Wow - what a day! Mark gave you guys a great taste of our day. We started at 8:30 and ended around 5! Today was our one-day tour of some of the most famous and must-see sights of Beijing: The Forbidden City and Tian'an Men Square. It was a cloudy day and the spitting rain did not make for the best sightseeing weather, but the impressive views outweighed it all.
Each portal within the Forbidden City led to a more spectacular view of ancient buildings with magnificent detail.
The Crew
Here's our nomination for KOMU's photo finish!
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Tian'an Men Square might be remembered as the site of pro-democracy demonstrations, but today it was bustling with tourists and has transformed into a busy tourist site.
Inside, the Forbidden City awaits like layers of an onion - pealing away section after section of the enormous grounds. One point of interest was the huge cauldrons that lined the buildings.
These are put into place to hold water in case the wooden structures would catch fire. A reserve of water enabled a quick extinguish.
<-- An employee emptying the rain water from a cauldron
One highlight of the day for me was holding the tour flag as we walked around. Okay, it really wasn't a highlight, but I had fun!
Later, we went to a crowded section of Beijing that had remained historically preserved and took a riksha down a hutong - a small, narrow passageway. It was amazing to see the sights of street vendors and hear the ring of bicycle bells as we rode along the street. This has probably been my favorite part so far!
In the evening, a couple of us decided to check out the nightlife in Beijing.
We took a cab to an area of town very close to the Olympic Green. Because of security risks and the proximity to the Soccer stadium (right next door) "Mix" is closing in two weeks and will remain closed throughout the Olympic Games. We wanted to check it out before we lost the chance. It was very chic and modern and we all had a lot of fun!
This video contains sights and sounds of our tours today including a traditional drum performance and a ride along in a riksha. Enjoy!
Ted
1 comment:
I just think that Ted guy is the cutest thing!
Seriously, I'm glad you are all having a great time and giving us a chance to travel with you a little.
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