We slept reasonably well but were rather stiff and sore. I should explain that our body training for the rigors of our visit to the lands of the obese waddlers consisted of doing ... absolutely nothing. Consequently we have no-one to blame but ourselves.
Guide and driver were waiting for us and we headed off around the corner to Tiananmen Sq. Like yesterday, though, the actual square was not accessible to the hoi poloi – some visiting foreign dignity. Possibly even our own Prime Minister who is on a NE Asia tour. The guide said she is also visiting the Forbidden City (FC) today – our next destination, which we reached on foot, via an underpass we had not seen the day before. The lamp posts outside the FC were festooned with Aussie flags. We did not encounter PM Julia though.
We were glad that while we were lost yesterday, we got as far as we did in the FC - we saw the buildings at their best in bright sunshine. Today was a gray overcast sort of day, a little cooler, but just right for this plump couple – about 20° C.
The FC is a vast complex of courtyards and buildings. Most of the significant ones were not open to the public – you could only peer into a dark interior through barred-off doors. No matter, as for me the aesthetics of the building exterior were of more interest. Jeff was very informative about details and history of the complex. Apparently it is easy to spend two to three days there. I was initially annoyed when Jeff kept frog-marching us onward while I was desperately trying to take a photo or two. We finished at the other end of FC after 3½ hours – just in time for lunch.
Our next destination was a tourist trap – a pearl shop. We watched an oyster being shucked and had been asked to guess how many pearls it contained, Joan and I guess four and five, but there were actually 15 tiny 2-3mm pearls, two of which we got to keep to warm us up for the main pitch – a large posh showroom featuring different colours of pearls in various arrangement. We succumbed. Outside, Jeff thanked us for the 7% commission that his tour company picks up. Nice.
The Temple of Heaven in the city’s south was our last stop, It is set in a large green area and features three main temples along an extended axis. Many retired people spend all day in the grounds (free access). We listened as an old man played the two-stringed instrument that gets on my nerves while another man sang a song in a strong voice.
Just then a man approached our guide asking if he could have his picture taken with me. Apparently I am such a freak that he felt compelled to record his encounter with this strange tall monkey. It was a hoot. The guide reckoned he was from a remote region where he had never encountered a foreigner.
Just before the end we encountered two old chaps practicing their calligraphy skills by writing on the smooth dark pavement using just a brush and water.
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