China on our Own

On Monday we finally got on the United flight. Because we were a rebook, we ended up at the back of the plane in the middle seats. For 13 hours we were not able to see anything! 2 meals and a snack later, after 3 movies we arrived at the very impressive Beijing airport. Of course we had already missed the flight to the Terra Cotta warriors.
We were met at the airport by Bessy from the tour company and taken to the Beijing hotel. When asked what do we do now she answered "Free Time for 2 days". after checking in we wandered to Tiemanen Square and the Forbidden city. After all the time changes we were pretty tired.
The next day during "Free Time" we went to the silk market. 5 floors of vendors all selling the same stuff. The aisles were very narrow and the stalls about 10 feet wide. Every vendor began yelling for attention and offering a special price. They also would grab you as you went by. Funny that the Chinese people were not bothered. I looked at a belt that started at 375 local currency and ended up paying 40 for it. Judy bought a few small items. After that it was over to the Temple of the Sun for a look, following down embassy row and finally a stop for a Yanglin beer. The restaurant (off the tourist trap) did not understand the order for beer and a tea. We did manage. Back to the hotel and finally our for Chinese food at a courtyard restaurant. It was excellent. That was about it for our first full day in China