That duck was rubbery

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Train from Ulaan Baataar to Beijing. Say a final farewell to the Tran-Sib.
Our hostel is in an idyllic hutong - an old courtyard - with red lanterns and an enormous persimmon tree in the middle. Beer is cheap and and one of the owners plays Chinese traditional Chinese instruments in the evening.
We visit Tiananmen Square early one morning to visit Chairman Mao's mausoleum, or the 'Mao Mau' as the locals call it - that's a lie actually, but they should. Not sure if it was the real remains of the dead red we saw lit up by an eerie yellow light or a waxwork, but this did not deter the older generations , who queued up to lay yellow carnations and kow-tow before him.
The most lovely day is spent cycling around the city on bone-shakers hired from the hostel. Stuck very close to the locals when it came to crossing ten lanes of traffic though.
Other sing-a-long-Beijing sights we enjoy are: Forbidden City, Summer Palace, Great Wall, Temple of heaven.

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Comments

[Chris Rowe]

Mao
Q: What noise does a cat make when it's in China? A: Mao mau.