This is the post for Beijing but before I get to the happenings that day I want to give you a flavor of the obvious communist influence that still exists in China. Our guide was quite open about the failures of the Mao regime but before he said anything slightly negative overheard by his driver. He emphasized the good things that have happened since Mao died and the obvious changes in the business atmosphere which has been good for the people. But, he also indicated that individual property ownership is not allowed, people still can’t live where they want, and the strict rules to control population growth. All said behind a closed door.

What a glorious day. We were treated to one of the few days where there was little smog, the sun was out and you could actually see blue sky, well almost blue sky. The night rain washed the atmosphere.

When we were at Tian’anmen Square there was a long line of people waiting to view the body of Mao. Different groups wore different colored hats which made them stand out in the procession. Our guide then said there is a little good in everyone when trying to explain why the people would line up for hours to see this butcher’s body which is kept in a freezer except when on display or when they are doing maintenance on it. I don’t think I will use that word any more when applying it to my need for a few repairs on myself. They even have a body double (and I mean that literally) to substitute for Mao when they are doing major maintenance work.

Tian’anmen Square is huge but I thought it would be more impressive than it was. Not that I was disappointed as I didn’t know what to expect. All the photos I have seen had people teaming around the square and it was relatively empty when we were there.

We then visited the Forbidden City and if I ever go back to Beijing I would spend a whole day there. We just had enough time to see the highlights and hear the history as related by our guide which was very interesting. There is too much to cover in this post but I do recommend everyone google The Forbidden City and get a feel for what I was seeing.

One interesting item is that there was an emperor in the Ming Dynasty that was so hated that after his death the people built these roofs depicting him at the edge of the roof in a chariot and monsters and creatures keeping him from ever returning.

Next stop was the Temple of Heaven and the surrounding park. The park itself was the highlight. People milling all over, old men and ladies playing cards, singing, dancing in costumes or just dancing. Remember we were having a glorious day and all the retirees were there to enjoy it. ( The ladies retire at 50 and the men retire at 55. Average length of life is 65.) Lots of children flying kites and enjoying ice cream cones. I could have spent the day there just people looking and enjoying the sights and sounds of the Chinese lifestyle.

We then enjoyed a wonderful lunch and headed to the pier (2 l/2 hours) to relax in our cabins before the night festivities. WRONG!! The Chinese government had decided they wanted a face to face with everyone except the lowly crew and ordered everyone off the ship including the captain and all of his officers. Now, you have to understand that some of these people ordered off the ship to stand in long lines have never been off the ship since they boarded. Wheelchairs, walkers, scooters and a few of these poor souls were very confused. Then add to those ordered off the ship those of us who were on the tours coming back to the ship. We also had to get in line and couldn’t quite figure out what was happening especially when you see the Captain and his officers in line.

I later saw Mark (Chief Security Officer) and commented “Because they can.” and he just smiled and nodded yes. The Captain ordered free wine for all at dinner to compensate for the Chinese uncompromising behavior.

None of Melvin's photos will upload and I have tried 3 times so I have to post this without all the photos he took for me.