Our first full day was taken up by a visit to the Forbidden City, also known as the Palace Museum. Tiananmen Square nearby was crammed full of tourists, and boomed with commentaries from the hordes of tour guides waving flags, umbrellas, and all sorts of stick contraptions. It also oozed with familiarity from the images in the media and from my own visit 13 years ago. Much has changed, and yet much remained the same.
The sun was out in full force, and I felt bad for Ju who was probably baking in the Baby Bjorn. He ended up sleeping for most of the time, probably lulled to slumber by the heat, and by my rocking movements.
The kids are alert after their snacks & milk, so we can get some smiles for this photo
Took a pedicab from the palace to Nan Luoguxiang (South Drum) hutong. It was a surprisingly pleasant ride, despite our initial reluctance to use them. Cost us CNY 20 per pedicab. Yes I know, I know, we were fleeced...but being fleeced is part of being a tourist, right??
The hutong was also a nice experience, not so much for its history - which unfortunately, we chose to skip on this trip, in order to preserve our sanity travelling with a brood -but because of the interesting shops in the preserved dwellings.
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