1. Briefly caught up with Ningyi and Amanda -- before they fled the capital for a long weekend in Thailand.
2. Found a good laundry service near the hotel that our group leaders didn't know of -- $1 a kilo seems a reasonable rate.
3. Visited the main Olympic complex, at the end of the new (long) subway line, to enjoy renewed opportunities to purchase kits, glowing toys, fans, postcards, water, icy poles and far, far more ....
4. Spent more time in Tienamen Square, shamelessly exploiting new-found celebrity status.
5. Bargained ruthlessly but ineffectively in purchasing silk shirts and dresses. The threat of Hanoi, let alone Hoi An, had little effect. Perhaps we should have just moved on to the next stall...
6. Ate rather well -- see forthcoming post on food.
7. Visited a day training/activity centre for young people with an intellectual disability, joining in with musical activities witness appropriate gravity.
8. Discovered that a ginger massage involves rather a lot of ginger.
9. Got very wet trying to reach the Summer Palace, but gosh, what a pleasant subway trip.
10. Decided that yes, Beijing would be a place where we could imagine staying -- despite the persistent smog and the deadly electric motorbikes.
Finally, we joined Willie Nelson and a host of cover artists back on the road again, now with our new group: the euphonious Phoebe's followers.
As we took our first overnight 'soft sleeper' train trip to Xi An, and the famed terra-cotta warriors, little did we suspect the drama that awaited....
- Posted when wifi permits
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