Sunday 1 February 2015

Great wall and the Forbidden palace

So my work colleagues thought I was mad, planning a trip to see the Great Wall of China during the winter; however, knowing how unstable my life has become lately I thought it better to go while I could - sure enough, as soon as I got back from the trip there was a message from my doctor saying I had to return to the UK as soon as possible for some treatment. A boring 12 hour flight with BA saw me arrive back in London last night; here's some photos of last weeks trip. Apologies for the poor picture quality, Beijing was cold, misty and polluted, the sun never showed all weekend and it snowed Saturday night. Despite that I had a great time!
Section of wall

Watch tower

Knackered but happy

Frozen waterfall and lake

Out for an evening stroll and snack

Bugs on a stick - yummy


Whole birds on a stick

Plenty of choice - as long as you're not a vegetarian!

Electric scooters with added plastic fake exhausts - why?

Good runner, needs a little TLC

The Forbidden Palace

A maze of courtyards




A bit of light entertainment
Hazy view of the Palace complex with frozen moat in front

10 comments:

  1. I'm not surpised that you need treatment after 12 hours on a BA flight!

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    1. Actually Nikos it wasn't too bad - flew business class, watched 3 movies and ate a vegetarian meal. Hardest part is coming home to empty flat and having to wash my own clothes!

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    2. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/11356671/Filth-class-TV-presenter-captures-disgusting-conditions-in-British-Airways-first-class.html

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  2. Carpe diem, Jon. The Great Wall is mighty impressive, and you did well to visit with so few people around.

    I hope treatment goes well, and you'll be able to continue your adventures soon. Best wishes from Germany. SonjaM

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    1. Thanks Sonja - it was great to visit those places. Intention is to keep adventuring!

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  3. El D ...take care of yourself first so you can continue your adventures and meet some of the rest of us later. (Am so impressed with your visit to the Great Wall.)

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    1. Vstar lady, walking the wall was fabulous, the photos don't do it justice. In fact the whole trip to Beijing was great - places like the Olympic village were also really impressive, plus monumental architecture everywhere.

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  4. Very cool you took the opportunity to see the Wall and Palace while you were there.

    Good luck with the treatment and keep us posted.

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    1. Trobairitz, thanks for the comments - I'm not sure how this is going to pan out, but I intend to keep enjoying myself with these little adventures for as long as I can.

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