papa ooh Mao Mao

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Ok so the title is for anybody over my (Marcs) age ......... Prizes may be given to any who gives me the next line.

Well we have been here for a week now and we are enjoying ourselves , the weather has been consistantly hot and it has made sight seeing a bit uncomfortable after about 10:30am but so saying we have seen.....Tianenman Square, you have to see the huge numbers of people there from 6:00am until 10:00pm ether queing for Mao Zedong Mausoleum or just getting there photo taken with strange Europeans

The Fobidden City which is undergoing major "beautifying and renovation" where you get to mix with huge numbers of chinese tour groups with there flashing cameras making it look like a constant thunderstom and people queue to have there picture taken with strange Europeans. The city is very beautiful and if you are lucky enough to find a deserted court yard you can just imagine how it must have been before the revolution.

In the parks there are large groups of people.................................. no, they are there to just take our picture but show us just how unfit us middle age Europeans are, the average age seems to be about 65 and there are groups doing fan dances others with swords some tap dancing and some doing tae chi ,I have never seen so many ultra fit pensioners in my life!!

Yesterday we went on a trip to "the secret wall" we left Beijing at 7:30am and were driven out into the middle of nowhere where we did a one and a half hour SAS style yomp up a mountain , when we reached the top we mounted the wall and looked out across the huge.............................clouds which hid the most beautiful vistas I am told

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