Paparazzi

Now here is the China that we have been warned about.

So this is our first day in Beijing - it's been a long day, as we have visited Tianemen Square and the Forbidden Palace. After lunch, we went to the Summer Garden, a huge plot of land about 3 km south of the Square where the emporers prayed and relaxed.

(There was an "abstinence garden", where the Emporer was required to spend 7 days in before going to the temples. No comment necessary.)

So, around 3 pm, we stopped to take a break. Janice gave Martin a sucker and he sat down in one area of the garden.

Immediately, 4 middle aged Chinese women came over and started taking pictures. 4 turned into 5...then 6...then 8 women surrounding Martin.

The picture here best captures it. You can see Martin on the left with his lollipop (right under Freddie's head) - and on the right is all the Paparazzi that surrounded him.

It was interesting ....for the first 2 minutes. It never stopped. We had to shoo them away after about 10 minutes. Forcibly.