The sights of Beijing

In between my embassy runs I have been getting out and about in Beijing doing some sightseeing.

Below are a few photos from the Forbidden City, the imperial palace during the Ming and Qing dynasties, so called because it was forbidden for commoners to enter (signalled by its moat, walls and huge red doors hung at every entrance). It was built in the early 1400s and added to by successive emperors. The biggest and most impressive halls were being renovated, but there was plenty left to see.

I also made it to the Temple of Heaven which is an incredible structure...

I have been perusing the markets which is an experience in itself, and there are almost as many markets as there are bicycles (well maybe not quite - 9 million bikes is a lot of bikes). More than once I have made the mistake of enquiring how much something is only to end up walking away with it. If you express any kind of interest then its very hard to say you don't want it or don't like it. Shopping in the markets is definitely an art form I have yet to master, but I haven't yet walked (or ridden) away with a mini-Mao...

Although at times I can't help but wonder if I wasn't the sight to be seen. The overwhelming majority of the tourists over here are Chinese which means that I draw a few stares in even the most touristy of places. I had my photo taken surreptitiously by some guy on Tiananmen Square and starred in someone's home movie as I was coming down the stairs of a temple...

But I have also been doing a fair amount of bike spotting. Some of the best I have seen are a guy who had two large fish tanks on the back of his trike complete with goldfish, the men who have kumara cooking in metal drums on the back and the old guys who have throne style seats on the back of their trikes where their wife sits while they pedal furiously (Grandpa I think you should get one)...comedy. They will put anything on the back of a bike here - hours of entertainment!