THE EARLY morning introduced me to the frenetic Beijing subway system, with countless lines of stations all with incomprehensible names. Fortunately I had a guide with me who knew where we were going. Our first stop was at Summer Palace about twenty kilometres from where I was staying. After several hours of exploring the rather crowded palace, we returned towards the city stopping off at the Beijing Zoo.
The giant panda is a Chinese icon, so it was great to see several of these amazing creatures housed in very good conditions at the zoo. This is a shot my guide took with me in front of the enclosure with a panda behind me resting from the midday heat inside the jungle enclosure.
We spent several hours exploring the enormous zoo before heading to the Bell and Drum Towers, directly north of the Forbidden City.
Blogs from today:
The Summer Palace
Beijing Zoo
Coast to coast across Eurasia
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