I got my bags back on a roll. I'm heading out there and I'm ready to go. Looking real good in my passport photo.

Amateur Traveler episode 193. Today the Amateur Traveler episode 193.

Today the Amateur Traveler goes back to Beijing, China, but this time as an independent traveler.

I got to see one more cathedral. I'm your host Chris Christensen. Before we get into

this week's episode I do have three news stories for you. The first one is a

major oops that's going to cost American Airlines a little bit of money.

One of their airline maintenance workers apparently retracted the landing gear of a plane

while it was still on the tarmac, not a good idea. And the second one was a little

more sad but also an accident. A cruise ship in Alaska, where someone goes, among other

things to spot Wales, actually impaled a fin whale on the bow of the ship.

That's a little too up close and personal.

But then apparently in a gesture to show that there were no hard feelings. A diver recently who was taking part in a free diving contest in northeast China was in a pool that happened to have whales.

She began to drown because she had cramps in her legs

and was brought to the surface by a Beluga whale.

Links to those stories as well as other news stories can be found at the show notes

at amateur traveler.com. I'd like to welcome the show Lee who's come to us

originally from Atlanta and currently from

Chingdao China to talk to us about Northern China. Lee welcome to the show.

Hey Chris, thank you very much. And it's a little strange.

We're going to be talking somewhat starting with Beijing,

and we just dealt with Beijing five episodes ago,

but ask Lea come on and talk,

...