Forget Taylor Swift tickets...

... the hottest tickets in the world are for the Forbidden City in Beijing. 80,000 tickets per day, 6 days a week, year in year out. It would take 55 years for everyone in China to visit, so supply is nowhere near demand. Its no wonder then that when 7 days before the visit date, the tickets go on sale that they sell out in seconds. Since most foreign tourists are unaware of this, only very few get hold of a ticket. That was our fate last time, but not this year. We got the hottest tickets for a modest $72 in total (with a little help from an agent and his superfast computer). Eat your heats out, Swifties!

Was it all worth it?

Hmmm, it's a bit like visiting Mount Fuji on a hazy day. The splendour and the serenity are a bit difficult to see. In this case, what blocks the view are the other 79,994 visitors.

Of course we too are part of the mist.

Just for fun, it's a hot, humid day, and so our energy levels are somewhat low. Nevertheless, we all agree it was worth the visit. The architecture and layout are interesting. The old trees are beautiful ( though there could be more of them ).

Included here are also photos from the Temple of Heaven that we visited the previous day. This has some very beautiful and serene trees and Asian roses, and far fewer visitors than the forbidden city, but by European standards still a lot. I found myself thinking that humans and ant colonies have a lot in common.Read more