Forbidden Wall

This past weekend was a holiday, Labor day. A lot of people left the city, similar to the spring festival, which made my trips to the forbidden city and the great wall much more enjoyable. (There have been horror stories on long lines.) It also POURED rain, the heaviest I've seen here in this arid city, which I'm sure kept some people away.



Quick notes: The forbidden city is located in the very center of Beijing and was first constructed in 1407, though it's gone through a *few renovations since then. It's really a city within the city as the palace included the living quarters for the emperor, his concubines and children, and the eunuchs who ran the place. Many of the treasures that were once stored here got carted off by Chiang Kai-shek when he fled to Taiwan in 1949, but there are some small museum halls opening now with neat past palace pieces. Currently undergoing a 16 year restoration project, the Forbidden city is only partially open to the public. The last time I visited, there was a Starbucks by the north gate. It closed in 2007.



Rain is acid rain, and you can imagine what it must be doing to all the marble here. The above water spout really looks to be crying, though I'm not sure what's going on chemically to produce the black streaks. Anyone?



This marble slab is very famous, it depicts the heavens with nine dragons (?). I thought it was really cool, because to bring the HUGE slab to the city, they waiting until winter, covered a road with water and slid the stone along the newly created ice road all the way from the quarry. Cool.

Getting out of Beijing the following day to visit the great wall at Simatai was really excellent. The green and the mountains was so refreshing, though I'm surprised at how quickly I've gotten used to the pollution. I really hardly even notice it anymore. Hiking again was also great, as I haven't been getting a whole lot of exercise here in the city. I did buy a bike earlier this week, which was improved my outlook on life about ten-fold and makes getting around a lot more fun. Some people say they don't dare to bike in Beijing traffic, but to me, it's really wonderful. My eyes, clothes, and hair feel a bit nasty afterwards, but it just feels so good to be on a bike again! And yes, my bike has a basket and a back rack and was much cheaper than anything I'd find in the states.

Though I'm still up in the air about what my future holds (in particular the next few months,) I have to admit that the ability to live comfortably in Beijing is a perk.