TDMLife - World Travel on the Cheap, Todd Collins and Maggie RuddyTDMLIFE.COM  
TDMLife - one world, one couple, one country at a time!

photography, comp photos, composition photos, marketing photography, marketing quality, travel photos, beaches, sunsets, countries, cultures, peoples, unique photos, brand awareness, royalty-free photos, free clipart, global marketing
travel, world tour, world travel, travelogues, travel essays, travel journals, ordinary people, country reviews, worldwide guide, road novel, travel destinations, country evaluation, American tourist, tourist guides, tips and tricks abroad, American travel safety
TDMLife Adventure Travel, TDMlife Donors, TDMLife Sponsors, sponsor a tour, travel donation, fund an adventure, charitable contributions, backpacking Europe, romantic getaways guide, life on the road, Americans worldwide, Travel checklist, vacation checklist, vacation hotspots, worldwide hotels, travel itinerary
> TDMLIFE Home Page
TDM Life, TDM Marketing, TDMLife, Travel Marketing, Photo Gallery, World tour Photos, Comp Photos, Vacation Pictures marketing quality, Free Clip Art, Free Maps, Free Tour Guides
> Help Fund the Adventure
Free Travel Guides, Adventure Travel, Camping Tips, Machu Picchu, Malaysia, Match.Com Success Stories, Mount Everest exploration, National Geographic, Nepal, Nuk Tuk, Outdoors Travel, Safety Overseas, Travel Abroad, Romantic Getaways, Sea Kayaking
> Updated Journal Entries
Safety Americans in Southeast Asia, Travel Itinerary, World Travel Tips, Trekking, World Tour, World Travel, Worldwide Adventure, Around The World, Managing Asthma Abroad, Backpacking, Backpacking checklist, Backpacking Stove, Hiking Tent, Base Camp, Camping Mattress
> About Todd & Maggie
Cool Places To Go, Cycling New Zealand, Exotic Romantic, Expedition Backpack, Fun Vacation, Funny Vacation Stories, GPS Hiking, wilderness, Great Escapes, GSM Phones, cell phone rental travel, Hiking boots, Hiking Poles, Katmandu, Last Minute Travel Preparation
> Our Getaway Itinerary
Mountain Biking, New Zealand Bicycle Tour, New Zealand Biking, REI, African Safari, South Africa, South Africa Travel Guide, South America Travel Guide, Southwest Asia Travel Tips, Thermarest, Travel Diary, Travel Journals, Travel To The Orient
> Where are They Now...?
Vacation Checklist, Best Beaches in the world, Belize Travel, Best Travel Deals, Travel Cambodia, CDC Travel, Daypack, Funny Photos, Group Travel Discounts, Holiday Vacation Hotspots, Hong Kong, Kelty, Travel Malaria, National Monuments, National Parks and Recreation
> Contributors & Sponsors
National Treasures, Recommended Outdoor Apparel, Outdoor Gear, Outdoor Living, Personal Guide Air Travel, Rain Gear, Recreation Worldwide, Thailand for Americans, Tour Sponsorships, Tour The World Free, Touring Bicycle, Touring Bikes, Travelogue, American Travel Vietnam, Travel Water filter
> Photography (Buy Option)
white Water Rafting, Charitable Contributions, Charity Benefit, Family Vacation Hints, Free Family Vacation, Horseback Riding, Humanitarian Aid, Independent Reports, Travelogue, Mountain Climbing, Sponsored Vacations, Vacation Packages











