A picture is worth a thousand words.
15,000 frequent flier miles required to upgrade from economy to Business Class. Well worth it.
Business Class = free access to the United Red Carpet Lounge. And to make it even better, I received two free drink vouchers. Absolut & Tonic makes for a smooth flight.
Business Class - Upper Deck on the 747. Yeah... it's that good.
Fauster enjoying a pre-flight glass of champagne.
I wanted a cheap room and I got it. Room 4016 at the Nanjing Great Hotel.
Just enough room to unpack and get ready for tomorrow's trek on the Great Wall.
It ain't much but it's functional.
My home away from home in Beijing
Wangfujing pedestrian shopping street
Giant LCD display along Wangfujing Avenue
Truth in advertising - The Agreeable Feelings Tobacco & Alco_hol Shop
Right across the street from my hotel...
My favorite kind of cooking...
Street vendors at some kind of food festival.
My hotel was near the Beijing nightlife hotspot.
The dinner of champions. No need to eat that Peking Duck when you have this in your luggage!
The nighttime view of the Tiananmen Gate into the Forbidden City
Ham on rye. Hold the Mao...
A clothing store? I thought I found the manufacturer of those cool redneck mudflaps.
A 'sneak peek' inside the Forbidden City from outside the walls - the southeast corner tower.
Tiananmen Square. I wanted to get a picture of me standing in the Square but I just didn't have the time on this trip.
Tiananmen Square - stage right.
Tiananmen Square - Stage Left.
The Tiananmen Gate - directly across from Tiananmen Square and the first gate into the Forbidden City.
Pretty serious stuff... I kept my 'Free Tibet' shirt hidden.
The back-side of the Tiananmen Gate.
Purty statue in the park between Tiananmen Gate and the Meridian Gate.
Red Army wind sprints in full dress uniforms.
The 'park' between the Tiananmen Gate and the Meridian Gate.
How to avoid the crowds: Arrive at 08:15.
The Meridian Gate - the entrance to the true Forbidden City.
The inside of the Meridian Gate along with three of the five bridges.
Show us yer' SmugMug in Beijing's Forbidden City!
Detail on the middle of the Five Inner Golden River Bridges. Only the Emperor was permitted to use the center bridge. The Gate of Supreme Harmony (under renovation) is in the background.
Looking right at the Gate of Blending Harmony.
Looking left at the Gate of Amiability.
The Gate of Manifesting Virtues.
The Gate of Loyal Conduct.
It sure would have been nice to have one of these signs at every building.
Famous dragon statue partially hidden by the renovation walls.
The level of detail was staggering
