China 2

Igot a taxi to the Forbidden City yesterday as I was worn out from all of my exertions and my right knee is giving me jip. As I walked to the entrance I was enticed by at least three men on bikes to buy a Lolex: cycle by Lolex watch salesmen they were.

 

On my Facebook page you will see a photo I took of a sign of a notice on the back window of a car that said “Baby in Road” ... I kid you not!

 

When you hear an older local speaking on their mobile phone before you see them you will immediately think:

 

There is a huge argument going on; or

This man has a grudge against the State and he is trying to get the world to listen

 

So Loud!

 

On arrival at the entrance to the Forbidden City they were drilling their guards. The guards in green uniforms were being drilled in turning left, moving forward one step ... all very balletic I have to say.

 

I heard and then saw my first Russian people today: three lots in the end.

 

By the end of my tour around the Forbidden City I was absolutely worn out: my knee isn’t painful but it is draining my energy. I was hiding from the rain and studying my map when a local who spoke English asked me where I was going. I told him Chongwenmen and he said he’d get a rickshaw for me ... cut a long story short, we set off with him manually pedalling me in his rickshaw. He then stopped someone in a motorised rickshaw. I paid the first man who then paid the second man. Deal done I thought and off we went. Very flexible mode of transport and we got to my hotel pretty quickly. When we stopped this driver asked for more money. Well, no language in common so I told him to follow me to the hotel where I asked one of the Hotel lads to help. Cut a long story short, he wanted the full fare from me. In the end, what this meant was that I paid the full fare. The fixer took one third for fixing the deal. The driver wanted 100%. I paid twice!! Now, it wasn’t much and all the driver wanted was the one third that the fixer took BUT I won’t use anything other than a formal taxi or the underground again. I paid a lot more for the rickshaw than I did for the taxi so that’s rubbish for a start.

 

DW