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The plan for today was to begin at 8 a.m. and take a bus to the Summer Palace. After a wonderful breakfast of dumplings, fried rice, fried dough and fresh fruit, we boarded the bus for our journey to the summer palace. Again the weather here was very hot, hazy and humid. We have not seen the actual blue sky for several days because of the haze and pollution in the city. The temperature was 33C, which is upper 80s but with the humidity we still find it pretty unbearable.
The ride to the Summer Palace took about one hour to the outskirts of the city. This is the summer home of the Emperor, who could take a boat by way of the moat around the Forbidden City to the river then to the lake. This way he could avoid the common people and spend time in this location as a respite from the hot weather of Beijing. The palace grounds are very beautiful with tree lined pathways and small ponds with lily pads and flowers.
We had the option to climb the highest temple on the grounds, so we made the trek to climb the 300+ steps to
the top. The architecture along the way was very striking and ornate. We could envision the emperor making a pilgrimage to this high temple which housed the Buddha of 1000 hands. Once at the top, we could see the views of the entire palace, the grounds and the lake. Many Asians visitors were seen praying in the temple and giving money or fruit to the Buddha.
After we descended from the temple we took a boat across the lake and had time to explore the manmade island, also part of the summer palace.
After lunch we had time to stop at the nearby silk factory, where we had a tour of the grounds and learned about the process to make silk. Of course when we saw the cocoons we thought of our lunch experience from the day before. Each cocoon is wet and then the individual fibers of silk are extracted by a machine to spin the fibers onto a spool. The guide showed us how the fibers are woven together and how strong they are. We were given an opportunity to see the products in the show room which included silk comforters and duvet covers, ties, scarves
and other clothing.
When we returned to the hotel some of the members decided to plan another shopping venture to the Silk Market. I was hot, tired and wiped out, but Matthew still wanted to go shopping. He met LaTonya, Cheryl and Donna for another excursion back to silk alley to do more negotiating and shopping.
We had dinner at 6 p.m. and time to pack up because our next stop is X’ian. We leave at 5:30 a.m. for the airport and must have all of our luggage ready to go by 5 a.m.
Provided that we have internet access in X’ian, stay tuned for the next journal entry…..
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Karen
non-member comment
great blog
Wow, isn't technology great. Looks like a great trip with lots of great experiences. Enjoy that shopping and bargaining. Let's get together when you get back! Safe travels!!