Nov. 27 – Beijing

Just because you’re travelling doesn’t mean you are always fully absorbed by your new surroundings. Today, I was in the Beijing countryside on a golden day, but I was thinking of other things:

•  What I need to prepare for my upcoming train journey to Siberia
• Travel plans beyond Moscow. There are different possible variants, kind of like chess.
• Work/job prospects – I can’t completely escape the real world
• Friends, and what they are up to wherever they are

I’m not having some sort of melancholic slump, by any means. It’s just that I can’t be in “woohoo, this cool” mode every day.

For what it’s worth, today was a good day. Another bus slog out to the north of Beijing brought us to the Thirteen Tombs area, where the emperors of the Ming Dynasty are buried. We didn’t actually go into any of the tombs, but rather strolled around the surrounding villages on more excellent, mostly car-free roads. Nothing particularly notable to be seen beyond the mountain panorama; some sheep, a couple of donkeys, stripped cornfields, farmers selling pumpkins and tomatoes roadside. But most important – breathable air, blue skies, peace and quiet.

Back to “woohoo” tomorrow, I promise.