Sleepless hours with cough, brought from UK, now quite troublesome. Up at 3am, make tea then back to bed. Up at 4 am, decide to phone home to report safe arrival, must check instructions before making long distance call to UK. Line very clear but throat infection makes speaking difficult.. Back to bed but still restless, body-clock out of sync. Wake Sheng 5 am to speak to his uncle and great-aunt. He is very excited, body trembling, as he makes his first long distance calls. The first time for him to speak to his relatives in the UK. Back to sleep again for 3 hours then fruit and Chinese tea for breakfast.
Liu and Kate arrive 9 am. We hire car to Badaling to visit Great Wall. Very misty and some drizzle but walk up to one tower to take some photos. Down to restaurant for lunch joined by car driver. Waitress does not look very happy in her work. See no westerners but plenty of Chinese tourists. Liu says they are likely to be mostly farmers and factory workers.
Performance by Russian State Circus After Supper in Korean Restaurant.
Quick look around stalls by car park, then drive to Ming Tombs; weather still wet but warm. Shake water drops on trees over each other, like crazy children. Back to hotel for shower and change of clothes. Kate brings Chinese medicine and pills for my cough. We go to Korean Restaurant on 'Food Street' for table barbeque. Sheng enjoys new experience. Go by taxi to performance by Russian State Circus, for a very impressive show. Spot four westerners amongst thousands of people in hall, moving about like ants below us, during interval. Sheng very happy, never seen anything like the show before. Hall empties in about ten minutes after the show; go out to very crowded streets. Much difficulty in getting a taxi, start walking back to hotel. Liu stands at crossroads like policeman trying to get taxi, eventually got a mini-bus taxi back to the hotel. Night very humid.
