Tuesday 11 November 2014

Woke very early. Breakfast provided, nice buns, mini egg burgers, full cooked if you wanted it, croissants, salad, fruit, great brewed coffee.

Due to certain tummy troubles I slept from 0930 to 11am. Jan went walking.

I was OK at 1230 – so we booked a Wall tour tomorrow 0800, with Ming Tombs, 8 hours for Y1300 for two. Hotel will give us a cut lunch! More on this later.

Then it was out and a walk through the park to the lake. (Lake Behai?) Very, very nice area. Good photos.

Huh? Someone did this. Good luck symbol?

Walked along lake to the bridge at the neck of the two lakes, with a bridge.

Crowds! Lunch at 1400 in an odd food hall place. Buy a Y100 encoded card, choose your food at various vendors, eat upstairs, waiter helped me carry my tray up steep stairs, then return your card when finished. I got Y65 back so it cost me Y35. It works fine but is confusing. This was about the only nice Chinese food I had in China! A crispy pancake with eggs, veges, chopped meat, spices etc, folded over and over and cut up. Crunchy and nice. Crowded tourist street! All Chinese, all rugged up in heavy parkas. Me in my windcheater, but long pants this time at least. I still got lots of finger pointing behind my back, though, according to Jan. Bloody rude!

We had a fizzy mango-passion drink because it looked so delicious. I’ve seen nothing like it. Fizzing balls in a fruit drink emitting vapour. Very nice – Y10. Gave Y20 (it’s only $4) to beggar lady with no legs. She followed us for more.

I wanted a rickshaw back to the hotel. Jan walked on around the lake. My rickshaw was Y100 for the trip to the hotel, so I thought. But after many, many turns and streets, I ended up back where I started! It wasn’t a scam, he just misunderstood my request, even though I showed him the hotel name on my map. He gave me the Y100 tour! It was OK, but it meant I had to walk back to hotel.

I got lost! It seemed so simple on the map. I went down wrong street after wrong street. I didn’t get back until 5pm. Tired, and a bit crapped off.

Bought 2x 500ml cans beer at Y9.90 ea, peanuts same, Y29.70. Plastic bag Y3!

Hotel at 5pm. Pain in feet!

Now 1955. Shadow Art Performance starts soon.

Shi Cha Hai Shadow Art Performance stage

8pm: sure enough, the Shadow Art Performance starts. It’s the traditional Asian shadow play with puppets backlit onto a screen. Musician to the left. Sorry about the poor photos, I was so tired.