First Day on the Silk Road Trip

We're currently in the bus, driving from Lanzhou to Bingling Temple. The pollution in this place is worse than Beijing. Ridiculous. At least in Beijing, you can't really smell the pollution. Here it makes one ill just to breathe, it smells so odd. The retirement age here is super young, 50 for men, 45 for women, because of the health risk of living in this area... My God! It immediately got clear, sunny and green. I've never seen anything like it! Just driving along in pollution then, BAM, loveliness.

Top 3 Experiences of the Day:
1. I was asked to hold (or, rather, I was handed) a baby for pictures. Ewwww. Split pants.
2. I was "petted" (on the arm) by a security guard who wanted my phone number (why is it that just about every culture but my own likes my pale skin???)
3. During dinner, a drunk china man put his kid on the lazy susan an started spinning it, resulting in the kid running in place on the table. Ah, a Chinese treadmill.