Adventure Number 2: Beijing with photos

Not having realised that google was blocked in China, I was surprised not to be able to keep my blog up-to-date for the few days spent there. However I am now back in Google-land so here we go:-

Cheap flights are often at anti-social times and the flight from KL to Beijing was no exception arriving at 1.45am (half an hour latetoo!). The Guest House had been warned and so check-in was completed by 3.15am with lots of warm smiles but with bleary eyes. Determined not to miss a second of my time here I set the alarm and was therefore in Tienanmen Square at a fairly respectable hour the next morning. The subway system was easy to use so long as you looked hard enough to find a map with station names written in English! Temperatures soared but it was well worth walking around the huge square before visiting the Forbidden City. I had hoped that this would be more of a museum, but it was not so after walking around peering in roped off doors for a few hours it was time to return to the sanctuary of an air-conditioned room!
Over the years and having read a fair amount on Tibetan history, I had never wanted to visit China, but seeing as I was here, the Great Wall was on the agenda for the next day. Not too crowded and only slightly touristy ... with a cable car to ascend and a toboggan to descend it was a fun day although I am sure that the original builders would not have approved!
On the final day a 90 minute stroll around a huge inner city lake took us to the Drum Tower where a short performance is staged every hour for visitors. Using the subway once again it was easy to get to the theatre where we had booked tickets to see an acrobatic show that evening - it was absolutely breath-taking and I heard myself gasp and giggle in amazement a few times! Signs forbade the use of cameras, but as the Chinese seem to have a real aversion to obeying any signs (no swimming, no fishing, queue here) I did sneak a few shots to remind me of this evening of thrills in Beijing.