Day 74: Summer Palace

Mood: Pensive

Music: REM - Out of time

Today I got a lie in! (hurrah!) I was to be met at 1pm by Stephen. I surfaced in plenty of time to wash and dress, then pack up my bags once again. The few things that I have bought over the last few weeks are starting to have a serious impact on my ability to close my bag with everything in it. The amount of time required to close the zip seems to grow each time I  have to try doing so. At this rate I'll be buying more baggage just to stop me going mad trying to fit everything in this one.

An admission I failed to make previously, was my purchase and use of what amounts to a man bag. This was initially used to carry that which was living in my pockets. In Malaysia it was far too hot to have all of my pockets full to bursting with the things I would need for the day and as such I bought a small satchel to hold these things. Anyway, it started to also function as an overflow bag on days I was moving hotels, but can no longer do so due to the books I bought in HK while in transit. I guess I now need something that I can check in that will also hold this bag!

We started today at the Hutongs in Beijing. This is an area filled with traditional small houses and small alleyways. The living areas are interspersed with communal toilet and shower/wash areas. It was slightly odd at 2pm to see people in pajamas walking past on their way home from the shower. I had an explanation by a local guide as to some of the local history and the meanings of some of the features of the home gateways.

I was then transported by trishaw to the house of some locals who welcomed me in, sat me down and poured me copious amounts of tea. I was free to ask questions about the housing and the area but could not think of much to say. Instead I asked about the legacy of the Olympics to the people of Beijing. I was told that things had got better for them, from improved transport (the underground system is growing at a massive rate) to cleaner streets and air.

I have to say that I didn't see a single clear day in or around the city but this might be to do with the time of year. It has just finished winter here and everything is very dry. It has been growing increasingly warm over the last few weeks (22C today) but has yet to rain done winter ended. That might explain why there is so much dust in the air. On a side note, the dust is making it hard to photograph anything as the whole sky is a very diffuse light source, appearing washed out every time as that is what the eye actually sees.

After a while of talking to the lady and then her husband I returned to Stephen to be driven to the Summer Palace. We walked around the grounds for a while, him talking about the history of the palace and gardens, while I listened and took in the scenery. The palace was the summer residence of the Empress Dowager, who ruled over the last 3 (puppet, as she held the power) Emperors of the Qing dynasty. It has a huge lake, occupying three quarters of the park's size.

This evening I was taken to the train station for my overnight train to Xian. It is from on this train that you see the picture of Rolf, looking down over me, and me scribbling this entry into my phone.

I'm sure that this is the most disjointed blog post yet. I'll stop rambling now and try to get some rest...