part 5

After leaving the elementary school, we hopped back into the pedicabs. Caleb and Ben began to holler again, encouraging their drivers to go faster. When one would pass the other, the one in the lead would shriek with delight.



Our route took us past a frozen lake where people were renting what looked like gliders that they could take out across the ice. Ben was not amused that we could not just stop our tour and go rent one.

We arrived at the home of a local family, and our guide explained to us the significance of the threshold we had to step over (to keep evil spirits out) and the reason why the doorway was painted red. (To signify wealth and luck.) We were able to look around the courtyard a bit and saw this coal stacked up that they were using for the winter.



Since Beijing wants clearer skies by the time the Olympics arrive in 2008, the government has declared that this will be the last winter that people can burn coal for warmth.

I'm not sure what they will do if people live in apartments that don't have electricity for heating. One more frightening prospect that can affect many lives all in the interest of looking good to the world during the Olympics.

We were able to sit and chat with the woman of the household whose husband worked for the post office. Since he was a government employee, his rent on his home was highly subsidized by the government as part of his salary. We were told if he were not a government employee they would not have been able to live there. When asked how much the home would cost if they could purchase it, the guide said that is was very expensive because it was in a prime location in downtown Beijing. I don't think the entire home was more than about 700 square feet. It had a tiny living room, a kitchen and one very tiny bedroom, and the guide said to purchase it would be over $750,000.00 U.S. dollars.

Continued...