The discovery of the trip has undoubtedly been the "Pee Pee Boy". It’s a small clay statuette used to determine the right temperature of water for making tea. When hot water is poured on its head, it pees. Yash was fascinated by them. We got a free pee-pee boy each on buying tea. But Yash was not satisfied. He wanted to make sure that the pee-pee boy he had got was working. He asked for a demonstration.
"Is it made of clay?" He asked the girl.
"She doesn’t know what clay is," interjected Subash, who hadn’t yet found the strainer he badly wanted.
"Of course I know what clay is!" she retorted
It had been a day for wrong questions…and Yash had been asking them all the time, with his fascination for gardens and pee-pee boys. Our tour guide Jenny finally remarked: "You always ask the wrong questions!"
Two Columbian bicycle businessmen – Nelson and Jose – were part of our tour party. The first stop was Tiananmen Square – according to Jenny, the largest square in the world. She explained about the Ming and the Qing Dynasties, and how Chairman Mao had proclaimed the republic at the square – everything, except the obvious. Opposite the square stood the majestic gate of the Forbidden City.
"You are now walking along the same path as the emperor used to years ago", proclaimed Jenny. Only, now the path was lined with shops that sold souvenirs and woolen clothing. They had to be thanked though, since we were freezing. I bought a pair of gloves and a big Red Army cap – the most prized possession from the Beijing trip.
The Forbidden City is called so because you cannot enter or leave it without the permission of the emperor. As for the empress, she only entered – she could never exit the complex. As you enter, you touch the doors for good lunch. The place has 5 bridges, 980 buildings and pavilions and covers an area of 7,800,00 sq ft.
Next was a traditional Chinese Medical Institute. "They check your pulse, look at your face and tell you what is wrong with you," exclaimed Jenny. Not very encouraging! IT all started with the foot massage and an anatomy lesson on how the liver and kidney looks. The doctor came in, checked my pulse, said a few things about cholesterol and then asked: "do you catch a cold?" They had one look at Jose and explained to him about a dozen things that were wrong at him. At the end of the hour he had a load of medicines in his hand.
The doctors seemed to be much impressed with Yash. The masseur girl wanted to know his age. But he wouldn’t oblige.
It was a day for wrong questions.
We set out for the Great Wall at Badaling, but not before visiting a Jade factory. The lady at the counter talked a lot about India being their preferential neighbor. But there didn’t seem to be any preferential treatment in giving discounts. A Chinese lunch was waiting for us, and strangely, it was acceptable to everyone – no complaints of smell.
It was late afternoon by the time we reached the biggest attraction – The Great Wall. A cable car takes you to the top where you join the wall. Another option is to climb up the wall from down below – an endeavour that would take the whole day. Not surprisingly, the wall was steep. I huffed and puffed my way up to the watch tower – and got my name engraved on a bronze plaque claiming "I have climbed the wall."
As we drove back through the city, Yash pointed to an elaborately lit structure and asked: "Is that a temple?" "No! It is a hotel!" Jenny retorted back.
It was a day for wrong questions.
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