Saturday, January 03, 2009

Saturday in Beijing

We spent the day with some friends here in Beijing who took us around to some of the things we wanted to see or do. Our main objective was the Pearl Market, where you can buy all kinds of fake stuff like North Face jackets, Coach purses, etc. The top two floors are pearls, and my mom had given me a list of what she wanted. Our friends, Bill and Lynsay, have two blond girls, ages 3 and 4, who got mobbed everywhere we went. At one point, there were four Chinese girls clustered around them with their camera phones a few inches from the girls' faces. Their hair color is such a novelty so everyone wants a picture of them. They are pretty good natured about the paparazzi following them relentlessly.

Here are the girls getting their picture taken with another girl at Tiananmen Square.

And here is the crowd that wanted to take their picture.

Bill and Lynsay are working on getting NGO status so that they can take in Chinese orphans with special needs. They currently have one baby who has some special needs, including feeding problems, and is very malnourished. She spent the day with us and is unbelievably precious.

If you are interested in seeing what Bill and Lynsay are doing in China, here is the link to their website, Hearts for the Fatherless.