Annoyed of North Dandenong writes....

There is a good chance that none of these blogs will be releasable until we get back to Oz.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_websites_blocked_in_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China

Will show all the websites that are blocked in China.   We are not so much disenchanted by what the PRC has done, it is their turf and we must abide with their rules....it is a good and healthy attitude to have when travelling we are really annoyed at the travel company.   Considering the nature of communications today the company should have writ large that these sites and email companies are useless in China.....very annoyed.

Any way today we are on the bus with twenty seven others.  Will reserve judgement, because being less than perfect ourselves we dare not throw stones.   There is a good chance that this blog address will probably not be disclosed to any of the other participants.  We will see....Sydney. Melbourne, Tassie and Brisbane participants.  Most from Melbourne.

The traffic on the way to the first stop was bad, but we have seen worse, it's not as if it is chocked up, Delhi Bangkok, K L seem worse. Some of the traffic is solved by having  car free days; for example cans ending with seven and  two can not drive. Varies between days.   If it's not your day you Need to be off the road before 0700 or pay 200Y per three hours.  Five and a half million cars in Beijing so it's needed.  

Visited the teaimin (square of heavenly peace)square, apparently the biggest 'public' square in the world, security is quite pervasive, busses with waiting police and soldiers just in case.  Mao's mausoleum on one side, the great hall on the other, the national revolutionary museum and on the last side the Forbidden City. 

Mao is the only Chinese person who has not been cremated.... It's the law.

All the police have near them, and situated at regular intervals around the square are fire extinguishers

...to counter the self immolation protests. 

The Forbidden City is enormous, 

900 hectares, the palace has 9999, and a half rooms in it.  A romm equals the area inside four columns.  A hall may be sixteen rooms.  Why half a room?  Well the emperor in heaven has ten thousand rooms so the terrestrial emperor must be subservient to the Devine being.  All built about five hundred years ago, second Ming dynasty, based upon the meridian line running north to south dividing the ancient city.   Lots of old buildings, coloured red and gold ( the colours only allowed the emperor.    There are 81 knobs on every door in the Forbidden City, being 9 x9, nine being the emperor's number.... 

An inner 

After lunch we are off to the zoo...the Beijing zoo, to the panda bit there.

They really are indolent and solitary, too lazy to mate, and with a diet almost 100% arrow bamboo! ain't much protein, so energy kevels wouldn't be high.    They sleep and eat. 

They are black and white would make good warm coats and unlike plata pus apparently taste quite nice in a red wine jus.   

This one was snoring.....then woke up to eat.

This one was eating.

This one was about to eat.

Showing their in captivity diet.  Reckon the plastic would be a bit hard to digest...

Is still wet and cold, but the million dollar coats are doing fine.   Back to the hotel for a Nanna nap, then out for a surprise tea.

The surprise tea.

We arrive at the restaurant, and are seated at the table, a big hot pot is placed on the table, we are pretty sure we saw the lid move up a little bit and two eyes were looking out from it, then nothing.

'Til it moved again, two eyes looking out, and a bill.  Then it dawned on me....peeking duck for dinner.....  Sorry.....overrated as was the duck part of the meal.  

Then off to the Red theatre, where we saw a Circe du solei meets Bruce lee show.  The Shoalin monk style of Kung fu with some dancing and some such.  Very entertaining, but sure I missed the point of the young Buddhist monk's journey through the temple to become the abbot.  Well worth the 200Y we spent on it.   

Still no blogger so off we go to tomorrow