CHINA!

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I guess the best place to begin is at the beginning. We arrived in Beijing after about 15 hours in the air, tired, grumpy, sleepy and slightly smelly. The thought of vegging out in our hotel room was very appealing at the time. That was not to be the case. Our first day in China, after a too brief respite to clean up and brush our teeth, we were off to our first attractions, The Temple of Heaven and The Forbidden City. The immenseness of these places is hard to describe. There are huge edifices everywhere, large, paved open spaces, gardens and artwork.

By the way, our tour was put on by China Spree. Our guide, Clevin (his made-up English name) was great. The entire tour was action-packed, every day. If you go, DO BUY the optional side tours as they are well worth the extra few bucks. I am having difficulty understanding how they can provide the flights, hotels and meals for the price charged. You definitely get more than your money's worth. Buses met us with precision timing. Our guide handled every problem that arose with efficiency. To my knowledge no one had anything stolen, even though we normally left our bags on the bus when we got off to go to the various attractions. No one in our group was pick-pocketed or cheated or robbed. We felt very safe. Vendors can be persistent and, indeed, I did almost go to fisticuffs with one particularly aggressive individual. Thanks to my touring partners, I did not smack him, as badly as I wanted to, and I avoided Chinese jail. By the way, disabled persons should consider buying the wheelchair service in each city they visit. The ADA does NOT apply in China. Some attractions can and do accommodate handicapped, but many do not. There is a lot of walking and considerable barriers, such as a foot high barrier at almost every temple or palace door.

Imperial China must have been a sight to see. What is left of it is gorgeous. Meaning is built into almost every detail. For instance, if you look at the corner of a roof line, you might see several animals lined up. The number of animals indicated the relative importance of the building or the person who dwelled in it. The emperor's home had eleven animals which was the highest number allowed. Color is used liberally, especially red, blue and gold.

Bookmark this blog and keep your eyes open for several more China entries in the coming days.

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Photos

Statuary
This type of statuary is prominent throughout all of the temples and palaces.

Summer Palace Lake
It's good to be the king! He had this entire lake to himself.

Architecture Example
Note the detail, color and elegance.

Wow, Just Wow
More impressive in person.

Lion? Dragon?
Copies of this statue are common.

Not TOO Touristy, Is It?
Self explanatory.

The Marble Boat
Bottom is marble but the superstructure is wood, painted to look like marble.

A Cool Bridge
I just like cool bridges. My humble attempt at art photography.