June 1
Beijing
6/1 -
Sometime in the middle of the night, I received a phone call indicating
that my pick-up time for my
tour today had been changed. It was nice to know that someone was
thinking about me, but it was a strange time to call.
I had a simple breakfast in the hotel and was picked up in a timely fashion. As I was one of the
first guests, I had to endure some Beijing driving as we rounded up the other 13 tour members. This
did, however, give me an opportunity to get a good seat on the bus. The guide was
knowledgeable, and I had no trouble understanding her.
The goal for the day was the
Great Wall. But we made several stops along the way. The first was the
Ming Tomb. Actually, it was
some building near the tomb. Evidently, you had to take a different
tour to actually see the tomb.
Next stop was a jade factory where we
got the tour and a chance to spend some quality time in a massive store. I wasn't buying, but I did
wander a bit looking at some of the finer pieces.
We then had a strange interlude where
we visited a traditional medicine clinic. There was a small museum, but then we were herded into a
room and after an introduction, three doctors came into to feel our pulses. Based on this and some
questioning, various diagnoses were offered. I was deemed healthy after about 30 seconds,
while some of the others continued their consultations for ten or so minutes. I think that the
ultimate goal was to get people to buy some of the traditional herbal medicines.
Lunch was at a nearby restaurant
where they respected my dietary restrictions. Although the food wasn't up to Xi`an standards, it was fine,
and it gave me a chance to learn something of my fellow travellers. Those at my table were
from Switzerland, France, Singapore, and China.
After lunch we finally made our way
to the Great Wall. The parking area also included many shops and some
caged bears that had learned to do various tricks for sliced
cucumbers. 
Although the Wall itself is awesome, the place was absolutely packed with gift
shops and was very crowded. We had to pay extra for a cog railroad to get us up to the Wall.
Then we were free to hike around for a while on our own. It was mostly uphill with uneven steps. I
managed fine, but I did have to maneuver among the many people moving at different speeds. It was
relatively warm, and I was glad that I had brought water and sunscreen.
At the end of the return trip, my
guide let me know that my arrangements for the evening (an acrobatics show) and the next evening
(Beijing Night Show) had been cancelled. Both had included dinner. Evidently, not enough people had
signed up. I was not all that upset because I had seen the entertainment in Shanghai and I had
certainly had enough to eat.
What I decided to do when I got back
to the hotel, was walk over to Tienenman Square, where I had heard there was a ceremonial changing
of the guard. The walk was about two blocks. The square is massive, supposedly the largest
in the world. At one end is a gate and a museum and the other holds the Forbidden City, which I
would visit tomorrow. At the former end was an enclosed area which I
walked around. I did see some
soldiers marching, but no ceremony. I also saw many kites, including
massive ones and an
interesting configuration with many minikites on one string.
I also saw (and heard) many kite vendors, one of whom actually grabbed
my shoulder (albeit in a mild way) trying to get my attention.
I once again skipped dinner, but did
manage to use the business center to check email.