Beiling Park and the North Tomb

Rob and I decided that we should go up to Beiling Park and the North Tomb. The North Tomb, located in the north part of Shenyang, is called the Zhaoling Tomb . It was built in 1642 and is the tomb of the second emperor of the Qing Dynasty and his wife. It is one of the three largest tombs in Northeastern China. The park itself is quite large and actually costs to get in. It was another beautiful day and there won't be many more before it gets cold.

For some of the people there I think Rob and I were a bigger attraction than the tomb. I mean, the tombs have been open to the public since 1920, but how often can you see Noodles and Rob visiting them? Small children were tapping their parents and pointing at us. One girl saw us and started laughing, though she did cover her mouth with her hand. One little boy was running ahead of his family, not paying attention, and nearly ran into us. I wish I had a picture of the expression on his face. It was a look of suprise, fascination, and fear. I feel kind of like a wild animal encountered in the woods. If you are out there you know there is a possibility, but when you actually encounter one you don't know how to react.

Big Spenders: Our (just over) $20 Day

• Cab fare to and from the park $4
• Admission to the park and the tomb (for both of us) $9
• Nestle ice cream drumsticks and water $2.50
• Dinner at local restaurant (braised eggplant, sweet and sour pork with pineapple, spicy diced chicken, and rice) $5.25

Now we did get cheated a little bit on cab fare on the way up. Whether snacks at the park were as pricey for the Chinese as for us is also unknown. Whatever. It was within what I was willing to pay. As Rob said, we wouldn't have spent more money in the States just going out to Applebees.