A little bit more Chinese “stuff”, and then that’s it. Coming back from the wall, you meet the souvenir sellers. Eileen felt a bit more confident about bartering for a brass Buddha having spoken to Ching first, and so negotiated a good deal.
Ching took her guide duties very seriously, and so steered us away from tourist restaurants. Here is where we had a terrific lunch in the middle of an anonymous village surrounded by locals. I had to learn how to use chopsticks as there was no alternative.
And it was extremely good.
Then off to the Summer Palace and gardens. Beautiful, but as cold as it looks.
The one on the right is a building so part of the palace. The others are real.
We enjoyed the next bit. Ching had been telling us about Chinese tourists who come to Beijing from rural communities and have never seen a Westerner before. And on cue, this family spotted Eileen and asked if they could have their photo taken with her. So I did the same to them.
Passing the Olymic Bird Nest Stadium.
And finishing with dinner in the bar.
And that has been our whirlwind tour around Beijing. We packed a huge amount into just two days.