Day Two - Beijing - Tuesday - 11 March 2014

We awake at 3 am -- so get up -- hopefully this getting up in the middle of the night will settle down soon.  Today we tour Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City.   The square is a very large plaza surrounded by government buildings and Mao's Tomb -- the largest tomb in the world.  Jimmie is a wonderful guide particularly adept at explaining the complicated Chinese history -- and making it interesting for us foreigners.

The Forbidden City is where all the emperors of China lived with their wives, children, concubines and servants (who were all eunuchs).   For 500 years nobody but the several hundred who lived in this vast complex were allowed entry into the Forbidden City -- which was surrounded by a moat and well protected.   Most of the buildings are empty now -- the treasures live in Malaysia.   In the residential buildings furnishings are still in place as if it were 150 years ago -- visitors are invited to peek in the windows to look at these rooms of original furniture in very sorry repair. 

After a busy morning with a lot of walking -- we have a Chinese lunch in one of the hotels.  Our lunch involves a large glass lazy susan in the middle of a round table that usually seats eight.  Platters of food keep coming until they need to be stacked to stay on the lazy susan.   We are told the Chinese are fast eaters with no chit-chat during their meal -- they eat and then they relax with tea and conversation.

We are back at the hotel by 2:45 pm -- then meet at 6:00 pm for a Peking Dinner.  This dinner was just okay -- even by Phil's standards and he likes duck.  We are in our room by 9:00 pm and in bed by 9:05 pm -- exhausted.

Thanks for Reading!

Pat

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