Beijing
The airport proved to be a template for every airport we subsequently experienced in China - clean, modern and extremely efficient.
We were met by our national guide Henry and then transferred to our hotel, The Sunworld in central Beijing. Here we met up with a very good friend and fellow travelling companion, George. He has been travelling with us for a number of years, after we met on a trip to Guatemala. George lives in New York, but hails from China.
He was joined by a friend of his, Richard, another American, who lives in Seattle. This was the first time we had met. He proved to be a very good travelling companion, especially as he spoke Mandarin and was extremely knowledgeable about all things Chinese.
After a great lunch at a local restaurant we headed for our first cultural highlight, the Temple of Heaven.Built in the Ming dynasty the temple is more correctly known as Tian Tan. It was here that the emperor would make sacrifices and pray to heaven and his ancestors at the winter solstice. It is situated in a lovely park and was busy with many locals enjoying the beautiful sunny weather.
On the way out we passed Prince Edward being escorted by numerous police and Chinese officials. He was over as part of the British Olympic delegation
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