All Dogs go to Heaven

The longer I've been here, the more I'm beginning to understand this place.

Actually scratch that - I think I am beginning to start my understanding of this place.

The chaos, the urgency, the many small tragedies and miracles that tug at its core. It's a million stories of chance, of getting by, of surviving, of living, and of dying. It's a place that requires more than a travel guide's worth of handy tips to appreciate, much less understand.

Between mausoleums of long dead emperors which we visited today, we passed a dead dog on a large field that we were crossing over. I could tell it had only just died, and I felt sorry for it. Nature and elements had just begun to reclaim its body for the earth, and I felt distinctly then, like I did in the mausoleums, the weight of history that has shaped this place for so many years.

The Ming Tombs. Only 2 of the 13 are accessible to the public for now. Each of the tombs occupy a vast area, with each tomb set a few kilometers apart from each other.

Before the entrance to the tombs, we passed through the "Sacred Way". Statues of both of real and mythogical animals line the promenade.

Photo - Liok-style!

I met this kid who wanted me to photograph him on the tortoise.

This is about where I passed the poor dog.

This is one of gates to the tombs we visited.

And this is the underground tombs of one of the emperors. Inside, it isn't all that interesting.