The Best 35 Yuan We’ve Spent Yet…

was on a little blue seat that enables Emily to take BOTH kids on the bike. It required asking around the neighborhood and dragging Emily’s bike, with Miriam in the back seat, through the Golden Five Star Market (like Wal-Mart & Home Depot rolled into one only instead of one big store there is about a zillion little stalls with everyone selling nearly the same type of products). For only 35 Yuan (roughly $4 USD) the mini-Home Depot guy installed the seat, which clamps onto the bottom two bars between the petals and is securely clamped down with at least two large bolts, and we were good to go.

Goodbye stroller trips limited to our courtyard and surrounding neighborhood; Hello great wide world of western Beijing! Em and the kids are now free to move about the city. We are so thankful for an economical mechanism that enables Emily to move around town while I am at work during the day. Stay tuned for the latest Beijing Bicycle adventures for the Meyers!

Our first blue seat bicycle test run was to the Purple Bamboo Gardens (http://www.wcities.com/en/record/,246114/78/record.html/record/,246114/78/record.html), which is the largest park in our immediate vicinity. We enjoyed strolling through the thick stands of bamboo and even found a lotus shaped bench next to one of the lakes. Many of the lotus blossoms were in bloom as well, so that was quite nice. We will have to go back and take a boat ride next time, the options are either a swan shaped boat or one that is shaped like some sort of a Cadillac. As the pictures indicate the kids enjoyed their time in the park as well.



















The other big news this week is that our visas were officially extended until the end of the year. It took no small amount of running around town and innumerable paper work but we are now cleared until the end of the year!

That is all for now.

Blessings!

Joab