Words Fail Me

Much like the Forbidden City, the Great Wall of China beggars belief.

Eli & I hiked up and down it for a few hours.  And now our watch is ended.

Stumbled on this technological cul-de-sac:  an automated library.

Randomly, found an Umbrella Corporation vehicle parked on the sidewalk in Beijing.

Alas, no Milla Jovovich.

The Forbidden City is more impressive than I could have imagined.  I was simply awestruck.  The recent snowfall made everything all the more impressive.

I was particularly tickled by the lofty names of all the halls and pavilions.

From every angle, there is jaw-dropping vista behind jaw-dropping vista.

At Jingshan Park just north of the northern moat, I saw the spot where Chongzhen, the last Ming emperor, hung himself from a tree.

High atop the Prospect Hill, is a pavillion housing a Buddha statue.
I was also able to look back at the Forbidden City above the snow-flecked pines, its halls receding into the mist and/or smog.

The train between Shanghai and Beijing is about five hours.  Our Peking duck dinner at Da Dong — from check in to bill (pun, of course, intended) — was about four hours.

Worst. service. EVER.

Xiaohan found us a funky, cool boutique hotel in Beijing called Hotel Éclat.  Here’s my room…And its nice (indoor) balcony area…Although I find lots of modern Chinese art terrifying……some of it, like this steampunk whale/sailing ship hybrid, is amusing……as was this adorable Chinese soldier…Plus, sunrise from the hotel lobby was stunning…

Cruising to Beijing at 300km/h on a bullet train.

Based on the ads I’m shown, Hulu thinks I’m really, really, really interested in hormonal birth control.

Per national tradition, CCTV1 is broadcasting — and families across China are all watching — a four hour live variety show.

It’s all very vaudeville. Or America’s Kidz Got Signing.

Fireworks! Fireworks sold everywhere!Just don’t use them.But I did get to watch fireworks over the skyline out my bedroom window……and living room window…Happy Chinese New Year (he said, sheepishly…)

The word “hippopotamus” is from the Greek “hippos” (meaning “horse”) and “potamos” (meaning “river”.)

In my list of animal names I forgot my favorite.  The Chinese word for “hippopotamus” is 河马 (hémǎ) which means “river horse”, too.  It’s also fun to say.

Funny Face was on Cinemax Asia yesterday.  (Pretty far from their usual fare.)
1957.  Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire.  Directed by Stanley Donen (who you might remember for the single greatest Oscar acceptance speech of all time.)  I always thought of the film as a bit of a guilty pleasure, but I didn’t realize until watching it this time how wildly regressive it is.

I also hadn’t realized — but should have, since it’s blindingly obvious — that Audrey Hepburn is the prototypical Manic Pixie Dream Girl.