Beijing & Inner Mongolia... 8th Mar to 20th April

Towards the end of my time in Beijing I visited the 'Summer Palace' (above) and the 'Temple of Heaven,' they were great places to walk around and discover...but I just can't fit it all in...!
(I've choosen to mention the Summer Palace as more happened for me there...although the Temple of heaven is a must if you go to Beijing...!)

...around the grounds of the Summer Palace there is a variety of palaces, gardens, and other classical-style architectural structures...otherwise known as the "Gardens of Nurtured Harmony" it is mainly dominated by Longevity Hill (60 meters high) and the Kunming Lake. The central Kunming Lake covering 2.2 square kilometers was entirely man made and the excavated soil was used to build Longevity Hill. The Hill of Longevity is where the video below was shot...

Dancers from the Summer Palace...Check out that Moustache...! male or female..

While wondering the Summer Palace I was in search for the Mable boat which sits on the water almost like any other boat would only it s made from stone...! i asked a random kite flyer who ofcourse didn t know what I was talking about...and then a hansome young Chinese dude, David...who like me turned out to be a tourist and spoke good english (although he would probably disagree...!) We found out the rough direction and headed towards the boat checking out all the sites on the way...he turned out to be great company and not such a bad singer too...! (marble boat in the background)...

As I was running short on time I didn't get to see the Temple of Heaven that day, however I took up Davids suggestion of vistiting the Central Contol Tower (CCT) which was a few metro stops away...we sang, laughed and had a blast...!

on another cold and snowy day...

HOHHOT...!

And if i can squeeze it in...
From Beijing I said farewell to the steamed dumplings... the friends I'd made and ofcourse Fei...THANK YOU for having me...!
...and so onto 'Hohhot' the Capital of inner Mongolia...about a 10 hour train ride West of Beijing... interestingly it is nationally known as the home of China's dairy giants Mengniu and Yili, and as a result was named the "Dairy Capital of China"...! by the China Dairy Industry Association and the Dairy Association of China in 2005...mmmm?!
Anyway...I was greeted with open arms by the staff of the Anda guesthouse who really coloured my experience in Inner Mongolia...I can t say how much I appeciate everything you did for me and sincerly thank you for your hospitality...especially the tradional songs you sang for us on Om s birthday...beautiful and effortless...I think we both had a tear in our eye...truly memorable.

And ofcourse I can t forget it was to be here at the Anda Guesthouse that I was to meet one of the key figures of my travels in China...my good friend and travel companion Om...AKA...Ommy the hommy from the U S of A.

written by  willrob on March 12, 2010 from Beijing, China
from the travel blog: Rob Williams 'a year in the making'
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