Chinatown

So, Danny, thanks for the tribute and here is the real McCoy!!

Some pretty flowers, Mom, why don't you do this instead of the Junipers in the back yard, it wouldn't be so difficult...

"The Great Stone Dragon!"

Some famous gate to some famous Forbidden City!

There is amazing painting on these things and it is all done by hand. Did I mention that this Forbidden city was just the crash pad for the emperors? This place is huge!!! The one in the foreground has not been restored but the one in the background is re-painted every year or so.

I was just imagining the final scene in Mulan, it all just came to life for me

This is me walking around, nice action shot, there was nobody around so my camera was on a pillar with the timer on and I was still trying to get in the shot. I didn't want to do try it again.

Now, I spent two years in Russia, I know communism when I see it. Pictures like this that resemble the times of Stalin and Lenin, yeah, this is a communist country folks. This is on the front gate to the historical Forbbiden City.

Beijing Baby!!! (The woman was just about to ask me to be in a photo with her and to sign my autograph. What I want to know, is why don't people do this in America to me? ha ha

The garden retreat for the emperor, pretty sweet garden that I didn't take pictures of because of the number of people and that my pictures, no matter how pro I am won't do it justice

A cool courtyard, 1 of probably thousands.

"The Great 'Gold' Dragons"

Thought you would like to see this. I call it the 'Mushu Tribute Wall.' I read about it, and it is a weird insignificant 'nine dragon' wall.

One of the corner rowers from the outside and a mote that goes around the entire thing.

A beautiful view of a Park. I want to go up there cause it would be a good view of the Forbbiden City but I didn't make it this time.

One of the many guards here during the Olympics. They are everywhere and all of them are super young. Communism? Sorry, I don't want to judge or anything.

Cool looking Monk-ish looking people that walked by me.

"The Great Golden Tusked Elephant"

Well everyone, in case you couldn't tell, I take amazing photos. As you can see the smog has come back and is a big deal here. It is because there has been excessive cloud cover and bad weather in Hong Kong (typhoon is coming or something) so the pollution is being trapped so they just anounced yesterday that they will be doing more to regulate to keep it a clean environment for the games.

Tonight I have the night shift and if you couldn't tell I had the chance to get out earlier today. It was fun to get out, but kinda lonely to be here alone. I decided to keep my accredidation hidden cause I didn't want any bad attention, but then quickly realized that I was white and a head taller, and have red hair, so I get the attention anyways. I pulled out the accredidation and wore it and that was the best move of the day. At first people started coming up to me wanting to take their picture with me, then people just coming up to me while I'm walking and taking my picture. When I say people, I say Chinese tourists, no big time news cameras or anything. About half of them asked for my autograph as well. Kinda cool I guess.

Then, when I went to go pay to get into the sites, they told me that it was free for me since I have a certain accredidation. Thank you OBS!!! I got into everything for free. So today I only payed for the taxi there and the taxi home which is an expierience in its own not knowing Chinese and them not knowing english. There was a lot of pointing and grunting like in the caveman days. ha ha

Well, the pictures should tell the rest, I'm going to try to blog as much as possible instead of e-mailing, it is more fun here on the blog. You all should try it more often!! (there's your endorsment Danny, now "I know this might be a bad time right now but you owe me $32,000 in legal fees")

Love you all,

Matt