Xiangquan Hotel Beijing

... was built in 1420. It is supported by brick arches. Different rituals were performed here. There were exhibits inside - a spiky bell, a throne with lions and elephants on either side, bronze and ceramic statues and pavilions to carry tablets.

The Bedroom Hall was closed. The Bell Tower housed a (yep you guessed it) bell and had evil eyes below the rafters.

Back in the area outside the Fasting Palace we saw the Double Ring Pavilion. It was built for Emperor Qing ...

... kørte en minibus os og resten af en gruppe på i alt 12 personer ud til muren. Denne gang besøgte vi den på et noget mere fjernt liggende og øde sted, end jeg har prøvet de andre gange, og turen derud tog lidt over 2 ½ time. Vi blev sat af ved muren ved Jinshanling og gik en 12 km's tur til Simatai, hvor vores bus samlede os op igen og kørte os hjem. På dette stykke var muren meget ujævn og nogle steder meget forfalden. Det var sjovt at se et meget anderledes stykke, og ...

... I was living in a temporary melting pot of an exhilarating existence. The night before the Olympics ended, I felt a sinking sensation as I pictured the millions of people slowly seeping out of Beijing and back to their respective homes. But I was also excited to start a new chapter of my life at Tsinghua University where I would be studying Chinese for the rest of the fall semester. 2 days after ...

... for the Games, along with at least as many "neighborhood watch" volunteers, now kitted out in tennis shirts emblazoned with the Beijing Olympics logo. They have been instructed to report any unusual visitors or activity in their districts, according to Liu Shaowu, director of security for the Games' organizing committee (BOCOG). "We have engaged the general public," Mr. Liu told reporters recently. "For those who intend to sabotage the Games, the most important way ...

... imperial retreat of the Qing dynasty, but it will always be known for the following names in my book: Temple of the Sea of Wisdom, Longevity Hill, Garden of Virtue and Harmony, Garden of Harmonious Pleasures, Hall of Benevolence and Longevity, Precious Clouds Pavilion, Dragon King Temple, Hall of Jade Ripples, Tower of the Fragrance of the Buddha, and last but not least, the Temple of Timely Rains and Extensive Moisture! I walked ...

... together. I only have one photo, but am waiting on Dave to email me the ones he took, I'll post them as soon as I have them. This weekend my friends Pat, John and I had one last dinner with our Chinese teacher from last semester, Wang Botong. We treated her to a really nice Western style restaurant where I had an amazing salmon, which was the first time I'd had good fish in China. Botong is four months pregnant now and she showed us a picture on her cell phone of her ...

... to pay most of the bill, so Joe forked over 1,200 on his VISA card, only to find out that it was all a big scam. A few more people talked of scams that their friends had encountered, and Phil and I were ready to go back to the hotel. We shared a cab with Toffler, and went right to bed. Day 26- A Forbidden City We met our group and our guide for the day, Vivienne, in the lobby at 9:00am. We all jumped on a bus and headed to Tiananmen Square. The only ...

... bargaining at the Pearl Market. I eventually moved to another frisbee player's, Candice's, couch. I spent a bit of time sleeping and watching movies because, hey, that's what I wanted to do. I did venture around the city some, to include finding myself in a fairly poor part of town. I got out of there as fast as I could before anybody got any bright ideas. I tried some more of the local cuisine as well. I really ...

... as the guy who thinks Beijing is the third world) and Joi. Once we arrived we had a few days of orientation, when we were shown around the area and also taken to "typical" tourist attractions. We checked out places like Tiananmen, Summer Palace, all over Beida (which is a huge campus), and some park that I don't remember the name of (where we got to start up a game that similar to hacky-sack, but it is a metal weight that has feathers on top of it). As far of as ...

... of what it should be, but I figure it's still worth it for the free lunch and getting passed through customs. They asked me for my visa, and when I explained to them that Americans don't need a visa for Mongolia, they stare at me in disbelief. So it is worth the loss in exchange. After lunch (about 4:00 PM now) I head off for Tsagaannuur. The road is gravel but not too bad. When I arrive at Tsagaannuur, it looks like 5 buildings that were hit by a bomb. There is no ...