My two cents (pence) on the weather.

These photos were taken outside our hotel room window this morning. Obviously the weather conditions have changed!

Jason took this video from the same position (outside our hotel room window) on the day we checked in! Judge for yourself!! :)

Bai Hai Park (Beijing)

After such a long morning in the Forbidden City, we needed some relaxation! There is no better place than Bai Hai park. Here paddle boats, picnics, music and dance are all the norm. So we brushed up on our Chinese for "we would like to rent a motor boat" and five minutes later we were on the water!

There are paddle boats and motor boats. Given that it was about 95 degrees in the middle of the afternoon, we opted for a motor boat!

Behind me is the Dagoba. It tops Jade island and is 36m high. It is a Tibetan style stupa built to honour the visit of the fifth Dalai Lama in 1651.

Jason at the wheel! We were expecting the wind to whip through our hair as we zipped around the lake, but at a top speed of 5 mph, it was more like a cool breeze. Still though -- it was a wonderful lake!

This is the Pavilion of Calligraphy. Inside it contains nearly 500 stone tablets engraved with the work oof famous Chinese calligraphers.

A little video of the water, our boat and of course -- us!

Inside the Halls (Forbidden City)

This is inside the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Raised on a tier of marble of terraces, this largest of halls houses a sandalwood throne used in the coronations of 24 emperors.

The throne again.

The side wall of the hall. Everything was so detailed and intricate!

More Sights! (Beijing)

Just some cute pictures of Jason and I!

At the Hall of Preserving Harmony -- the most spectacular aspect of this hall is the great cared ramp on the north side, sculpted with dragons and clouds and made from a single piece of marble weighing more than 200 tons!

Another shot of the female lion. You can really see the cub in this one!!

The Forbidden City (Beijing)

Jason (and a number of others) are standing on one of the five marble bridges, symbolizing the five cardinal virtues of Confucianism. In other words, we have just gone through the ticket gate!

Chinese palaces are always guarded by bronze lions. They symbolize imperial power and dignity. Of the two lions, one is male and one is female. The female lion in this picture (and all the female lions) have a cub underneath their foot.

We are on the balcony of the first hall, looking back at the entrance. You can see the five bridges we were standing on!

A little info for you on where we are and what we are going to see in the museum.

Some architecture. The palace buildings are really beautiful. As in Korea, they are wonderfully painted in the most ornate manner. There are roughly 700 buildings in the palace complex and it was in use until 1924.