Hot pot

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I forgot to tell you about last night's supper. We walked down the road to get some hot pot.,not far from workers stadium, and also not far from the embassy.Hot pot is really fondue in another land.The waitress had great patience and spoke to us in mandarin with pointing and understanding looks.She really didn't care that we could not understand and she was unphased that she could not understand us.She hung in and pointed and waved at pictures on the menu.The end result was an excellent meal with plates of thinly sliced beef and some vegetables,mushrooms,squid,vermicelli noodles,some wagon wheel like sliced vegetable (Lotus root) and sauces of unknown origin. The pots of broth are placed before each diner and the sterno lit to produce a satisfying bubbling cooking broth to slip the various delights into.Large beers round off the meal and a very pleasant dining experience is again marked up in Beijing.I understand why the Buddas are all round and happy statues. Beijing and I suspect China are a gastronomic treat for any adventurer or citizen.
We have narrowed our choice of train station down to the West Beijing station for tonight's train to Xi'an and will be leaving plenty of time to get there and deal with the anticipated 'unexpected' challenges of rail travel and communication in this wonderful place. Don't worry Mum lots of time to spare.
This morning we went to the Temple Of Heaven and wandered around the huge gardens of cypress and juniper trees many hundreds of years old (500- 800).The main part of the Temple was closed for renovations,another symptom of the upcoming Olympics I suspect.If nothing else China wants to look good when they host the world in 2008.It is not possible to describe the level of construction going on here with enormous buildings going up everywhere.They work on them night and day and today being Sunday no exception.I can only imagine the boom going on in Shanghai but will wait and see. Polution is also going on at an alarming rate and yes Jim it would be difficult to breath as you cycled around this city.I thought that the overcast skies of the first days were cloud but now believe it to be smog. I can not imagine what it is like in the winter when everyone is burning coal!!!
We are going to lunch soon then packing for the next leg of our trip.I hope we can stay in touch as we move around the country.Internet cafes or hotel computers wil be what we look for.Until then folks this is Ann and Peter in Beijing signing off.
PS There is an exhibition of China Postal Equipment and facilities in Kunming.I wonder if a visit would allow me to put this trip on expenses???

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