Forbidden City
I write this as I lay thawing out with my frost bitten fingers.
From the warmth of our room we stood and glanced out the window. The sun seemed to be doing its job and the sky was an illuminated blue, it was the wind that was working against us. Though we would not find this out for another hour or so.
Mum organised the van and we invited our American friends, Don and Candice to join us on or adventure to the Forbidden City. It was a pleasant drive, only a short 20 min trip from the hospital and it seemed like we travelled back through time. Halls, Pavillions, Marble Railings, Red Walls and Yellow Tiles occupied the innter walls of the Forbidden City.
Our gentle stoll quickly turned into a scurray for warmth, or anything associated with it for that matter. The wind chill was boardering unbearable and the thought of turning back was like the beach on a nice summers day. Except we had one problem. Our driver who can’t speak a word of english, organised to pick us up on the other side. A quick 1 km work to the other side, that’s what we thought.
The start of our journey had all the comforts you need when pushing a wheelchair; ramps. This was to come to a crashing halt. Mum and I tackled a flight of stairs hurling Adrian up one by one, thinking it was a one off. Then down the other side. Then up again, with the hope of a ramp in our minds. Nope. Then down again. This was to continue for another 4 hours.
We visited the Hall of Clocks and the Treasure Hall, both were filled with ancient treasures and timeless pieces. The site of the back gate came as a relief to us all, there were no more stair, only a flat path. We discovered a quiet little cafe with the help of our guide and sat drinking coffee, resting our legs. This is were our adventure ended. Back to the hospital it was for us.
1 comment January 29th, 2007
