Beijing Meiyuan Hotel

... guide but after a good 3 hour search i just couldn't find it and was walking around in circles. I eventually settled for a hostel that wasn't in the guide because it is relatively new (i was later to find the one i was looking for about 15 metres down the road)

Rooms are around 5 pounds per night for a 4 bed dorm and the place has a nice feel. I arrived about 9 am dumped my bags and sat down drinking my water and got chatting to some dutch travellers,(2 guys and a ...

... After breakfast, the three of us took the hostel bus to another part of the countryside (a couple of hours away) to another section of the Great Wall- huanghuacheng. (yellow flower) We were spoiled from Jian kou, the part of HuangHuacheng that we did see was not nearly as impressive, and overly crowded.

At this point, I am going to have to cut the entry short. It is borderline bed-time here, and I am going to pick apples with the family tomorrow in the countryside. (!!!)

... br>
The walk along the wall would have been easier if the sun was not so hot, there were only a few tourists around, wind is blowing and we were not pressed for time. I would have done it..hmm...maybe I should go back??? hahahaha

2. Ming Tombs - burial grounds for 13 Ming Dynasty emperors set in a beautiful countryside.

After our sumptuous lunch, we proceeded to the Ming Tombs. Well, such a beautiful place for a cemetery, you know. =) You can even have a picnic here ...

... de igen. Det er så dejligt at være tilbage hos vores fantastiske maddame, men hun blev dog lidt såret over, at jeg ikke rørte kyllingelårene i går. (De er fantastiske, og normalt bliver der aldrig levnet af dem). En time efter at hun var gået, ringede Pei til mig. Maddamen havde ringet og spurgt, hvad der var i vejen, og om jeg havde nogle specielle ønsker for i dag, så nu får jeg kun grøntsager. Hun er simpelthen så sød, og jeg er glad for, at hun ...

... plate on the ground. Rows of headstones are separated by neatly-cut low bushes. Except for a few customized gravestones, the majority of the stones were in the same size and shape. The carvings use similar expressions. Many gravestones are for a couple. The name of the deceased is carved and gilded. If the spouse is still alive, the name is carved but not gilded. This seems a practice for Chinese to have both parents ...

... of the Games, citing the dangers of terrorism and social disturbance, but have said this is in line with previous Olympics. This raised the pressure on them to allow a venue for demonstrations, which are strictly banned by the International Olympic Committee at all sporting venues but have customarily been allowed elsewhere. Liu Shaowu, director of security for the Games, said that Chinese law allowed protests "as long as applications were made and approved in ...

... t rule either in name or reality. But as we know the story in the West, during the first half of the 20th century, the Tibet government declared independence, until 1951 when the Chinese army invaded. My friend said, the Chinese learn that the Dalai Lama asked the Chinese army to come to Tibet for protection from the Japanese during the war. Then we went from history to the present. Some inside and outside Tibet think that Tibet should be ...

... manage to take many more photos to bore people with upon our return home. We return to the Hutong to make arrangements for a trip to the Great Wall and head out again. Next on the agenda are the Drum and Bell Towers. The Drum Tower was the time keeping centre for the whole city and was equipped with bronze clepsydras (water clocks) and drums that were beaten to mark the hours. The Drum Tower was built in 1272 during the reign of Kublai Khan (Yuan Dynasty, 1271-1368), at which ...

Day 16: Journey home July 15 - Sunday After breakfast, you are free to pack, to rest or to do some last minute shopping. Then transfer to the airport for your return flight home; arrive in U.S. later today. (B)

... Anyway, today we went to visit the Summer Palace and the Forbidden City, which was MUCH bigger than I could ever have anticipated. The downside was that we weren't allowed to enter the actual buildings. Just the quick walk around the outside. After the walk, I realized why the emperors needed their rides. Sheesh...