Beijing - a city that can't wait for the Olympics

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A few pictures from Beijing that I'm late posting - partly because I couldn't put some of them up while in China. e.g. while on a mobile call with my sister, I heard the click of another handset being lifted on the line...

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Photos

Ireland tops
Ever wonder where Carrolls gets its stuff made up? Just below the great wall apparently

Great wall
An interesting way to build a wall and add the floor later

Great wall again
Rosemantic pic this time - this was actually to stop seppy leaping off the side like Jet Li

Great wall again x2
Lots of steps - we covered 5km in each direction (that includes the bit you can see in the distance)

Olympic swimming venue
about as close as we could get. Looks better at night

A Wall in beijing
Not the great wall, just an example of a wall used to cover an area they don't want the westerners to see - there is a whole neighbourhood behind this wall that used to face this road

Forbidden city
Picture of Chairman Mao over the entrance. There are loads of little bridges that you crossed depending on how important you were

Lots of chilis
one dish that was ordered - it was described as slightly spicey!

Remains of hutong
The last remaining part of the hutong behind the main shopping street - it was completely gone the next day. In place was an enormous car park filled with the cars to be used in the olympics

Sheltering from rain
Quite a pleasant way to visit the Temple of Heaven if you have an umbrella - that's the temple in the distance

Temple in rain
Getting closer to the temple - it is amazing how people naturally follow lines on the ground

The hq in 89
You could get up the steps in 1989, you can't now. This place holds lots of important memories for Chinese, not just the hq of the leaders massacred here.

Toilet rating
Personally i'd have given it 3 stars, but you have to love the idea - wonder what you'd need for 5 stars for this toilet.

Temple of heaven
Just added this pic so you can see what the place in the distance actually looks like

Seppy sings in rain
If you stand on this point and make noise it can be heard all around the outer edge - so seppy sang