Forbidden City

Monday, October 14, 2013
Beijing, China
Jet lag takes on a new meaning when the time difference is over 12 hours. We were wide awake at 3am. It helped us be more than ready for the 8:30am meeting time : )

Today was a tour to Tiananmen square and the Forbidden city . Our local Chinese guide, Steven, who's Chinese name is pronounced Bai Xue Lin, advised us AGAINST asking any controversial questions while in the square. There are hundreds of cameras and listening devices to monitor all activities while there. 1/2 million people can be in the square at one time. I am blessed that October is cool and not a huge tourist destination, as it could have been the end of me! There were multiple police and military plus cleaning people on blue rascles buzzing around picking up any trash. The size of this square is hard to comprehend. It is the site of the large military parades one sees on television, but the size and scope are ginormous. ( word from my children)

Then we walked, what seemed like miles and miles, to tour the Forbidden City. Construction started in 1406 and completed in 1420 and for 500 years it was only accessible to emperors, concubines and eunochs and was only opened up to the public in 1924 after the last emperor was expelled . There are 9,999,99 rooms with multiple courtyards and palace buildings.

I was finally able to sit down for a moment, when a Chinese woman grabbed me by the arm and dragged me over to her friend in order to have a picture taken with me. Evidently, being blonde is very rare and cause for instant notoriety. Then her friend wanted a turn. I should have charged a fee and defrayed some of the cost of this trip! Who knew?

We had lunch at a famous restaurant, Huajia Yiyuan, where we have over 12 courses, once again on the lazy Susan. The food has been amazing!   Slippery veggies are tough to grab with chopsticks.

We were all so punch drunk tired that everyone needed a nap. We barely made it to the 5:30 Arts and Crafts activity. We made kites, painted masks and did caligraphy. I learned that my name meant "triumphant jade silk" and Tim's was "wood Emperor". We also found out the when it's with kids, they finish in about 40 minutes. 26 adults were challenged to finish in over an hour.

We had a "monkey King" dance demonstration after dinner, followed by a walk to the food vendor street. One can find ANYTHING on a stick and ready to be cooked to order. I am going back to the hotel to either sleep, be sick or both!

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