Ribbit

Last night I had Bullfrog for dinner. Yum! Tastes like chicken, but the bones are a bit smaller and to be honest, I wasn't too keen on the look of the skin.

Some of the gang also ordered (through a breakdown in communication) 'soft' chicken cartilage. A stir fry dish of chicken bits (no bones - bonus!) and long triangular bits of cartilage. I have to say, that the taste was ok, but the sound of it crunching inside your own head and the texture was more than a little off-putting.

Ended the evening after a wet day's exploring of a park and a big pagoda with a rose garden (smelt nice) and an echo wall, which unfortunately you're not allowed right up to anymore. The theory behind it is, that you can stand at one end of the chamber, your friend at the other and then you whisper something along the wall. They're supposed to be able to hear it. Too many shouting tourists for anything to work, but the ones stood in the middle clapping looked funny!

Ended the night with two Dutch couples that had just come over on the Siberian express with an English girl in my hostel and the frog (the dish that is, not some french traveller). Watched too much football again (and we're not even in it!) before rolling in silly o'clock again.

Today I went on a bike ride, the VERY best way to see Beijing. Slow enough to stay cool, fast enough to actually get around. Cycled around the Forbidden City which was allowed, an amazing place surrounded by a 10 metre high wall made of 12 million bricks. It's just amazing to look at. The surrounding wall was so long, I couldn't see the end.

Talking of which, I'm off to climb/trek the Great Wall tomorrow. I'll be going from Jianshieng, to Simatai - I hope the weather's good as there's also a cable car and a zip wire to play on too! Look out for me on Google earth!