Night train from Shanghai to Beijing. We shared our four person sleeper compartment with a Chinese businessman.
Night train from Shanghai to Beijing -- about a 10 hour journey
Our room in the Lusongyuan hotel, a traditional courtyard hotel - Beijing
Our very cool bed in the courtyard hotel - Beijing
Lobby of the Lusongyuan Hotel - Beijing
Tea & Email - Lusongyuan Hotel, Beijing
Tea Room With Pig - Lusongyuan Hotel, Beijing
Computer room in the Lusongyuan Hotel (note the low seating) - Beijing
Our hotel was located in a Hutong, a neighborhood of narrow streets that hearkens back to old Beijing.
Another view of the Huton. Many of these old neighborhoods are being razed as part of the city's modernization - Beijing
Confucius Temple. Originally built in 1302 - Beijing
Confucius Temple - Beijing
Ceiling in one of the halls within the Confucius Temple - Beijing
The Man Himself - Confucius Temple, Beijing
Here are some of the 190 stelae (stone slabs) that contain Confucian writings for a total of 630,000 Chinese characters - Confucius Temple, Beijing
A little game of badminton in the Confucius Temple - Beijing
Tablet calling for peace and unity written in four languages: Mongol, Han, Tibetan and Manchu. - Lama Buddhist Temple, Beijing
Buddhist monks taking a break in the courtyard of the Lama Temple. The Temple is the home to a 56 ft (17m) statue of Buddha. Beijing
Buddhist worshippers burning incense in front of the Lama Temple - Beijing
Cool lion guarding the Lama Temple. - Beijing
Another cool lion (on the other side of the entrance) and cub - Lama Temple, Beijing
Prayers and incense - Lama Temple, Beijing
One of the prayer hall in the Lama Temple. These buildings became a lamasery (a monastery for monks of Tibetan Buddhism) in 1744 - Beijing
Monks in prayer. This room was filled with at least 50 monks, chanting prayers and occasionally ringing small bells - Beijing
Steep stair to the top of the Drum Tower, which originally marked the center of the old Mongol capital - Beijing
View from Drum Tower. Note the hill in the distance: it's Jingshan Park and the Forbidden City - Beijing
Hutong rooftops viewed from the Drum Tower - Beijing
The Bell Tower, right across from the Drum Tower - Beijing
Jeff enjoys a spicy Sichuan lunch with a main dish of sauteed mushrooms - Beijing
Katy enjoys a fusion Chinese and Western breakfast in the courtyard of the hutong hotel - Beijing
Jeff works out on the public exercise machines at the edge of the hutong - Beijing
The workout continues... Beijing
Enjoying a relaxing tea in the hotel after a hard day's work -Beijing
Enjoying a rickshaw ride, minutes before the driver tries to shake us down for 30 bucks (he did not succeed) - Beijing
The Gate of Heavenly Peace viewed from Tiananmen Square. Built in 15th Century and restored in the 17th, it's one of the four gates to the Forbidden City - Beijing
A picture in front of the Gate of Heavenly Peace seemed be mandatory for all Chinese tourists - Beijing
Tiananmen Square - Beijing
Striking a pose in front of the Gate of Heavenly Peace - Beijing
Guarding Mao, Gate of Heavenly Peace - Beijing
The central bridge to the Forbidden City was restricted for the Emperor's use only. Apparently, the remnants of this tradition remain - Beijing
View of Tiananmen Square from the top of the Gate of Heavenly Peace. Mao wanted this square to project the enormity of the Communist Party and regularly reviewed parades of up to a million people from this spot. - Beijng
Katy's first experience with an audio guide described as automatically activated based on location (only it's really not) - Bejing
Jeff in front "one of the most magnificent sights" in all of China. Alas, we discovered that the Forbidden City was largely under renovation, in preparation for the 2008 Olympics - Beijing
Inside the Forbidden City - Beijing
Katy trying to imagine what the Forbidden City looks like without scaffolding and green tarp. - Beijing
Looking at something amazing (we can't remember what it was)- Beijing
Ornate rooftops of the Forbidden City - Beijing
Visitors and blue sky in the Forbidden City - Beijing
Walking the alleys of the Forbidden City - Beijing
Katy in the Forbidden City - Beijing
We did not scratch - Beijing
Peeking behind the red doors - Beijing
Katy and Jeff in front of the Clock Exhibition Hall in the Forbidden City - Beijing
The Clock Exhibition Hall was one of our favorite stops in the Forbidden City. Here is one of several mechanical flower clocks, with petals and leaves that move with the time of the day. - Beijing
The clocks were amazingly intricate. This mechanical timekeeper writes the time in calligraphy at set intervals - Beijing
An ancient Chinese water clock, one of the first time-keeping devices ever used - Beijing
Jeff reflects upon his visit to the Clock Exhibition Hall - Beijing
Katy and elephant- Forbidden City, Beijing
Jeff puzzling over his first hot pot dinner. Dropped off at a random restaurant by a cab driver at midnight and instructed by a patient, non-English speaking waiter, this turned out to be one of our favorite meals in China - Beijing
Neon sign of the Acrobat Theater - Beijing
Prelude to the performance at the Acrobat Theater - Beijing
The acrobatics begin... Beijing
In three seconds, all four of these performers will be balanced on a stick and supporting themselves only by a plastic rod held with their teeth - Beijing
He went up and down the stairs only using one arm- Beijing
Ten performers ride three bicycles. Crazy. - Beijing
Jeff prepares to eat some Peking duck - Beijing
Jeff gives the fourth floor salute (as we entered the restaurant, we were directed to the fourth floor, unlike the local patrons all of whom seemed to be seated downstairs) - Beijing
Our duck is being carved - Quanjude Restaurant, Beijing
Your duck (whole or half) is carved at your table. You can request to take the carcass home for soup - Beijing
Peking duck is wrapped in steamed pancakes, with a little lettuce, scallions and plum sauce. But, before this you're presented with a choice piece of the duck skin, which is considered to be the best bite of the meal - Beijing
Non professional fans of the Peking opera sing and dance in the Temple of Heaven Park on a sunny Sunday afternoon - Beijing
Peking opera karaoke - Temple of Heaven Park, Beijing
Another fun moment in the Temple of Heaven, Beijing
Cyborg tourist: digital camera, video camera, and location aware audio guide. - Temple of Heaven, Beijing
Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, Temple of Heaven - Beijing
A sign in need of repair- Temple of Heaven, Beijing
Walking around the Temple of Heaven - Beijing
Katy daring to step on the central walk reserved for the gods and the Emperor - Temple of Heaven, Beijing
Either the Round Alter or the Imperial Vault of Heaven. We're nor sure because our "location-aware" audio guide was not always aware of its location. - Temple of Heaven, Beijing
Katy the Vault or Round Alter- Temple of Heaven, Beijing
Katy in Beijing
We were one year early, but we still got a picture - Beijing
Menu for our dinner at the Li Family Restaurant. Not "a" menu, but OUR menu-- everything on this list, plus a sea cucumber, was served (on small plates) - Beijing
The appetizer courses arrive - Beijing
The aforementioned sea cucumber (we paid extra for this!) - Beijing
Katy about to pass out after the feast at the Li Family Restaurant - Beijing
At the airport, Jeff's last Chinese Diet Coke. We didn't want to leave... Beijing airport
