At 8am we were to meet our guide at a hotel lobby for our next tour. Unfortunately there was a mix up and he arrived 20 mins late. Tommy was 27 and very enthusiastic and he was our private guide for this tour. He took us on the subway which was very clean and easy to use. All bags are scanned before entering the station. All tickets regardless of destination cost 2 yuan (60c) and are small plastic cards. When you leave the station they are collected and recycled. The subway is very crowded in peak hour but easy to use.
Around the Temple of Heaven is a large public space (size of Jamison Park) with hundreds of older locals inside. Everywhere you look there are groups of 20 - 30 people participating in activities such as Tai Chai, dancing, singing, martial arts all being led by a assigned instructor. Later on we saw rock and roll dancing and sword martial arts. Most amazingly of all was when we came to a large playground with gym equipment but no children. Instead there were hundreds of older people laughing and exercising together. It was like a scene from Cocoon!! These older people were very agile and strong but more importantly were enjoying the company of their peers. During our stay we saw lots of these parks which have been set up for the older residents to use to keep their body and minds active. Retirement ages are set quite low and as most people live in apartment this is we're they go everyday. I forgot to mention that it was below freezing but weather does not bother them. I challenged Jene to match the fitness of some of the older women but she was too intimidated.
We the wet into the inner park in which the Temple of Heaven is located along with the Wall of Echos and Circular Mound. All would take too long to describe so when we discuss Touristy stuff we will allow the pictures talk for themselves.
When we finished this part of the tour it was so cold I bought a daggy beanie just to keep my ears warm. We the then caught a taxi to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. The traffic was bedlam as the Chinese Congress was holding their annual get together bringing over 3000 reps from all over China to determine this years policies. This meant the Army and Police were everywhere and people were being stopped for random security checks. It also meant we were not able to enter the Square or Chairman Mao's mausoleum.
When we entered through the front gate with Chairman Mao's picture over it you then have to proceed through a couple of large courtyards and gates before coming to the huge walls of the Forbidden City. To stand before it was amazing as I have read so much about it and seen pictures but never thought I would be there myself. Once again I will allow the pictures to describe its size and majesty. (Nerd Alert - the color blue signified heaven and only the Emporer could use the color yellow)
When you come out the other side of the city you are faced with this large hill that has five pagodas on it. The hill was man made for the Emporor and the pagoda on the top houses a large statue of Buddha for worshipping. The hill is a steep climb of 300 meters which had Jene rolling her eyes but saw her bravely climb the stairs to the top. It was worth it as the view of the Forbidden City was spectacular as I gained a better perspective of it 1sq km size. It was also worth it as we were able to get a picture of Jene in her real guise as the "Dragon Lady".
After coming back down the hill Tommy walked us back through the local suburbs or Hu Tongs. These are the older style areas of single story structures set back in alleys with small local shops. Here we went to a small restaurant and had a more day to day meal of fried veggies, chicken with peanuts fried rice. Finished walking back to hotel enjoying the sights of Beijing. Temp rose to 3 when in the sunshine but still cold.
Once we got back to the hotel we both collapsed and didn't move till the next morning!! have to build our energy up for tomorrow when we hit the Great Wall.
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