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English Version 58
Thursday 29.05.08
Beijing
Today I rent a bike for 15 RMB. It`s at least newer.
If you just stay in the courtyard for some time, you can use a lot of
time there because there are always people to talk to. Germans, English,
Argentinians, Dutch, Danes, Swedes...They`re all there.
All has to be ready for the olympics in august 2008, so there is construction work all over town. Especially in the hutong where Far East is. It's all done in the traditional way.
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| All is.... | ....constructed.... | ....in the traditional way |
The wind is blowing today and the wind has blown the dust from the
past days away. Yesterday you could see down the big streets how they
disappeared in a brown mist. Today there are clouds all right, but the
sun is shining and the sky is BLUE! So I did see the blue sky not only
in Maoxian.
I bump into a pagoda I want to take a photo of, but it shows it`s
surrounded by industry and enclosed workers buildings, so getting to the
other side because the light is better there shows to be impossible.
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| Pagoda in industrial area | A bicycle is ideal for transportation | Who is allowed to cycle here? |
It`s a nice route I`ve planned, but a lot of it goes along water
which is normally fine but now it`s much too open for this wind.
Long before coming to the Palace I see low mountains closing in and when
I get there, the lake has mountains on two sides. It`s beautiful but
here it`s a storm blowing across the water, where you normally can hire
boats, but not today.
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| Beijing license plate | The Summerpalace | The bridge with the 18 arches |
It`s not only for tourists. As it has been the case many of the
places I`ve visited there are huge areas around that`s good for a picnic
and at the island which you enter by a bridge with 18 arches there`s
sound of music and dancing. Just now it`s women dancing with each other.
I have a fine but rather windy afternoon here. I have to grab my cap
several times to prevent it from flying away when I walk along the lake
while the willows` branches are stretched out horisontally.
At a moment I wonder if I locked the bike? I can`t remember having done
so, and quite right: it`s not locked when I return, but no one has
touched it. I put the key into the lock to be sure it`s the right one.
It`s much easier to get back!