25 - 9. GOOD-BYE TO BEIJING

We were taking pictures of Green Car as it suddenly couldn't brake. Perhaps a loose connection? After we had checked all fuses and knocked on the right connections the brake luckily worked perfectly again. On the national highway south of Beijing we came to an area where they grew sweet, giant grapes. We bought a kilo which we ate in no time. Next came villages where they produced cardboard and plywood. In Daicheng the local industry turned out thermos-flasks and the air is bad even by Chinese standards. We found a cheap hotel admitting foreign guests - not a given fact. We settled in, hooked up Green Car through our room window and went out to pin down a Chinese meal.

Nina