There seems to be some confusion about my time in Beijing...I am not in total agony here. It is not the city of misery. Yes, it's been quite challenging, and there have been so many frustrating moments, I've lost count. Yes, it's filthy in almost every area, and carries the loudest continual level of noise I've ever been exposed to. Yes, my nerves are fried and I daydream of mountaintops with clean air. Yes, stools have been broken and I've had a cold that landed me in bed all day without the comforts of home. But there's humor in all of that. It borders on the ridiculous, in fact.

However, this doesn't mean I'm at all ungrateful for the experience. On the contrary, I deeply value the learning opportunities I've found here ( in life and in my field of Chinese medicine) and treasure seeing a part of the world that is as foreign to me as I am to it. I'm tired, yes, and the difficulties I face on a daily basis don't do much to cure that. And, yes, I miss my home and family. But this trip has been worth it. One can't forget to be grateful.

The Lama Temple, in the heart of Beijing. An active temple, this site is frequented by many practicing Buddhists. Bundles of incense are offered to several "house of three Buddhas", with each building housing larger Buddhas in succession--until, at last, you reach the final building, home to the 60 foot Buddha carved from a single piece of white sandalwood. One cannot help but drop to their knees in response. Unfortunately, no photography was allowed inside any of the temples. So, you have to take my word for it--even though there are no words to accurately describe it.

The Great Wall was just that. Breathtaking in its vastness. It was a cool and hazy day, difficult to see anything but the outline of the serpentine form as it trailed along the mountains, but awe-inspiring nonetheless. Even with the circus of vendors and tourists, there was an ancient stillness to the place, especially amongst the maze of temples at the base. In fairness, there were few tourists there--they had silently agreed to ascend the steep climb (with 1 1/2 foot stairs at a sharp angle upwards) at once, leaving the lowly temples virtually untouched. I could have stayed there for hours. The chaos lifted, just for a moment, and I entered timelessness. It was incredible. Sure,the wall rose above me, offering the power that height affords. But if I'd had the time, I would have chosen the deserted, ancient halls, one after the other, each honoring a different deity, hugging the ground in absolute humility.

Top left: the view down after climbing

Top right: the view on the way up

Bottom left: the great wall from a distance--hazy day

Bottom right: a bell outside a Buddhist temple at the base of the Wall.