Traveling day fifteen - it's all in the way you look at it

The Forbidden City - is it:
(a) a magnificent palace built hundreds of years ago and a wonderful testament to the emperors of China where there is even a hall built for the empresses birthday party and the emperor's change room
(b) a structure that is a five kilometre walk from beginning to end that takes three hours not to be attempted with children in the hot Beijing sun with no ice-cream breaks after also walking through tiannamen square

Chinese architecture is certainly very imposing. And marble based. And symmetrical. And big. I read in the lonely planet guide that tiannamen square could hold one million people. And today it felt like a good proportion of them were there.

We walked and walked today and caught every form of public transport available in Beijing. I was very proud of the girls and they walked a very long way without complaining.....much.

We went to the night market for dinner. Chris ate a SCORPION. He said it was crunchy. I stuck to meat on a stick and noodles.

We are staying in a youth hostel which reminds me of back packing in my twenties. It is a typical Beijing style with three stories around a courtyard.

I have also started perfecting my steely anti hawker's glare. If anyone comes up to try and sell me something I glare at them and firmly say BOOYAH ( I don't want it). Most of them have given up after the first attempt. I must look sufficiently intimidating. Or poor. Or harassed by children. I am also training the girls not to just take something somebody gives them because we will probably have to pay for it. Annika is getting good at her steely glare as well. Everyone just wants to pat Gabby's hair.

Tomorrow we go to the great wall.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad