Ming Tombs and Peking Duck

Today was a BEAUTIFUL autumn day in Beijing. We were picked up by Dr Xue and his wife who drove us up into the mountains to see the Ming Tombs. There are 13 of the 16 Ming emperors were buried in various places in these mountains. Most of them are not excavated, but we went to 2 different tombs. They have palaces (like the one behind us) and tall head stone markers high on a hill.

One of the tombs is open. The Dingling Tomb contains one emperor and his two "consorts". You descend 27 meters into the earth and there are large tunnels and huge marble doors to protect the coffins. There are 3 large marble thrones (just in case they want to sit on them!?) And several large boxes next to them...proving you CAN take your riches to heaven.


After a very long day, we went to one of the most famous restaurants to eat the most famous Beijing dish, Peking Duck. It is roasted in a brick oven over a wood fire, it was DELICIOUS. We told Dr Xue that he saved the best meal for last (at least in my opinion). The man behind us brings the whole roasted duck (yep, head and all) and slices it in front of you. Yummo. What a way to end our trip with a good taste in our mouth ( literally).

This restaurant is one of the largest in the world. It can seat 2000 people. It is 4 levels and it is run so efficient, your food comes out quick, and the staff was so polite. What an enjoyable day!