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Thanks for all the comments posted to the blog site. I am glad people are enjoying following my adventures!
Special "hello" to those from Cedarhill following this blog. Play well next weekend during Club Championship!There are 16 government approved golf courses in Beijing. The government has closed several ones that were built illegally. We passed one en route to the Great Wall, and it looks incredible. I'd like to play one, if I ever return to the city.
It's been quite an adventure in Beijing. I don't think I can live in a big city. As charming as Beijing is, I think Shanghai is a much more forward city. I also discovered that most major tourist sites have a combination of Western & squatting facilities. But you need to bring your own toilet paper since not all places supply them.
Bryce & Kyle provide a lot of entertainment. Since it is so humid here, you need to carry a lot of bottled water. As you may recall, I mentioned that humidity adds weight to your luggage, well it seems like it adds another 5 lbs to the nap sack. Usually my Sister's family carries at least 3 1itre of bottled water and the boys take turns wearing the bag. While at the Temple of Heaven, the boys agreed to carry the bag for 30 minute intervals. While walking the grounds, Kyle said, "Aunt June, can I tell you a secret? Bryce has been carrying the bag for 1.5 hours, and he's not aware that it was my turn about an hour ago". It wasn't until May noticed the time and informed Kyle ... Bryce was very annoyed, Kim & I could not stop laughing. Bryce did retaliate. While walking the park, Kyle followed Bryce very closely, all the sudden Bryce stepped sideways, his little Brother stepped in dog poo.
Our flight to Luylong was scheduled for 6:50pm, so we had a full day scheduled in Beijing. We were going to visit - Jing Shan Park,Temple of Heaven, Tian'an Men Square, Mao's mausoleum, and Temple of Lama.
Jing Shan Park is located 2 blocks from our hotel. It was created in 1300s, the hill was created using the earth excavated from the Forbidden Palace. Got my first mosquito bite @ park, they love my blood in China too. To reach the top we had to climb up a very steep hill. My quads and hamstrings haven't quite fully recovered from the Great Wall Trek. At the top of the hill stands a pavilion and inside there is a large Buddist statue. This hill was used to protect the Palace, it also provides an aerial view of it too.
Beijing is full of historic sites and Temple of Heaven is one of them. The Temple is one of the largest I'm China & the Emperor would use to make sacrifices, pray to heaven and ancestors during winter solstice.
Tian'an Men Square was our next stop, it is referred to as the "Gate to Heavenly Peace". Unfortunately, we did not get a chance to see Mao's mausoleum since it is closed on Monday's. According to one of my guide books, after Mao's death they overfilled his body with formaldehyde and his body & face swelled almost beyond recognition. They created a wax model just in case they Could not drain his body to an acceptable shape. On any given day, you cannot distinguish which version is on displayed.
Temple of Lama was our last stop. It was constructed during the 17th century but converted into a Tibetan lamasery in 1744. As you approach the site, the street is loaded with incense shops, you can smell the burning that occurs inside the Temple as you approach. The Temple has several beautiful incense burners and it is quite a spiritual place. You'll see three Buddha's on display when you visit in most if the halls - past, present and future.
At the airport our flight was delayed three hours due to poor weather. Eastern China airlines provided us with a complimentary dinner as we waited. When we finally in the air they served us another meal for our 90 minute flight. I don't believe any of the North American Airlines would provide such a service.
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