Beijing

Well, we were unable to post to the blog while we were in China -- of course it didn't occur to me that the site would be blocked, but it was immediately clear when it just wouldn't load that our subversive images and comments would not be making it back to the US in a timely manner.  I kept a log, so here is the first installment.  Now my carefully inserted pictures won't load from the log!  I could only get one pic to upload from the blogger program -- I'll try again tomorrow.  Aargh!

Day 1 -- March 16 (lost a day crossing date line -- I'm not sure what the date really is)

Made it to the Beijing Airport -- here’s our first Chinese fire extinguisher.  Really.

We didn’t do much of anything that night (small wonder after the marathon flight) and the next morning  ate breakfast at the Green Fish restaurant in the hotel -- it was a vast spread, buffet style, which encompassed most any taste.  We opted for Chinese: fried rice, though not fried, had vegetables and egg mixed in, tasty dim sum, pot stickers, John Dory.  We could have eaten American, German, Japanese, British, you name it  The variety was impressive though the quality which had started out good suffered the usual fate of buffet food and was somewhat dried out though still tasty.  We were to meet our guide for the day, Jimmy, in the lobby at 8, but he never showed up.  It seems that both Carolyn and I were mistaken -- the Royal Viking trip and the four of us hurriedly decided to take in the Beijing Zoo.  Our cab ride was a fair distance across town, and not terribly expensive at 16rmb -- we tipped the remaining 4rmb of a 20.  We’re not too sure of the exchange rate since Carolyn received 325rmb for her $50 while Sondra received 1100 rmb for her $100.  Sondra will be making all future exchanges! 

The zoo was surprisingly large for being in the midst of the city, but the exhibits were decidedly old fashioned, featuring caged, pacing animals.  We did a lot of walking and returned our old bones to the hotel about 4:30.  We’ll eat Italian in the hotel’s featured restaurant tonight -- go figure.

Day 2 -- March 17

After another sumptuous breakfast we met our guide, Jimmy (?), in the lobby and climbed on one of those over-the-top picture windowed tour buses for a day and a half (at least) of touring Beijing.  The morning took us to Tiananmen Square where we thought we had walked our legs off -- the place is huge (can handle a million people -- my mind can’t even handle that many people) but is really mostly flat open space with a few buildings inexplicably scattered in the middle of the square.  It is flanked by Mao’s tomb, the congress building (it meets for two weeks each year to do all the state business -- US congress, take note) and the national museum holding down the other side.  We were unable to visit Mao (sob) and the museum is also undergoing renovation/re-building or we might have had some respite, but no, it was on to the Forbidden City. 

The Palace is not just a building, but a whole series of monumental size buildings nested like Russian kokeshi dolls.  Like much of Beijing they have been restored and the decorations re-painted for the Olympic extravaganza, so they look absolutely gorgeous with their brightly painted friezes, eaves, rafters, corbels, etc.  dragons abound, as do lions and various symbolic and mythological figures.  We were all absolutely pooped when we finished the tour as we rushed through the nested courtyards and buildings with their moats and acres of pavement.  Then after a huge buffet spread lunch we climbed back on the bus and went to see the Summer Palace.  Built on the only hill in Beijing -- there are surrounding mountains, but they don’t count -- the palace is a little more manageable in size, but set on 800 acres which I’m sure we saw every inch of.  There is a magnificent covered, colonnade walkway which stretches for ½ a mile -- literally.

  Beautifully painted beams with scenes from Chinese myths and stories line the entire walkway.  It’s amazing -- and we walked every inch of it.  Vendors of every imaginable schlock tourist item accost you at every step both here and outside the gates of the Forbidden Palace.  And of course they are of the most obnoxious variety, accosting you at every step.  They are young and old, male and female, and the merchandise is the same, over and over (though the prices aren’t, of course.)  We fell back on the bus and could hardly keep our eyes open on the way back.  We had a drive-by visit to the Olympic venues, for which the bus didn’t even slow.  Dinner at the hotel was yet another gorgeous buffet -- this one far more elegant than the spread at lunch at the Nikko.  Can’t wait to fall into bed but I wonder whether or not we’ll be able to get out of it in the morning.  Guide Jimmy has promised that ensuing tours will not be as strenuous.  That’s good.  I never thought we could make it through today so we sincerely hope tomorrow is easier.

Day 3 -- March  18

Well, today we hit the wall -- The Wall, that is.  We were warned to wear all the clothes we’d brought with us -- and it was just barely enough.  Cold and wind discouraged us from walking much of the wall, and it was overcast to boot.  But that didn’t stop it from being an awesome sight. 

Many steps, acute slopes, but what an accomplishment.  I think the whole thing must have been built with slave labor, because no one in his right mind would have done it voluntarily.  And all set in craggy mountains with rocky outcroppings that at one time people even terraced and tried to farm.  The soil, however, wouldn’t support agriculture no matter what Mao said.
We went for another massive spread of a Chinese lunch and then walked through the Ming dynasty tombs including the sacred way -- an allee of pine trees with massive stone sculptures 400 years old which guard the path, a small moat around the grounds, and massive gates at either end.  More painted friezes and royal lions -- and a giant turtle with a stele on his back listing the glorious accomplishments of the various emperors. 

The empresses are buried with them -- if they died first they were interred in separate tombs, then their remains moved to be with the emperors after they died.  The park was monumental in size but strangely passive -- just a long, straight walk through these great stone statues.  The actual tombs were not visible.
For the evening’s entertainment, we were bused to another hotel for another huge Chinese banquet, this one featuring Peking duck and a poor red wine -- drink the beer!  Once again, many of the same Chinese dishes on the lazy susan, though the quality of the Szechuan dish was better.  We’re learning to eat off little plates using chopsticks which we wielded clumsily.  Dessert is small wedges of watermelon.  Next we went on to the theater for Peking opera selections.  The dress, acting, make-up and songs are very stylized -- it was certainly interesting.  Much of what we do is VERY touristy and consists of presentations designed purely for the tourist trade.  I (Sondra) find it somewhat off-putting and look forward to a change of pace.  The days are full and we are happy to see them end.

Day 4 -- March 19 (I think)

This morning we checked out of the Ritz-Carlton and went into old Beijing hutong where we went for a “rickshaw” tour of the narrow streets where houses are centuries old:  small bungalows of about 1000 sq ft total -- little cells of rooms around an open courtyard.  Our host, Mr. Wong, and his family have lived in their bungalow for some 200 years.  During the cultural revolution more rooms were added for another family -- it was unclear how many people this included, but a good portion of their space was confiscated.  In this old city area there are no sanitary sewers, there are public toilets.  The home had running water -- cold in most of the area (sink in the living room) though there was a solar hot water system for showering.  They were quite proud of their on-site shower and hot water.  The rooms were quite small by our standards, maybe 10x10.  This is the entrance to the Wongs home.

Food was lying in the open in the kitchen though there was a refrigerator, microwave, two burners and quite a bit of counter space.  The area really reminded me of a mobile home.  Beijing is a dusty city and the home was very dusty as well.  Mr. Wong retired from his choice job in a foundry at 55 and is now 57 -- full pension, $400 a month, which allows him to pay his bills and play mah jongg.  Their daughter still lives at home and her pictures all around the home showed a very pretty young girl.  There are far more men than women in China because Chinese families prefer boys and are likely to abort female fetuses, so daughters will surely marry.  We didn’t find out how old the daughter is.  Neither Mr. nor Mrs. Wong spoke much English, it was all done through Jimmy, our guide, who would translate for them.  The family had a non-descript small, fat dog, 12 cats and at least 8 caged, good-sized, colorful birds.