Arts District, Lacey we thought you would appreciate this. Kind of like the project you did at MICA where you wrapped all of your stuff into a gigantic ball, well the bar has been raised, now you have to carry it too.
Naked "Spiral Jetty".
This is Chaoyang Park that Ben and I visited. A really nice city park with lots to do. There is a soccer match going on in this picture.
Ben picking a flower next to the no picking flowers sign.
"strictly prohibit from stride over" sign. Chaoyang park has the best signs of any park I have seen.
Coke machine in the park. Why not?

Immediately children were drawn to the coke machine.
A view of one of the lakes in Chaoyang.
A house in the park.
This is why I love Chaoyang park so much. Everything in it is an emergency. Ben and I even saw an emergency buffet!!!!!With flashing red light and all! AND I AM NOT KIDDING!!!!!!
UFO boat you can rent.

Joni trying duck at DaDong duck restaurant. This is a branch the restaurant of the main one that Shumin took Stain and I to, as well as the place I went with Megan Mauter. The branch restaurant was not as good and the duck was pretty dry. This is Joni trying the duck.
Crazy potato thing. It is some kind of sweet potato thing with plum and it was really sweet.
Stian thought you might appreciate this....a while back Joni gave Stian and I some yogurt in a bag to drink and it made Stian feel a bit ill....hope Joni didn't get us what I found in a drugstore....a yogurt FACE MASK, they look identical!!!!
Some foldable bikes in a window.
Ben and I in a mall that has an ice rink! You can shop and skate at the same time...well kind of.
Some creepy manakin heads.
A picture from the Temple of Heaven park.
Me by some bushes. Now I realize you might not think this is very special, but nature is sort of a hard thing to come by in Beijing so seeing bushes or trees is very exciting.
Ben and I in the Temple of Heaven Park.
Ben and I in the park next to BeHai park.
Roses in the Temple of Heaven.
The Chinese pants. All small children have slits in their pants for easy squatting. None of them wear diapers.
Ben's weepy eye from too much dust. This is when he first arrived and the wind was kicking up a lot of sand and dirt.


An amazing bilboard that just was kind of creepy.
Ben on his first couple hours in Beijing. I made him come with me to eat some Japanese food.
Ellen, a writer who was also in the residency at Red Gate with me. She is holding up a chicken foot in one of our local grocery stores.

A guy's shirt that says, "the company who looks during the night traffic gampaign like lost guild's kitten".