Saturday 17th

Another early start starting with a drive to the Heavenly Temple.  I am surprised that these monuments in China are not better maintained they way they are in Vietnam.  Rocky, our guide, was trying to explain stuff to us but his English is not really up to it so after a while we just kept nodding.

On the way to the entrance there were  lots of people playing games

The things we did manage to understand from Rocky today were:

A dragon outside your building with no ball means you are less powerful with the raised hand indicating begging:

If the dragon outside your home is holding a ball you are powerful.

And a ball and antlers is super-powerful

In the next photo the deer is facing backwards towards a building of an empress.  Deer, it seems, are notoriously difficult to train, so the fact that the deer is facing backwards towards the building shows just how powerful the empress is.

After that we headed off to the Forbidden City along with most of the population of Beijing.  Tip - don't visit on a Saturday.

The Forbidden City is so-called because only the emperor was allowed to enter it (apart from concubines, servants and eunuchs).  Everyone else was forbidden.  Apart from the empress who has her own building.

A lot of smog today but the guide said it was a light day and that we should see it when it really gets bad.

The empress had their own building at the back of the city.  There is a special dragon outside the building with large eyelashes and ears.  This signifies that no-one should look at, or listen to the empress apart from the emperor.

There are some excellent exhibitions inside the Forbidden City but it's a shame that they are not better presented - the whole thing needed a good dusting.  The exhibition of clocks and the stuff about the Silk Road were both really good.

This one shows a daybed of the emperor.  There are two cushions at each end with built-in clocks that played a melody when leaned on.

By now it was getting very humid and the crowds were really big so time for another form of transport.  Time for a spot of exercise before starting off

The look on our driver's face quite clearly says, "why do I get the fat ones".

We were taken round the hutongs before arriving at a restaurant

Good, simple lunch then off to the Summer Palace - the last stop in Beijing.  By this time, everything we saw today was starting to look the same.

This is a 728m corridor which Rocky insisted we take a picture of.

The empress has a marble boat to show her great wealth - well why wouldn't you.  There are mirrors on the inside to reflext the moving water and so give the impression of the boat is floating (well that's the theory).

Then the trip across the lake

Before driving back to the hotel.  Got a great restaurant recommendation from reception.  Have to say that Japanese food is great but when it comes to value for money, the Chinese have it.


Leaving Beijing tomorrow morning.

·      Crazy driving

·      Terrible smog

·      Good food - cheap and big portions

·      People speak to each other like they are having an argument

·      Incredibly hot