The weather was not appropriate for fine photo taking, so we only have a handful of Great Wall snaps. The fact that we didn't go to the Badaling section of the great Wall account the traffic and weather didn't bother Cinthia and I, as the view was significantly restricted anyway across the region and weather appeared to be getting worse. The section we went to was also full of tourists, and was actually older than the Badaling section.
Lunch was at a restaurant contained within a Vase factory. The vases were of course very impressive, particularly when we saw how they were being made. Much to my dismay, Cinthia convinced me that at this stage of the tour we should not be buying too many ornaments, despite my protestations that they were a 'bargain'. Isn't this meant to be the other way around... you know, the women wanting to buy and the men saying no?
Post the standard Chinese lunch of Sweet n Sour pork and noodles, the tour continued to take us to so called 'museums'.....a pearl museum, and a silk museum were listed on the agenda. These museums are primarily just shops, the old tour/ shop combo arrangement that is becoming standard practice. At the pearl museum we witnessed a fresh water oyster being opened, a practice that produced 4 small and yet slightly rough shaped pearls. After the pearl shop we advised our tour leader Sophie not to bother with the silk shop, instead to head directly to the next attraction.
In the afternoon we visited the Ming Tomb, and whilst Sophie explained its historical importance, the site itself was not overly impressive. Only the surrounding gardens were nice, however the tomb itself was deep underground in damp, crowded conditions, and as such, was not to Cinthia's liking.
Upon return to the hotel we witnessed a powerful electrical storm, a reminder of the sort of weather that cities within the tropic/ sur or sub tropic regions face. Very rare in Melbourne, more frequent in Brisbane, and not uncommon in northern Australia.
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