First order of the day is to make a loss report - 我们到东城分局派出所保失钱包。 Before going to the police station I look around the area where we alighted from the cab the night before. Finding nothing of interest that gives me a clue where the wallet might have been I say a little prayer for the speedy recovery of my wallet.
After making my statement to the cop we have to go to another police department in a different part of Beijing in order to get an English version of the police report. 为外国人报失物件的地方来出一张财物报失证明。
After mucking around with the reporting systems for 3 hours we are hungry and decide to go for some food at 2pm at 权金城国瑞店韩国餐. Xiao Zhang orders 辣白菜五花肉石锅饭， SM 吾桑格辣香面 and I the 辣牛小排拉面； to reward ourselves for a job well done at the police station.
午餐过候 Xiao Zhang 带咱们去买DVD和CD。感觉上没找到适合的二胡和古筝音乐CD， 所以只买了套北京最新的DVD - 金太狼的生活， 给妈妈； 希望她会喜欢。
这西贝功夫鱼（special braised fish）真好吃， 骨酥肉紧。
石磨豆腐 （home made fresh tofu) - 吃得出来它的纯真点; very organic taste.
包菜抄粉丝
封缸肉烩小白菜
香菇焖高原鸡 - lovely dish，organic and tasty
Open kitchen concept - one can see what the chef is cooking
This restaurant is definitely one of our top 3 restaurants. The decor is nice and warm, the food excellent, and the service prompt and attentive.
R gets an sms before we begin our dinner from a lady who found my wallet at a stairwell at work in an apartment block some 7km from where we alighted from the cab the night before. We tee up with 宋佳佳 to meet her at her work place in 广渠门街 after dinner.
She says, "Normally I use the lift but this morning I do not know why I decided to walk up to my work place. I found your wallet and in there it had a Chinese business card and so I sent a text message to you." It turns out I had gotten R's business card in Xi'an the same day and had left it in my wallet.
I check the wallet and everything is in there （credit card， drivers licence） except some cash, which we knew would be gone anyway.
Putting 2 and 2 together we surmise that a passenger would have hailed the same cab after us; and got dropped off at or near his home. He took my wallet left in the cab, emptied it of the cash and chucked the wallet in the stairwell.
宋佳佳说这是举手之勞而以还不接受我的保酬。我跟她说，“今天早上我祈了个祷希望能找回我的钱包”。宋佳佳回答我说，“哦那我们可是主的兄妹！真的可喜呀！”
感谢主为我安排这奇迹！也要再多谢宋佳佳。I mean, how many Christians are there in Beijing?!
So a happy ending after all..... A lesson learned and I hope a lesson that will stick. My top take aways are:-
1) After taking money out of my wallet put the wallet back to where it was, immediately; regardless of how I feel at the time.
2) Always keep the wallet on me in a standard way e.g. if it is my learnt practice to keep it in a front trousers/jeans pocket then keep it that way always.
3) Keep a contact note in the wallet e.g. my business card or a "If found, please contact" note.
4) When traveling I normally keep foreign currencies in a separate location from the wallet I use for day-to-day expenses.
5) Always double check where my wallet is after paying for purchases.
5) Always double check where my wallet is after paying for purchases.
6) Believe in God and miracles.
Nothing much is done today as a tourist but certainly we enjoy some good cooking, recover a wallet, and meet a lovely soul. It could be said this is the best day of my trip to Beijing.
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