Forgive me while I drop into a more conversational voice.

Garrett and I took Friday morning off to go to the Yu Garden (another taxi ride, another $3.00).  The taxi driver left us off out in front of what looked like the entrance to an old village that had been retro-fitted into the ultimate ancient-chinese-village-cum-tourist-trap you have ever seen.

We wandered in and I had this feeling we sorta stunned the vendors.  You see it wasn't quite nine a.m. yet and I don't think they expect to see any tourists before nine.  I think we kind of broke an unspoken agreement...but I digress.

We had a tough time finding the garden entrance, it was a bit hidden back in the village, which of course necessitated a circuitous route through the gauntlet of vendors.  So I bought a Mao Tse Tung watch.

..eh...

Yes...more about that later.

We finally found the entrance to the Yu Garden, one lonely bored guard, one lonely bored ticket counter lady later and we're in.

It's hot.  There are stones and rocks put together in many interesting ways.  There is some most excellent Chinese palaces.  Coy ponds.  etc.

It's hot.

Let me have the pictures talk for me.

Cool rocks put together in interesting ways

Cool bridges.  Remember the bridges are built with angles so that evil spirits don't follow you because you see evil spirits can only go in a straight line...dontcha know.

More cool rocks.

Dragon sculptures.

Great palaces.

Well there is a bunch more, but well I know you were waiting to hear the rest of the story about the Mao watch. 

So you see, I paid 100 yuan for a Mao watch at the entrance to the village.  I bargained the man down from 120 yuan to 100 and was feeling pretty good about myself.  Well later we found a couple more stores and...well...Garrett got his for about 40 yuan. 

I will probably never here the end of it.  He's that type of guy.