Wednesday morning we got up and were shocked - there was no smog!
It is amazing, because the day we did The Wall, it was disgusting. Seriously, you couldn't see two blocks in front of you!
So we headed out - tried to do the Underground City, but it was closed.
After that, we went to The Beijing City Planning Exhibition Hall.
Sure, it was neat to see the scale model of the city, but none - and I mean none - of the signs or descriptions were in English, making it a cool, but relatively uninformative visit.
They did have a 4D movie though - we couldn't see it, but Jarod mentioned something about it being about Aquarius' age or something.
After teh Hall, it was off to shop till we dropped and to see Embassy row and where Jarod used to live.
Embassy row was neat, but just after walking past the embassies, we ended up in what seemed like little Russia. Russian restos, stores selling furs galore and a lost of writing in Ruskie.
Weird.
Then we caught a cab to Jarod's old neighborhood. He hadn't been back to his hood for a number of years and was shocked at the development that now surrounded it.
It is amazing what unlimited resources will do for development.
This was also the second night we attempted to go out. The time was a bust - we just ended up going for pizza and beer (yes, you read that right).
The second time was a bit of a bust too - the gay club we went to was empty and the other clubs were full of irritating 17 year old Chinese kids on too much Red Bull, listening to bad hip-hop. Ew.
So, we went back to the hotel, happy to not be out.
Oh, and this was disturbing - we got out of our cab to go to a club and this 8 year old boy in Santa hat opens the door, wishes us Merry Christmas, asks us for money and takes a drag of his smoke!
We aren't in Communism anymore Toto.
Showing posts with label Beijing Travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Beijing Travel. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Ok, it's pretty great
Tuesday, we hired a car to head to The Great Wall.
A short one-hour drive we got the to wall-section Jarod planned for us - the Junyonguan Pass.
A. MAZE. ING.
It is one of the restored parts of the Wall and it has a lot of stairs.
FYI - stairs are one of my great fears in life. Going up or down, all I see is the potential for death. I HATE stairs.
I had made this very clear to my travel companions early on, but more on that later.
The first few portions were packed with visitors, clammering to get up.
Once you get past them, the climb is really chill, despite all the stairs.
About an hour later, we were above the smog and could see several other parts of the Wall.
Breathtaking.
And to think this thing was built 2000 yrs ago. How the fuck did all of those poor ancients do the trek up to build it, because the end of this section is at the top of a mountain.
Crazy.
So, we got to the top and enjoyed the view for a while and the boys decided to take the back way down.
Now, of course, because I don't want them thinking I am a wimpe, I followed.
This was possibly the scariest thing I have ever done.
In my entire life. And I have jumped off cliffs, out of planes and climbed mountains.
I am not a fucking wimp. But the ancient Chinese were not good at making stairs a consistent size. Some were really high, others were barely stairs. It made for a descent that required a lot of attention. I got dizzy a couple of times, had to sit down and almost started crying.
I have never been more freaked in my entire life.
I was pissed and told those two idiots so.
Come to think of it, I am still pissed.
Fuckers.
All-in-all though, the Great Wall lived up to its name.
Next time though, I am bringing some hiking boots and checking out an unrestored section.
And not follow two jerks who like to test my emotional stability.
Jerks.
A short one-hour drive we got the to wall-section Jarod planned for us - the Junyonguan Pass.
A. MAZE. ING.
It is one of the restored parts of the Wall and it has a lot of stairs.
FYI - stairs are one of my great fears in life. Going up or down, all I see is the potential for death. I HATE stairs.
I had made this very clear to my travel companions early on, but more on that later.
The first few portions were packed with visitors, clammering to get up.
Once you get past them, the climb is really chill, despite all the stairs.
About an hour later, we were above the smog and could see several other parts of the Wall.
Breathtaking.
And to think this thing was built 2000 yrs ago. How the fuck did all of those poor ancients do the trek up to build it, because the end of this section is at the top of a mountain.
Crazy.
So, we got to the top and enjoyed the view for a while and the boys decided to take the back way down.
Now, of course, because I don't want them thinking I am a wimpe, I followed.
This was possibly the scariest thing I have ever done.
In my entire life. And I have jumped off cliffs, out of planes and climbed mountains.
I am not a fucking wimp. But the ancient Chinese were not good at making stairs a consistent size. Some were really high, others were barely stairs. It made for a descent that required a lot of attention. I got dizzy a couple of times, had to sit down and almost started crying.
I have never been more freaked in my entire life.
I was pissed and told those two idiots so.
Come to think of it, I am still pissed.
Fuckers.
All-in-all though, the Great Wall lived up to its name.
Next time though, I am bringing some hiking boots and checking out an unrestored section.
And not follow two jerks who like to test my emotional stability.
Jerks.
Monday, December 15, 2008
One Ticket. One Person.
After our extensive tour through history, we headed to the market where we were accosted by booth people. Bargaining was all around and it was stressful. I actually had to get stern and tell a few booth girls to stop touching me. Someone called me a liar (which actually ended up being a bargaining tool for me) and I had had enough.
Irritated and shopped out, we headed back to our hotel.
