The Mystery of Scree Qing

Tuesday October 24

Summer Palace via subway circle line or line 2 or somesuch under stops inc fuxingmen(!) + dongsishitao & numerous hilarious others until off at Xizhimen + cab to gates.

Palace is BIG! - The madding crowds push toward the BIG tmples so we head away and walk around the BIG lake (Kunming) that the multitude of temples are built round. 2 1/2 hrs later feel knackered but also kind of chilled as it is really serene.

Calligraphy man had a large brush.....!.....+ wrote with water on the dry path. gently evaporating in the breeze some words lost to time.....others smudged and trampled by scuffing hordes....

Perplexed? - Midday banana on rock by lake. The tranquility shaken as 3 swimmers appear in the sub-zero; "No Swimming!" signed waters......moments of "What the....?" pass and our malaise receives a Monkey style king-kong palm/roundhouse combo awakening as scree Qing the obviously in need of a bit of practice resident opera singer accompanies the near-drowned's mid-lake thrashing with a high-pitched salvo that made me glad to be in the plastic contact lens market. StrangeFeelingThatMyLifeIsObviouslyGoingOnSomewhereElse......Then Silence.