Not-so-random thoughts on random topics: Hong Kong: Chapter 2

Orientation:
First, locate Hong Kong in the southeast corner of China,
at 5 o'clock position. We are heading 1200+ aeronautical miles
directly north to Beijing, about 3 hours flight time.
The red, dotted line to the north of Beijing
shows the location of the Great Wall of China,
a series of 5000+ miles stones and fortifications built
thousands of years ago to guard against the
northern nomadic tribes.

(Click photos to enlarge)

How do you cram thousands of years of history, archeology, stories, culture and traditions in a four-day trip? You don't; you simple can't. So you learn what your brain allows you. You search for a good tour guide, cross your fingers for good weather, and pray to whomever would listen for clean toilets. You let everything else - and I mean everything else - roll off your back and go with the flow, and have the time of your life. That's what I did.

We were fortunate to find a tour guide who studied archeology and history at the prestigious Peking University; Jacky is a history buff. It didn't hurt that he loved to talk and was a ham, so he made history came alive. We enjoyed balmy 55 degrees, crisp autumn air, and bluebird sky three out of four days. As for clean toilets - I went, I squat(ted), I left. "For Mao's sake, do not drop your camera or it's gone forever, 'cuz you're not picking it up," I reminded myself constantly. I let the toilet prayer roll off my back, too.

I love China the Country. It is a magnificently beautiful place, rich with history, culture, and stories. Despite my lack of firsthand knowledge (nor do I pretend to know) what it is like to live in Beijing or Shanghai, I surmise I can speak with relative certainty that I could never live there - I can no longer handle living in a mega-city. Shanghai and Beijing are New York City constantly on steroid. I am too soft, and am too used to the charmed life I have lived. Besides, my raspberries need me. A short excursion is perfect.

Please enjoy the photos of the first two days of my 4-day excursion to Beijing, China.

The photos below show a glimpse of us getting around Beijing, the Summer Palace, and the Great Wall of China

Arriving at the huge Beijing International Airport.
We took a short train ride from the Departure
Terminal to the Main Terminal.

Outside the terminal on the Arrival level

The airport is clean, new, high tech, and huge

Various sceneries from the airport to the Beijing city

Entrance to the Summer Palace, located
in the NW corner of Beijing city.
The Summer Palace was commissioned by the
Qianlong Emperor of Qing Dynasty in the mid 1700's.
The manmade lake, Kunming Lake,was created to
imitate the magnificent and famous West Lake in Hangzhou.

As the name implies, the Summer Palace was used
by the Emperor and the Empress during the
scorching months in the summer to
take refuge from the heat.
The Summer Palace was listed as a
UNESCO World Heritage Site.

A foggy morning at Kunming Lake in the Summer Palace.
The roughly 1 square mile lake was entirely man made
and the excavated soil was used to build Longevity Hill,
which houses splendid halls and pavilions.

Taking the "Argosy Cruise" around
Kunming Lake

Tourist shot "I was at the Summer Palace"

The Marble Boat on the grounds of
the Summer Palace, first erected
in 1755 and restored in 1893.

A corridor in the Palace, primarily
used by the Empress for an evening
stroll after supper. Awnings and
ceiling of the corridor cover are filled
with paintings that tell folklores and
historical stories. The corridor has
four pavilions, with poetic names for the
distinct four seasons.

A beast made entirely of green jade

For the mathematically challenged ones, perhaps
a jade abacus will help?

Entrance to grounds of the Ming Dynasty Tombs (明十三陵)
or the Thirteen Tombs of the Ming Dynasty.
The tombs buried the 13 Emperors from the Ming Dynasty,
dated back beginning the 1600's, and are scattered around the mountain illustrated below.
Only one (Dingling Tomb) out of thirteen tombs was excavated.
This marked the entrance to the site.

A 400+ years old Deer Horn Cypress, also
known as Imperial Cypress. Hence,
planted at the site of the Emperor tomb.
The tree is far older than the tomb itself,
an evidence of transplant to the tomb site .
Imperial Cypress indicated the prominent
position of the ancient Emperor.

One of many tunnels that served
as a decoy to the actual tomb
of the Emperor.

The excavation of this tomb (Dingling Tomb),
the third largest of the Ming tombs,
began in 1956 and completed in 1957.
A museum was established in 1959.

The excavation revealed an intact tomb that was buried ten stories underground, with thousands of items of silk, textiles, wood, and porcelain, and the skeletons of the Wanli Emperor and his two empresses. The Ming Tombs were listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Street vendors busy texting instead
of suggestive selling...

Seasonal and local fruit - Beijing persimmons

DaDong Peking Style Roast Duck - the most
popular spot for roast duck in Beijing. Reservation
highly recommended unless you want to
wait for 2-3 hours for a table.

Chef slicing the crispy skin and cutting
into small bite size pieces

Duck breast slices beautifully arranged
on a platter. Peking style roast ducks are always
thinly sliced and eaten with a very thin wrap,
which is very different from the Cantonese style roast duck

Condiments for the wraps - from upper right corner:
Raw cane sugar, spiced Hoisin sauce, julienned leeks,
two kinds of radishes for palate cleansing,
julienned cucumbers, julienned radishes,
garlic paste

Traditional thin wraps on the left,
contemporary sesame buns on the right

Delicate silk embroidery

"Where's Waldo?"
Amongst the terra cotta statues (replica) at a shop

The magnificent Great Wall of China is rich in history.
Several walls have been built since the 5th century BC, and are referred
to collectively as the Great Wall. The Wall has been rebuilt and
maintained from the 5th century BC through the 16th century.
Majority of the Wall was built during the Ming Dynasty.
The Wall measured about 5,500 miles, which included
almost 4,000 miles of actual wall, 220 miles of trenches,
and 1,300 miles of natural barriers such as hills and rivers.