T minus 1 hour

Well, we're sitting, and we're waiting. Got to Guiyang around noon, checked into the hotel shortly thereafter, and we'll meet our guide to go to get Maggie at 4:30. Stef wanted a Starbucks, so Graham and I went looking. In Beijing, there is a Starbucks about every 100 yards, certainly I could find one here. We walked a couple city blocks...Graham counted over 300 "stares that he saw".

Here is a quote I found on another blog concerning Guiyang:

"For foreigners looking for a somewhat gritty and challenging experience in China that forces them to become self-reliant, develop a taste for spicy food and Baijiu, and learn to live and think like the Chinese, it can be a great adventure."

He goes on to say that for a city its size, Guiyang is so "remote" there isn't even a McDonalds or Starbucks. Oh, well...hoping that isn't the case. Just paid about $7 for a cup of coffee in the hotel, and was told by the bartender to check out the 6th floor. There is a "spa", he told me as he grinned. Apparently I can get something called a wicky wicky...something may be lost in the translation but I think it must be a back rub.

P.S., and on a more serious side, Stef is asking for prayer for sleep and energy. She's been up every night/morning around 3 and can't go back to sleep. She's miserably tired to the point that she's ready to mix medication with wine. Problem is we're about to have s toddler in the room that doesn't like us.

Brook