What is it with the authorities and banning drinking on short ferry trips. Beijing is no different and as the sign indicates there is no drinking on the “ferry” between the Marble Boat and 17 Arch Bridge Island. Not sure what the punishment is (hopefully not corporal), but BotF threw caution to the wind and imbibed a Yanjing – seemingly the only beer available within Beijing tourist attractions.
The Summer Palace is an amazing place to visit. Unfortunately much of it was remade in the early 1900’s after the 1860 Anglo-French army laid much of it to waste. The Anglo-French did the same thing to the Old Summer Palace which was even bigger and the Chinese have made a conscious decision to leave most of that in ruins to remind them what pricks the Poms and Frogs are. The Summer Palace has vast lakes, beautiful bridges, amazing temples, a 500m covered walkway known as the “Long Corridor” and one of the great follies of China’s last empire – the Marble Boat. You can see that in the back of the photo.
Pomegranate trivia night tonight.
back of the ferry 
Patrick – can I suggest buying a truck load of Chinese currency to cover your appetite for a few brews. The Aussie dollar has been hit by a truck and the truck is now reversing over it just to make sure…
Unbelievable. I bought 5700RMB for $1000 just before I left and I am well in front. Volatility – it is extreme right now. It makes it easier. Instead of dividing by 6 you divide by 5, which is easier. A Coopers at the local supermarket is $1.80 instead of $1.50 – still cheaper than Oz.