In case you need to call the janitors at Narita...

MSI motherboards are apparently popular enough to advertise on bus shelters.

Everywhere in Beijing, there is construction.

Part of the Beijing skyline near the hotel.

GreyArea looks for the map!

For the price of a cup of coffee here, I could have eaten for a day anywhere in China.

This billboard implores Beijing residents to pay their taxes. It has nothing to do with the space shuttle.

Yes, trombones are in fact prohibited! I'm not sure about guitars...

Part of the old Beijing city wall. Only a small piece has been preserved.

Shameless commerce outside Chairman Mao's mausoleum.

A soldier stands watch against evil capitalists.

We didn't get to see Mao, because the tomb was closed. I guess he has a busy schedule.

Yes, I'm a dork.

The flag of Albania was flying for some reason.

Red flags over the Forbidden City.

A lion at the entrance. You see these everywhere in China now, but they used to guard only royalty.

One of many palaces inside the Forbidden City.

The place stretches on for over a mile.

The emperor liked to stop and rest a lot on his way from palace to palace. This was a resting place.

One of many throne rooms.

Some people and some construction.

The drain spouts are carved like lions' heads.

Another throne room. The emperor had a lot of thrones.

All of the palaces start to run together after awhile.

This large room was used for conducting civil service examinations.

The emperor had a throne in the exam room, of course.

A thick haze of acrid smog envelops the Forbidden City.

Enormous copper kettle. I don't think I want to know what was boiled in it.

Further into the Forbidden City, the buildings get smaller and less imposing.

The lions get smaller too.

I was aghast that theft occurs in a socialist worker's paradise!

Carved marble figurines line the bridge.

The paint is beginning to peel in places.

Each throne is a little different, but the overall design is similar.

The red banner proclaims that worker safety is #1

This throne is smaller than the others. I'm not sure why.

Unexpectedly, I encountered a sundial. It's the only one I saw at the Forbidden City.

The emperor's private garden was a welcome respite from the endlessly vast squares and palaces.

Many rock sculptures adorn the garden.

A pleasant garden villa.

This lion had a mohawk. I thought it was cool.

Bizarre rock formation in the garden.

Stunningly beautiful craftsmanship went into painting this dome.

Another garden villa.

Yes, you can call home from the Forbidden City!

This patio was a nice spot to cool off.

I love turtles! Especially bronze ones!

Visitors cooling off on the patio.

View from the patio.

GreyArea brought out some tasty Compressed Sesame Biscuits. Well, he thought they were tasty, anyway.

Elegantly painted doorways frame a working groundskeeper.

I liked this tree. There aren't many trees at the Forbidden City.

I'm sure you're bored with thrones by now, but here's another one.

Sharp rock wall topped with a lookout point.

Another picture from farther back.

Leaving the Forbidden City.

The moat is there to keep you out!

View across Lake Beijing from Beihai Park.

Lake Beijing, Beihai Park.

Temple in Beihai Park.

Mural inside the temple, Beihai Park.

I took a lot of pictures of Lake Beijing.

China Unicom store. They are one of the two cellular providers in China.

Chinese people like lots of different kinds of eggs. The small spotted ones are duck eggs.

GreyArea bought something resembling a chicken burrito. He thought it was tasty.

The unassuming office of Koryo Tours.

This development was down the street from our hotel. Home Of Tycoons? So much for communist equality!

ADSL is gaining popularity in China. So is piracy.

The Dongzhimen subway station in Beijing.

I thought this office building had an interesting design.

Paddle boats at the Summer Palace. It was rainy so nobody was renting them.

GreyArea looks warily at a pork bun.

Lotus plants floating at the Summer Palace.

The "Long Walkway" is covered with paintings. This is one of them.

Tour groups were forced to wear dorky hats and follow a leader carrying a flag. I'm glad I didn't join one!

The crown jewel of the Summer Palace. It's a long way up!

A Chinese water garden.

After watching a few people fall and slide down the ramp, we opted to take the stairs.

There were a lot of stairs.

My feet were getting tired.

My knees were less than happy, but the view was worth it!

It feels like you can see all of Beijing from here.

Mountains peek out on the horizon.

Beautifully painted buildings complement the landscape nicely.

It may have been a 4 star rated toilet, but it still smelled bad.

A 4 star rated slum just outside of the Summer Palace gate.

We caught a bus from here to the university.

Foul-smelling, dank corridor at Central University for Nationalities.

A classroom in China's premiere minority university.

Someone forgot to clean the blackboard.

Aerial view of the CUN campus.

I thought the fire extinguisher sign was hilarious for some reason.

Nike doesn't do English in China.

FOOD WOLRD!

This was the coolest thing I saw during the trip. I love this idea!

The phone company uses station wagons, not trucks or vans.

This phone company building has an enormous microwave array mounted on it.

I've never seen anyone washing the stairs before, but I did at KFC.

The Great Wall. It was a nasty hike in the rain!

Looking up at a tower.

Working without machines or guardrails, laborers perform restoration work.

It's a long way down!

GreyArea surveys the construction. We weren't allowed to go beyond this point.

A look uphill at the Great Wall.

It just goes up and up...

Just me, the Great Wall, and an ugly T-shirt.

Our heads were literally in the clouds.

Stunning panorama.

YOU try to look good after hiking 4 miles uphill in the rain!

The Great Wall snakes lazily across the mountainside.

Protests against the Chinese government written on the Great Wall.

GreyArea and more protest artwork.

We were both sorry to leave, it was so beautiful.

A Blair Witch moment after darkness falls.

Braised bullfrog.

Mmm! Tasty!