Beijing and Qingdao, China [July 2008]

I started out my trip in Beijing, which was getting ready to host the Olympic games.

My friend, Anna Michel, was working in Beijing and took a day off to hike the Great Wall with me from Jinshanling to Simatai.

I then went to Qingdao, a city on the Yellow Sea (part of the East China Sea). This city will host the Olympic sailing events.

I was in Qingdao for a conference at the Ocean University of China. One afternoon, I visited the Qingdao Aquarium.

Qingdao is known in China for its seafood and around the world for Tsingtao beer.