August 25, 2008

Flying now from Beijing to Chunqing. Trip to Terminal 2 at Beijing Airport uneventful. Terminal 3 is the new international terminal which we saw on TV and is beautiful. We landed from the US in this terminal but really didn’t get a chance to see it because our guide picked us up inside. Met in Chunqing by Shirley and taken to the Stilwell Museum in the South District. This was the headquarters for American forces in the Chinese theater. There are numerous pictures of General Stilwell with Chiang Kai Shek, as well as Chairman Mao, as the general was trying to appease both sides during the war. William Manchester has written an excellent book about the general and it is my intent to read it when I get back. We then visited the area called “18 steps”, which is a huge marketplace in the oldest part of the city. It is a fascinating place, full of throngs of people buying and selling anything that walks, talks, or is sown. It is mindful of the market next to the Red Fort in Delhi. It was also the site of a massacre during WWII when it was bombed by the Japanese. We were then returned to the hotel where we had a terrible dinner and went to sleep.