April 3rd at sea

After our 2 days in Beijing, we need a day at sea to rest. We slept in which felt good.

Our Beijing tours included lunch and it was very different from what we normally eat. First of all everyone had a plate the size of a bread & butter dish and a small soup bowl. On day one, we had a menu that listed the food which was helpful (I passed on the oxtail soup, but it’s not like I haven’t had it before). It was okay but I couldn’t seem to get enough food to equal a meal on my plate. The restaurant also provided us with 110 proof bottle of “wine” – we skipped that. There was a pineapple chicken dish that was very good.

The 2^nd day’s food was weird, but I learned my lesson and ate as much as I could of what I liked. Lunch (both days) was family style, so you could not be a piggy and take a big helping and not leave some for the others. Very few people ate the soup, so I had 5 bowls (I’m not lying, they were small bowls). Many of the people at our table were rude Americans; they ate very little (I guess because it wasn’t a burger) then complained loudly. The wait staff spoke minimal English but they could tell the people were unhappy. Times like this make me ashamed to be an American. I think they could have made do, I did and I’m a picky eater.

I've included a few more pics from the fine police force at Tienaman Square and the Forbidden city. Those giant pots held the City's drinking water.