SLOW DAY AT THE SUMMER PALACE

Monday, October 17 - Beijing  -
This morning we gathered all our luggage in the hotel lobby, got back our room key deposits, and climbed aboard our bus for an hour and a half trip to the Summer Palace, vacation spot of the empress CiXi and her family.  Our guide Ben assured us that because it was Monday there shouldn't be too many visitors there.  How wrong he was!  The Palace opens at 6 am daily, so when we entered at about 9:30 am, thousands of people, mostly Chinese tourists, were pouring out the gates having already finished their tour.  It was pretty much a scrum from start to finish.  The "Lighthouse" group, as we've been dubbed, had to gather in corners just to hear Ben's informative talk at each turn.  Chinese tour groups, led by guides equipped with portable loudspeakers, were everywhere.  We could barely walk without bumping into others.  The Palace is huge, with gardens, rocks, pagodas, arched bridges, and long walkways decorated with paintings of Chinese legends and fairytales.  Our Swallowtail cutout attracts lots of attention wherever we go, and is proving to work well in lieu of a flag or umbrella that most guides carry.

We had a delicious lunch at a local restaurant nearby, which turned out to be one of our favourites, especially when they brought the bill - $3. Canadian per person for a large meal.  And yes, we are eating very well and often, it seems.  The Lama Temple was next on our agenda,  and we appreciated the significance of Buddhist beliefs which have recently gained favour among many Chinese.  One of the special things was a framed picture of a buddha which had such incredible silk applique that it was hard to grasp the time and skill needed to complete the work.  The scent of incense wafted around the temple buildings as people worshipped in the courtyards.

After a light (?) supper, we headed to the Beijing Railroad station and boarded our overnight sleeper for Suzhou, a city of 7 million west of Shanghai.  We'll spend one night and 2 days in the area before heading to Shanghai.

Crowds at the Summer Palace

View across Kunming Lake, Summer Palace

Lighthouse Group, Summer Palace

Detail painting at Summer Palace