Saturday, April 19, 2008

Beijing!

We all made it to Beijing safely, and there was a happy reunion of friends at the beautiful new "Days Inn Forbidden City". Unfortunately, they were also tired friends, so it was an early night, anticipating a long next day touring the city. Also, Jim was stressing about getting laundry done.

First stop: The Juyongguan Pass section of the Great Wall (closest to Beijing).


One intrepid group of travelers stepped it up to tackle the challenging climb the wall presents.



It was then on to the Ming Tombs. Jim warned the boys that it might be a bit "boring" for them, but it looks like they were having a good time. (Nuse, our guide, is a lot of fun, if you cannot gather that from the video clip below).






It's been a long day, full of activities and adventures, including the Great Wall, a cloisine (sp?) factory, the Ming Tombs, a Peking duck dinner, and an evening show featuring the Peking acrobats. We started at 8 am, and didn't get back to the hotel until 9:30 pm.
Tomorrow, an easier day, and more news, views, clips and quips.

2 comments:

Yeh Lao said...

Jim, while you're in Beijing, may be you can visit the newly renovated Gongwangfu, the residence of Prince Gong?

Excellent travelogue!

Jim Hohman and Dick Reid said...

Hi Simon - I wish we could. Today it rained, tomorrow we are chock-a-block with activities until we board the late evening train for Xi'an.

Today (sigh) was a wash-out: we tramped thru Tianan'men Square and the Forbidden City in a downpour, and at a quick pace. A group of intrepid souls ventured out after lunch to the Temple of Heaven and some silk shopping, but yours truly wishes to remember the Temple of Heaven as the sunny, tranquil park-like spot full of families out for a stroll, old men playing cards and games (was it chess? checkers?), on a windy day.