And here's the second update I sent, which was aptly named "update 2 from china."

well... i'm finally connected. right now, i'm sitting in an internet cafe... a really grubby internet cafe, but hey, who cares, it functions. my friends are very great and very generous, but it's nice to have some time on my own. as you can imagine, moving around is difficult when you can't speak the language (though my friends tell me my pronunciation of mandarin is very good.. who knew?), so in the next few hours my only goals are a) find the internet cafe -- woo hoo! first goal accomplished! 2) find the english language bookstore because i'm getting desperate for our language and 3) buy a beer. Yes, i know that last one isn't too lofty of a goal, but it's soooo hot and muggy here and a beer right now sounds like nirvana. The past few days have been very eventful, so i'm not sure i'll remember everything. I flew from Beijing to Chengdu to meet my friends, Tao and Lisa. After my introduction to Sichuan food -- holy moly this stuff is hot, but soooo good -- we left for a 3 1/2 hour car trip to Chongqing. (pronounced Chong-Ching) Let me tell you something I learned... that cliche about Asian drivers in the States... now I totally understand where they're coming from. Driving here is totally different. There are no rules. Nobody stops for you no matter what. Pedestrians have no right of way and quite frankly I think they're considered targets. Oh and when i say no rules, I mean no rules. Someone told me they saw a car jump a curb one time and start driving on the sidewalk. Forget it... i will not even attempt to get behind the wheel of a car here. No way.

Jet lag is brutal. Really brutal. I've been here almost a week and my body has just now adjusted. All those tricks -- drink water, get sunshine, melantonin -- yeah, they're BS... you just have to ride it out.

I had my first Asian massage. (Get your mind out of the gutters! You've watched too many movies!!) Actually, it was a foot washing and massage. We went to this place (that stays open 24 hours a day -- I swear the Chinese don't sleep) and spent probably over 2 hours there. We had a snack, some tea, and watched TV while our very own Chinese attendant bathed our feet in hot water and then massaged them. But foot massage is really a misnomer because they also rub your legs, arms and back. It was very very nice.

Speaking of service in China... it's amazing. I haven't touched my bags since I got here or opened a door. And it's not just the service... the people here are very nice and very welcoming. i don't think i've ever felt so welcomed in a country i've visited. really.

Also, I went with Tao and Lisa to Chongqing University where I helped judge an English competition. Now... the Chinese students take this very very seriously. I was told that winning one of these competitions can mean an extra $100,000 over the course of the students professional career. It was a fun experience and also quite an ego boost. A lot of the kids came up to me after the competition and said "oooohhh, can I take a picture with you?!" Despite the fact that most of these kids watch TV and surf the internet, blonde hair and blue eyes is still a novelty in real life. :)

Back to the food... since this is a topic near and dear to my heart. I gotta say... I think I'll get tired of this... I mean it's really good, but it's like tiptoeing through a mine field everytime I sit down to dinner. I think: Hmmm... that looks good. I'll try it. So, i reach out with my chopsticks and grab it only to discover there are "undesirable" parts still attached -- eyes, skin, feet... you get the idea. And as for the rules I read before I left, I've almost broken all of them. I've eaten raw vegetables and eaten in little cafes that don't look terribly clean. I haven't drunk the water though. That one, not even a chinese person would do.

Well, that's it for now... I'm off to Shanghai on the 19th, but for now I get to wander around Chengdu and maybe go hang with some pandas. Oh... and a little tip for those of you looking to make some easy money. The value of the Chinese yuan is about to be changed. Without going into the details, this means if you convert some dollars into yuan, you'll make money when the yuan changes. Then you convert back to dollars. I know this doesn't sound clear, but trust me on this. Tao (who owns a lot of businesses) is going to put most of his american money into yuan. But do it soon, because the media said it might happen next week.

Hugs and kisses from China...
Angela