The plan was for me to take a short nap and then for us to head out.
It ended up we all napped - until 2 AM!
Needless to say, we didn't go out.
When we awoke, we caught the subway to the Olympic sites.
Side-note: I am pro-democracy, don't get me wrong, but there is something to be said for 100% of a state's resources going to one goal. The Olympics was this goal, and beyond the Olympic sitese themselves, the Olympics has had an impact on this city - even I could see that. The subway system is second-to-none. Clean, efficient, effective and cheap as hell!
I digress, we got to the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube. Both of these sites are amazing.
It is hard to get a real sense of their impressive nature from the tv. Sure they looked cool, but they were incredible.
They are both marvels of modern architecture.
Both are beautiful, but I hate the Water Cube.
HATE IT!
You see, the Bird's Nest was straightforward - buy a ticket at the gate, go through the gate and gawk.
The Water Cube was a convoluted example of poor planning - or at the very least, a government needing make-work jobs for people.
Walk here, go there - the whole thing from crossing the street to the Cube, to getting tickets, to getting in, to checking it out, took two hours and only 45 minutes of that was spent actually IN the Cube.
Ugh.
I was cursing the entire time.
Idiots.
Irritated and shopped out, we headed back to our hotel.
The plan was for me to take a short nap and then for us to head out.
It ended up we all napped - until 2 AM!
Needless to say, we didn't go out.
When we awoke, we caught the subway to the Olympic sites.
Side-note: I am pro-democracy, don't get me wrong, but there is something to be said for 100% of a state's resources going to one goal. The Olympics was this goal, and beyond the Olympic sitese themselves, the Olympics has had an impact on this city - even I could see that. The subway system is second-to-none. Clean, efficient, effective and cheap as hell!
I digress, we got to the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube. Both of these sites are amazing.
It is hard to get a real sense of their impressive nature from the tv. Sure they looked cool, but they were incredible.
They are both marvels of modern architecture.
Both are beautiful, but I hate the Water Cube.
HATE IT!
You see, the Bird's Nest was straightforward - buy a ticket at the gate, go through the gate and gawk.
The Water Cube was a convoluted example of poor planning - or at the very least, a government needing make-work jobs for people.
Walk here, go there - the whole thing from crossing the street to the Cube, to getting tickets, to getting in, to checking it out, took two hours and only 45 minutes of that was spent actually IN the Cube.
Ugh.
I was cursing the entire time.
Idiots.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Don't be rude, stop staring
One of the things that I have noticed about China thus far is that people stare at me.
And not in the 'look at that hot piece of ass' kind of way either, but they do stare and a lot of them do.
I'm not going to lie, it makes me a little uncomfortable. In Canada, if people are caught looking at you, they will smile to acknowledge the fact that they aren't a creeper.
Here, they just stare and don't really care if you catch them.
The boys say it's because they think I am exotic. I just think it's because 'one of these things is not like the other'.
Whatever it is, during our exploration of Temple of Heaven the stares got fun.
First - Temply of Heaven was beautiful. Where Forbidden City had lost it's lustre to me - I just can't do that much history for that long - Temple of Heaven seemed more natural.
It had locals doing local things. They were playing cards, singing, working out, heck some were even playing hacky sack. This felt like a typical Sunday afternoon.
So we saw all the sites, yada yada yada.
When we were walking to the Echo Wall (which is not even a wall) this rural looking gentleman came up to me with his camera and stared speaking Chinese.
Jarod, in all his useless glory, didn't know what they were saying, but it soon became clear.
He was asking me to take a picture with two of his friends.
I laughed, put my arms around them and took the picture.
I am pretty sure they thought I was Halle Berry, but no one believes me.
Except my ego. It believes.
And not in the 'look at that hot piece of ass' kind of way either, but they do stare and a lot of them do.
I'm not going to lie, it makes me a little uncomfortable. In Canada, if people are caught looking at you, they will smile to acknowledge the fact that they aren't a creeper.
Here, they just stare and don't really care if you catch them.
The boys say it's because they think I am exotic. I just think it's because 'one of these things is not like the other'.
Whatever it is, during our exploration of Temple of Heaven the stares got fun.
First - Temply of Heaven was beautiful. Where Forbidden City had lost it's lustre to me - I just can't do that much history for that long - Temple of Heaven seemed more natural.
It had locals doing local things. They were playing cards, singing, working out, heck some were even playing hacky sack. This felt like a typical Sunday afternoon.
So we saw all the sites, yada yada yada.
When we were walking to the Echo Wall (which is not even a wall) this rural looking gentleman came up to me with his camera and stared speaking Chinese.
Jarod, in all his useless glory, didn't know what they were saying, but it soon became clear.
He was asking me to take a picture with two of his friends.
I laughed, put my arms around them and took the picture.
I am pretty sure they thought I was Halle Berry, but no one believes me.
Except my ego. It believes.
I'm sorry, that was HOW much??
After spending three hours strolling through the Forbidden City, we headed out to find some food.
We stumbled upon some random food joint and with much relief, sat dow.
I, like any unprepared foreigner, expect my tourguide - in this case Jarod - to handle all communications.
