Lawrence's World: April 2006

Sunday, April 23, 2006

The Forbidden City

Notice the line of palaces and pavilions down the center? They are along a Meridian Line that connects with the Celestial Temple.

The FC was very large and interesting - composed of a series of large open parade grounds and courtyards with a number of small palaces and houses.

Biker Chick?

LeaAnn at the Forbidden City. I hadn't noticed that she was in her New Yorker uniform at the time, but when I was looking for a caption for the photo...

Feeding Kevin to the Lions

The Forbidden City was pretty amazing - even without all of the treasures that were taken to Taiwan by the KMT when they lost the war with Mao.

Wierd to think of never leaving the place - but at least it's bigger than my appartment.

The Early Arrivals

These were the folks that made it up to the top of the section of wall as a group. We "coached" everyone who came later.

North of Beijing at the Wall

This stretch of wall was what we climbed. It was a series of ramps and stairwells. Can't imagine walking it in any kind of armor with weapons - much less attacking it while it was defended.

EMBA and Exercise

After climbing the wall, I have to agree with my friends that the EMBA program does NOT allow enough time for exercise.

Steve V

Steve is a genius with Photoshop. He wasn't actually at the great wall, but with photoshop he has an alibi!

Upon the Wall 1

A few of the friends I travelled with.

Wu Liang Ye - Closing Banquet Roulette

Lazy Susans at banquet tables made for great drinking games. The same might not be said of Wu Liang Ye which has some of the characteristics of Cognac (it is drinkable), some of kerosene (flavor) and some of dirty laundry (bouquet).

The Great Wall was amazing - stretches accross the entire North of China (distance equivalent to NYC to San Fran) with small towers every couple of hundred yards. This section was amid the mountains and runs along the ridgeline from peak to peak. Much of this area was reconstructed - the unrepaired section is not as walkable for fragile tourists but just as impressive.

Pudong in Shanghai

This is the Pudong section of Shanghai - it was all rice paddies 10 years ago (I saw a picture from '95). 10 years of growth at China's pace - really amazing.

Fast Food in Beijng

While I wasn't adventurous enough to try scorpion or silkwork, a couple of friends did and assured me that it tastes like... well, not chicken.

The fast food market was full of things that we never eat, like sparrow on a stick, frogs, and all kinds of bugs. It was pretty strange.