China-Day 3: Beijing

Today we started early with a most excellent breakfast- which included the usual bacon, eggs, waffles and so forth - but also noodles, red bean pasties and vegtable dumplings. After being suitably filled we met our private guide and driver - and we were on our way through the busy rush-hour traffic to Badaling - where the most completely restored section of The Great Wall is situated. We were spared the plethora of street sellers on the longwalk up to the entrance - as our driver was allowed to drive right up to the gates. We tackled the south branch of the wall - as opposed to the north one that Christian attempted previously. Fortunately the weather was better this time - with cooler temperatures and a pleasant wind - and what was anticipated as quite an ordeal turned into a pleasant climb with many excellent photographs taken. About halfway up we encountered a fearful logjam of tourists as the 20 foot wide wall suddenly narrowed into a single track tunnel for about 50 feet through one of the guard posts - seemingly mild mannered old Chinese ladys became snarling, spitting cobras. No - it wasn't really that bad - but the traffic came to a total standstill and it needed the assistance of our guide to get things moving. We climbed to the very furthest and highest point possible on this section of the wall - at which point Kelly discovered her movie star looks and flaxen locks garnered much attention - as there was suddenly a rush to have a photo taken with her - and a queue formed. If we'd had a limo there we would have bundled her into it and sped off - sadly no such conveyance was possible in such a remote locale - and she entertained her public bravely - and thus we started our descent. Of course, with gravity on our side - what was a 2 hour climb up turned into a 20 minute rapid descent. Once down we wearily tumbled into our taxi and headed off to a 'Friendship Store' where we were given our simple but voluminous government supplied tourist meal. A brief post prandial tour of the store revealed the exact same jacket Kelly had artfully haggled down yesterday for SIX TIMES what she had paid for it. Back on the road again - arriving eventually at the Summer palace. David, our guide showed us around the many courtyards and buildings that had previously housed and entertained many generations of Emperor, Empress, Princess and honoured guests. Sadly - the deposing of the hereditary ruler saw the summer palace become their prison - and the bricked up rooms and antique furniture remain to this day. We took a stroll partway around the immense artificial lake that was constucted for their pleasure - along the half-mile covered walkway featuring more than 40,000 painted panels expressly built for the dowager Empress to take walks in the rain without getting wet. Kelly discovered to her horror, however, that the 'personal facilities' on offer to honoured guests in the Emperor's absence had sadly NOT been updated (or even possibly cleaned) since the Princess had last enjoyed her 128 course lunches - ablutive arrangements FIRMLY still in the 19th Century (and paper definitely BYO).
With nothing more on our itinerary we had a choice of what to do with our evening - so with the assistance of our personal guide and driver we forwent dinner (having feasted already) and attended a Shaolin Monk extravaganza that made up for it's brevity with it's energy and sheer breathtaking spectacle, and the Beijing opera - with it's humour, strangely haunting music and singing, and outrageous costumes and makeup. Exhausted but happy - we finally made our way through the neon-lit highways to our hotel. Who knows what tomorrow brings!