Beijing

Our first attraction in China was Tiananmen Square. It was a crisp Spring day with lots of Chinese tourists there. In the new China people have time and money to travel and they make the most of it. We saw tour after tour obediently following the flags, umbrellas, and giant flowers held aloft by their guides. Keeping our group together, however, was like herding squirrels. More than once our guide had to ask, "Where have you been?"

After walking under Mao's giant portrait and through the huge red doors, we entered the Forbidden City. It's good luck to touch the gold knobs on the doors. There are usually 81 knobs because 9 is a lucky number and 9x9 is super lucky.

The Forbidden City is filled with fascinating vistas and exacting restorations of the original buildings. After we left there we went to the old section of town where the courtyard homes called hutongs remain and rode rickshaws into the labyrinth of alleys. They are still preferred by the residents over the ubiquitous apartment buildings. They offer a quiet respite from the hustle bustle of this city of 15 million. Cars simply won't fit through the alleyways, so bicycles, motor scooters and rickshaws create the only traffic.

The government arranges for local families to feed lunch to the tourists. So we arrived at the appointed time, squeezed our group of 14 into a tiny room, and got the best lunch of the whole trip. The food was so fresh and beautifully prepared. The shrimp were delicious and the jasmine tea flowed like water.

The second day we drove from Beijing to the Great Wall at Badaling. The wall is a restoration on the ruins of the original, but even this wall is awesome, steep and worn. Though there was snow lurking in the shady spots at the parking lot, the exertion required to climb the wall quickly made us shed our jackets. There were lots of tourists to make "friends" with; the Chinese seem to love taking photos with American tourists.

In the afternoon we toured the Summer Palace. I can see why the Empress preferred it over the Forbidden City; it's so peaceful and cool and has plants and trees and birds. The long corridor offers a weather proof place to walk and contemplate Kunming Lake.

Our last day in Beijing we toured the Temple of Heaven and saw the Panda bears before heading to the airport for our flight to Xi'an. I think we were about the only foreign tourists at the Panda house. The Chinese people LOVE them and ooh and aah at the slightest movement, which doesn't happen very often because they are so sluggish most of the time. We managed to catch this cute little one just lolling in a tree.

Tomorrow it's on to Xi'an and the Terracotta Warriors.