Beijing clips

Our first entry onto the Great Wall at Badaling, about an hour by train northwest of Bejing. Luckily, it was a hazy overcast day -- if the sun had been out, we would've been baked.

A longer walk on the Wall, with an appearance by Ash & Kath.

Part of the 2:30pm performance by the drummers at the top of the Drum Tower (Gu Lou) north of the Forbidden City in Beijing.

Early Thursday morning in the rain, after waiting about an hour to see Mao Zedong's body in his mausoleum south of Tian'an Men Square. Open to the public only from 8am to noon -- entry and exit takes a  few minutes, actual viewing is maybe half a minute as we are shuffled past the glass coffin. Is it really Mao's body or a wax figure? Who knows. No cameras allowed. Cell phones are electronically jammed. Thousands of people with their umbrellas fill the square waiting in line for their chance.