Tonight we went to the Beijing Opera. It is the most amazing spectacle and intricate, ancient art form. Ours was only a taster show, with single chapters almost, of different shows.

The operas always portray different traditional stories and contain easily recognisable character types. The costumes and make-up help with the identification and drama, and accentuate the character and movement. Precise hand and eye movements convey emotion and concepts such as distance or darkness, and action is portrayed through elaborate dancing and kung fu moves. The music is traditional and Chinese on 4-6 instruments, and the main characters sing.

It is just magical.

Yesterday we explored a big rectangle in our local area: up our street, down Wangfujing (sometimes called the No1 commercial street in Beijing), along this street Donghuamen, and back up on the road closest to the Forbidden City on the east side. When we stopped to watch the world go by and drink some water, I noticed all these red stalls. The minute the clock struck 4, the stall holders sprang into action, whipping food onto grills and display racks, hanging price signs, and stir-frying. We weren't ready for dinner at that time yesterday, but we made sure to come back today, amongst crowds of tourists from around China and around the world. We ate skewers of prawns, roasted corn on the cob, noodles and dumplings. We met other travellers trying to outdo each other on silkworm, snake and snails, but that game isn't for me.

We both have rotten colds, so that was about the extent of it for today!

We are staying at the Red Wall Hotel in Beijing. It had a lot of bad reviews, but I love it. The staff are all very helpful and friendly, although gently so. The room is small, but well designed and has everything we need. The beds are hard - we were warned that they are hard all through China - but they are comfortable. I have a magazine rack labelled "Reading is Beneficial" and this wonderful sign in the bathroom.