Since he has lived here and is essentially a bit of an 'egg' he knows what to get and he doesn't disappoint.
One of the things Jarod mentioned about BJ before we left was that beer and smokes are CHEAP, but as per usual, I didn't believe him.
I should have trusted him.
The beer at lunch was 4 yuan. Which roughly translates to $0.80!
Can you imagine?!
And, AND, that was for 580mL.
I almost died.
We stumbled upon some random food joint and with much relief, sat dow.
I, like any unprepared foreigner, expect my tourguide - in this case Jarod - to handle all communications.
Since he has lived here and is essentially a bit of an 'egg' he knows what to get and he doesn't disappoint.
One of the things Jarod mentioned about BJ before we left was that beer and smokes are CHEAP, but as per usual, I didn't believe him.
I should have trusted him.
The beer at lunch was 4 yuan. Which roughly translates to $0.80!
Can you imagine?!
And, AND, that was for 580mL.
I almost died.
No-No City
On our first full day, we had been dying to sleep in, but that totally didn't happen. Up at 8AM, our day started awfully early.
We walked to Tiananmen Square, where Steve was accosted by a random Chinese dude. Buddy asked (we think he asked, Jarod's Mandarin isn't that good) to get his pic with Steve, which was fine and dandy, but then he planted a kiss on Steve's neck - HA!
After wandering around the Square for a while, we headed across the street (which we could barely see with all the smog) to the Forbidden City.
What is there to say about the Forbidden City? It's VERY old, it's very pretty and it is fucking huge.
Beijing is definitely the most foreign city I have ever been to, but it is also the most historic. Ok, well Lonjdon may be as old, but it didn't feel that way.
It was weird to think that the stones I was walking on had been walked on for six centuries.
Also, another thing I noticed at the No-No City - in China, I am exotic.
We walked to Tiananmen Square, where Steve was accosted by a random Chinese dude. Buddy asked (we think he asked, Jarod's Mandarin isn't that good) to get his pic with Steve, which was fine and dandy, but then he planted a kiss on Steve's neck - HA!
After wandering around the Square for a while, we headed across the street (which we could barely see with all the smog) to the Forbidden City.
What is there to say about the Forbidden City? It's VERY old, it's very pretty and it is fucking huge.
Beijing is definitely the most foreign city I have ever been to, but it is also the most historic. Ok, well Lonjdon may be as old, but it didn't feel that way.
It was weird to think that the stones I was walking on had been walked on for six centuries.
Also, another thing I noticed at the No-No City - in China, I am exotic.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Hold your breath
When we landed in Beijing, I was totally unprepared for a couple of things:
a) The smell
b) The temperature
It is hard to describe the smell. It wasn't garbage or rotting anything or sewer or anything like that. It was ... just hard to handle.
And the temperature, well I have totally become a Vancouver temperature wimp, but my ass was COLD!
After an hour-long bus ride to the hotel, listening to the annoying tour host talk about the the most auspicious tours available, we arrived at our hotel, which was surprisingly nice.
We went upstairs, slipped into something more comfortable and went exploring.
One of the things that excited me about this China trip more than anything was that Beijing is Jarod's New York. He lived there for about a year and LOVED it.
Our hotel was perfectly located a block from Tianammen Square and the Forbidden City.
After walking around the area, we began the hunt for food - Steve was getting hun-grumpy.
Because it was so late, our options were limited. But we found a nicer resto (with the best dumplings ever) and ended up paying a bit more than we expected - and by that I mean like $20 CAD.
After dinner we headed to the Sanlitun district where Jarod used to cause trouble in.
While we were too tired to get in any serious trouble, I did experience a first: the squatter.
It is self-explanatory, but I have included a link, just in case. Call me a spoiled North American, but I like my toilets to be toilets. I hate the squatter.
After the beers, in a bar where smoking was permitted, we headed back to the hotel and got ready for our first full day in Beijing.
a) The smell
b) The temperature
It is hard to describe the smell. It wasn't garbage or rotting anything or sewer or anything like that. It was ... just hard to handle.
And the temperature, well I have totally become a Vancouver temperature wimp, but my ass was COLD!
After an hour-long bus ride to the hotel, listening to the annoying tour host talk about the the most auspicious tours available, we arrived at our hotel, which was surprisingly nice.
We went upstairs, slipped into something more comfortable and went exploring.
One of the things that excited me about this China trip more than anything was that Beijing is Jarod's New York. He lived there for about a year and LOVED it.
Our hotel was perfectly located a block from Tianammen Square and the Forbidden City.
After walking around the area, we began the hunt for food - Steve was getting hun-grumpy.
Because it was so late, our options were limited. But we found a nicer resto (with the best dumplings ever) and ended up paying a bit more than we expected - and by that I mean like $20 CAD.
After dinner we headed to the Sanlitun district where Jarod used to cause trouble in.
While we were too tired to get in any serious trouble, I did experience a first: the squatter.
It is self-explanatory, but I have included a link, just in case. Call me a spoiled North American, but I like my toilets to be toilets. I hate the squatter.
After the beers, in a bar where smoking was permitted, we headed back to the hotel and got ready for our first full day in Beijing.
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