China Visa

My Visa application is on its way to the consulate. Flight & hotel are booked.  Now it's a waiting game.  Even though I've followed all of the Visa instructions to a tee, I'm still nervous for everything to run smoothly.  Denial and I do not get along ...

I picked up a couple guides:  Top 10 Beijing (Eyewitness Travel) and Mandarin Phrasebook (lonely planet).  Hopefully these can help me plan excursions and get around the city. 

Today is the start of China's Mid-Autumn Festival of the Harvest Moon, which really got me thinking about how excited I am to experience their culture!  There's so much color, enthusiasm and tradition that I'm just hoping I'll be able to take it all in without being too overwhelmed.

So far my Mandarin knowledge is quite slim:
Ni hao, ma? = How do you do?
Xie Xie = Thank you