CHINA Thoughts

The following are random thoughts on my time in Beijing, along with the promised pictures.

This is my friend and I at the Ming Tombs.

Buddha on display at the Ming Tombs

This was intriguing to me.
The trees inside the Ming Tombs are covered in plexiglass
to keep folks from defacing them.

---Chinese folks appear to be a superstitious lot.  There were things - a tree, a sign with the symbol for double happiness, the platform for saying prayers, etc. - that were rubbed/touched for good luck.  Nothing was left to chance.  They wanted to be sure they did what they were supposed to do to be on the receiving end of the blessings.

Colorful flowers like this were seen all over.

---One of the other tourists with us asked about the incident in 1989 in Tiananmen Square.  The answer given was vague, with the young lady appearing to be very careful about how she responded.  This was in direct contrast to my guide in Moscow, who was very vocal about his thoughts on what was happening in his country during Putin's reign.

---Chinese folks are limited by the government to have only one child.  If they choose to have more children, they must pay the government three million yen for the cost that the government expects to incur in providing services for this additional child.

The paths of the Great Wall are marked
so that you can determine the distance trekked.

Great view from one of the platforms.

---There was a sign on the road that cautioned, "Don't drive when tired."

---One of the places we stopped only had the hole in the floor toilets.  What was really interesting were the couple of women who were using these facilities with the doors open.

---Each time I've taken a prearranged tour, there have been mandated stops by the tour guides in support of the local economy.  In India, it was the tapestry showcase. In Sri Lanka, it was the precious jewels showcase.  In Beijing, there were three such stops - the jade factory, the tea showroom, and the pearl showcase.

This is a jade version of the bull on Wall Street.

Beautiful carving of white jade of the Lady Buddha.

---It was extraordinarily rare to see a bald Chinese man.  Even the old guys had full heads of hair, with no signs of receding hairlines.

And . . .

Finally, the headline of the local English paper, the China Daily, was about the US and the return to work after the federal shutdown.  The article focused on the worldwide impact and the longterm effects of going down this rabbit hole.  The Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying is quoted as saying, "The US is the largest economy in the world, and the proper resolution of this issue serves not only its own interests, but also world economic stability and development." China Daily, Friday, Oct. 18, 2013.  (www.chinadaily.com.cn)

This column reminded me of something very similar in Egypt.

I love the fact that this panda has his back to us.
He doesn't feel like visitors today.

This guy is munching on apples.

Here's another guy who would rather be alone.

Yet another panda who is not interested in visitors.

In this photo, you can see the white fur is more tan than white.
I wonder if it's because of the smoggy weather,
or if in fact, they are naturally this color.

This guy is the same one above going for a walk.

This guy was monkeying around.

This is a close up of the Temple of Heaven.