 Maggie Ruddy, TDM Life, TDM Marketing, TDMLife, TDMMarketing, Todd Collins, Todo Del Mundo, Travel Marketing, Where Are They Now, Adventure Travel, Astralplane, Away.Com, Birth control patch, Camping Tips, Canon, Chaco, Dana Design, Fodors, Frommers, Gear List, Gear Reviews, Handspring, Iowa Thin Film Technologies, Large Backpack, Light Weight Gear, Lonely Planet, Machu Picchu, Malaysia, Match.Com Couples, Match.Com Success Story Mattress Pad, Mount Everest, MSR, National Geographic, Nepal, Nuk Tuk, Online Dating Success, Online Dating Success Story, Online Dating Testimonials, Ortho Evra, Our Journey, Outdoors Travel, OverseasSafety, ListPowerFilm, Powershot G, Powershot S, Princeton Tec, Pur, Romantic Getaways, Sea Kayaking, Seven wonders, Sierra Design, Smartwool, Smith Sunglasses, Southeast Asia, Travel Itinerary, Travel Tips, Trekking, Treo 600, World Tour, World Travel, Worldwide Adventure, Advair, Around The World Asthma Abroad, Asthma Relief, Asthma Treatment, Backpacking, Backpacking list, Backpacking Stove, Backpacking Tent, Backpacks, Base Camp, Bibler, Blowfish, Brunton, Camel Back, Camping Mattress, Campmor, Clip 3 CD, Control Asthma, Cool Places To Go, Cycling New Zealand, Exotic Romantic, Expedition Backpack, Fun Vacation, Funny Stories, Garmin, Gary Fisher, Gorp.Com, GPS, Great Escapes, GSM Phones, Hiking boots, Hiking Poles, Iexplore, Integrated Solar, Journals, Katmandu, Last Minute Preparation, Managing Asthma
Marmot, Mountain Biking, Mountainsmith, New Zealand Bicycle Tour, New Zealand Biking Tours, Our Journals, REI, Safari African, Severe Asthmatic, South Africa, South Africa Guide, South America, Southwest Asia, Therm a rest, Thermarest, Therm-a-rest, Travel Diary, Travel Journals, Travel To The Orient, Vacation Checklist, Whisperlight, World Best Beaches, Arc'Teryx, Belize, Best Travel Deals, Cambodia, Camera, CDC, Clipart, Comp Photo, Daypack, Famous Places, Free Clip Art, Free Maps, Free Tour Guides, Free Travel Guides, Funny Photos
Featured Sponsor
Group Travel Discounts, Holiday Vacation Hotspots, Hong Kong, Kelty, Komperdell, La Sportiva, Magellan, Malaria, Mountain Hardwear, Mule, National Monuments, National Parks Recreation, National Treasures, Online Maps, Outdoor Apparel, Outdoor Gear, Outdoor Living, Personal Guide Air Travel, Petzl, Photo Gallery, Photos, Pictures, Rain Gear, Recreation Worldwide, Sleeping Bag, Specialized, Sundance Solar, Suunto, Teva, Thailand, Tour Sponsorships, Tour The World Free, Touring Bicycle, Touring Bikes, Travelogue, Vietnam, Water filter, Water Rafting, Charitable Contributions, Charity Benefit, Family Vacations, Free Family Vacation, Horseback Riding, Humanitarian Aid, Independent Reports, Rock Mountain Climbing, Sierra Trading Post, Sponsored Vacations, Vacation Packages
You Should Be Here - Contact TDMLife Today to Find out how to Become out Premium Advertised Sponsor!

TDM Life and TDM Marketing are your source for all your sales and marketing surveys, assessments, ROI calculators, consultations, on-site demonstrations, marketing collateral pieces, marketing copy, sales literature, and more!

05.02.2005      -- BEIJING - CHINA --

Great Walls of Fire...


The last couple days have been nutty. We went up to the Great Wall and hiked on it for 9 km or 5+ miles. We hope to get some pictures on the site soon. Funny part of the great wall is we had a couple shadows. The locals try to sell you stuff while you on the wall and some of them "adopt" you and follow you for miles. We had 2 women "stuck" to us. We tried to pass them off to other foreigners and they were trying to do the same to us. Made for a great international game. Eventually, they were not allowed to go further without paying a fee ... and this is when the hard sell came... after several "no's", they said "just buy one and I will go".

Today we were at the Summer palace and a similar situation happened where a young woman followed us in a art store within the palace grounds and another young woman asked if we wanted a picture (a couple times) ... we said no thank you and she said something terse in chinese. After she said it, Todd said out loud "that wasn't very nice". The young woman following us said "do you speak chinese?". The comment must not have been favorable.

We took our lives into our own hands a couple days ago... that is, we spent a day cycling the unbelievably crazy streets of Beijing. Maggie has bruises on her knees from hitting them on the handlebars so many times - they do not make bikes for tall people here. The traffic here is not for the faint of heart... everyone for themselves. The yellow and white lines are merely a suggestion. Passing on the right is a common occurance even if there is not a lane (only shoulder) on the right. While we made it through the day, we probably shaved a couple years off our hearts.

We have met some great people. Cheryl and Hector on the wall. Astrid and Soren, Lynn and Jim, Alex and Enrica (sp?) at the hostel. Another Cheryl from Scotland at the hostel. She was a hoot. We had dinner with Phil and Christine this evening - a dinner date with people we met at the Summer Palace today.

-- Todd & Maggie

############
© 2004 - All Rights Reserved. Design & Engine by The Chiron Group, Inc.