the twilight zone

we came, we walked, we saw, we're off!
beijing is huge but strangely quiet. you wake up to misty mornings and expect the sky to clear as the temperature rises. but it doesn't. there may be a suggestion of pale blue sky around midday but the dusk comes early. a gloom settles around five o'clock and a sickly orange sun burns in the west. even 70 kms out of town the hills were shrouded despite the breeze and you longto see the sky and breath deeply.

we were surprised at how many chinese tourists there were everywhere but it was the weekend and every chinese dreams of visiting beijing. they follow their tour guide with his flag on a pole and all wear identical baseball caps. at the guide's insistence? so he can spot them? the europeans do likewise but sans hats. i did spot one lot with stick on name badges- yuk! shaeds of inservice courses!

we trod the tourist trail regretting the crowds but grateful we were just two with the dynamic macy. at the silk workshop we found our norwegian guys and then my danish lunch companions. we half expected to turn a corner of the great wall and come across them again!

too knackered to walk far in the evening we've used the hotel internet despite the cost and can't get onto the blog ( chinese censorship? we've eaten in and out of the hotel... out of it being easier!
the surrounding streets have people sized shops and homes due to a building height restriction so it seems friendly here unlike among the massive new blocks in the financial district beyond the square. we enjoyed our second sweet and sour and fried rice with chips(lou on the mend)last night while watching the tour buses draw up outside the hotel and either empty or offload the groups!

(one more to catch up properly! :) )