• Day 16: Almost!

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    Cathy By the time we got off the ship, it was about a two-hour bus drive to get all the way into the city.

    Lissa We docked in Tianjin.

    Cathy We all got into our giant shuttle buses to the hotel. It was a long drive, but we enjoyed the scenery and the skyline. This one complex had three buildings that looked like surfboards standing next to each other against the sunset. There was so much construction—they’re getting ready for the Olympics, which only added to the traffic and congestion.

    We all took a picture when we saw this woman pedaling this bicycle with mammoth bags of what looked like Styrofoam. I don’t even know how she could navigate.

    Lissa It was the size of a car or a truck! That’s what I call a wide load, man!

    Cathy The girls were so pooped after the long bus ride. We arrived at the Shangri-la, and it was such a pretty hotel. There was a 30-foot cascade of crystal beads in the lobby. I’m keeping this as an inspiration picture, because I want to do this somewhere. It was so dramatic and pretty and the lighting just made you look 10 years younger!

    Lissa Then we’re definitely putting that up!