A HOT DAY IN BEIJING

Beijing, Day 5

While the mixed “César Ritz" – IMI”team visited the Great Wall, the author of these lines started the morning in his apartment with a cold shower. The hotel room I stayed in until yesterday featured a tropical rain-forest shower, while our apartment comes with an exclusive Siberian waterfall shower. At least I was quickly awake and ready to face my registration which took 1,5 hours at the residence agency, and another 1,5 hours at the police station. But now I’m a real Beijinger!

For tough meat and vegetables we have a beauty salon in our area

(kidneys and other parts are also on the menu).

After the registration marathon I was picked up by the team in their rented bus, and

we went to visit the Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City which was quite a challenge in the current climate. We left several liters of sweat behind us before the bus took us to the famous silk market. In that local version of Manor you get a Rolex for 15,50 SFR (“my best price for you”), the latest iPhone for 80.- SFR (“including international warranty”) and ties made in Italy (“Guzzi, very beautiful, pure silk”) if you are a tough negotiator.

M&Ms !!! (Manuel and Mao, starting from the right)

Clockwise from the top: The Imperial Lion, Julian, Manuel, Cathy, the Author, Hakon, Fides

(the time it took to pose for this picture amounts to app. 4,5 dl of perspiration)

In the evening we found the newly arrived members of the “César Ritz” team which will then be complete with the arrival of Hanlin tomorrow. Following a shower (the Siberian version was not that bad tonight) ,we went all for a typical local dinner (I quote: “the chicken brain tastes like “Leberwurst”, but it is a bit smeary”), and after a long and hot day everybody was glad to make it back to the apartments for a well deserved rest , and I look forward to that one, too, as we approach the 02h00 am. CK

Welcome to Beijing, Sebastian, Ute, Verena, Steffi and Ian!

We were all waiting for you, espicially the guys in the dish washing area!