4 days in Beijing

V5 arrived in Beijing early Monday morning after an easy flight that left Singapore around midnight. The airport in both places makes Sydney's Kingsford Smith pale into insignificance. We needed to catch a train from the arrival gate in Beijing to the baggage collection area.

Our first experience at the tour desk at the airport on enquiring about a car to the hotel was a sign of a number of experiences. There is a reliance on foreigners not knowing the ropes and prices given can be exorbitant. The local airport shuttle took us to town for one tenth of the price we were quoted for a large taxi. However....when we got off the bus we were a little unsure how far it was to the hotel and had trouble catching taxis...we could flag them, but the drivers played mute when asked about the hotel...I think we now know that the fare was not large enough as it was only 10 yuan on the meter (maybe aud 1.5)

That first afternoon we took a walk south from where we were staying at the Redwall Hotel. Walking beside the Forbidden City, we found ourselves at Tianamen Square, the Great Hall of the People and the scale and size are needed to be seen to be believed. The number of tourists visiting at this time of year - really heading into winter - says something about the esteem of the government and respect for history here...people were everywhere and we were told it was nothing like the spring, summer and autumn times. Apparently over one day in the labour day week holiday period in October ... 600,000 visited the Forbidden City in one day and they stopped selling tickets at 1pm.

We all slept a very long sleep that first night... Catching up from the travel night and I think appreciating the cooler weather after the heat and humidity of Singapore.

Day 2 saw a visit to a local shopping precinct where we managed to find a McDonalds and were amazed at the value and similarity of menu. Coffee is in short supply - when it is available it is relatively bitter - the global coffee connoisseur fad has not yet hit china!

We bought tickets to the Forbidden Palace and the automatic guides to inform us. L and B2 were drawn into the historical stories of Emperors, Empresses and Concubines that were regaled with the different sections. The large scale of the buildings and walls in this palace can't be fully comprehended until you are actually inside. The craftsmanship is also quite astounding - to think that these wooden buildings are standing some 600 or 700 years later in such fine condition is testament to detail and care (the question is whether it was given willingly). My most amazing discovery was the primitive fire extinguishers located throughout the development - huge bronze urns that were constantly kept filled with water to circumvent any disaster - they look like giant flower pots and if you didn't know you would think they were just empty pots for such a purpose

Day 3 was an organised tour to the Great Wall and Ming tombs - organised through the hotel tour desk. We were collected at 730 by our guide, Michele, and bundled into a Mercedes van. We set out in the first flurries of snow and it remained all day. We began with a visit to the valley where 13 of the 16 Ming Emperors are buried - visiting the tomb of Zhao Ling. tranquility was exacerbated by the constant snow fall which gave a surreal feel. the snow and consequent ice made it perilously slippery on stairs and ramps.

Our trip was amended to a different part of the great wall as the mountain pass was considered a little dangerous so we opted for a closer location at Ba Da Ling. We were there at 12 noon on 12.12.12 - quiet a auspicious time. V4 climbed the wall while B1 toured the local museum sections due to knee injuries. The 4 who climbed felt the muscle strain for days afterwards. It is indeed a very impressive rabbit proof fence in China - the engineering and labour feats to build such a protective wall must have been at great cost to the community - I wonder whether the benefit was equal?

The final day in Beijing saw a check out from the hotel and the day spent at the National Museum of China - off Tiananmen Square. The museum is huge and had many exhibits. One interesting exhibit. Was the foreign diplomatic gifts received from countries around the world. We spotted three gifts from Australia - an engraved emu egg, a painting and a vase. Many of the gifts were from fellow communist countries - surprise!