Well, since we are leaving on our second big vacation tomorrow, this seems like the perfect time to finish my China blog ;-)
This was quite a long trip for us. We took the metro from Robin's apartment to the end of the line, then had to catch a cab from there. I can only imagine what a schlep it must have been in the time of the emperor. But it was worth the trip. The Summer Palace grounds were a peaceful escape from the crazy urban life of central Beijing - except for the omnipresent policemen who I feared would ask us for the foreigner registration we didn't have every time we walked by.
We enjoyed a nice picnic by the lake of our 7-11 take out noodles and watched a colony of ants attempt to bring our fallen peanut bits back to their home. So wonderfully peaceful!
Unfortunately, we didn't plan this trip too well. We decided to walk from the entrance to the palace proper, and once again were reminded of the sheer size of the place. Everything is really bigger in China. So while we enjoyed a lazy stroll through the grounds, our poor feet were pretty tired by the time we reached the other side.
And to make matters worse, it was close to 4:00, which is when the last of the dragon boats ran to take us back to the entrance, AND the sky had just turned the ugly, dark grey that precedes a big rainstorm. So we missed the opportunity to explore the huge palace complex, but did enjoy our leisurely walk and the pleasant dragon boat ride back to the entrance. We took a cab back to the metro and paid twice as much as the earlier ride due to what must have been a "rain tax" and went back to Robin's.
Our dinner plans tonight were for Mongolian hot pot. It might not sound too tempting to boil your own food in the soupy, muggy air of Beijing, but this was one of the most enjoyable meals we had here. First, we chose the broth for our pot, then got a selection of different kinds of raw meat - ostrich, lamb, beef and crab, then went to make our own little dips at the counter. We used our chopsticks to drop the strips of meat into the boiling water. It was a delicious meal and one of those experiences you could never have in the USA.
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