Beijing - part one

2006-10-07T00:35:00.000-07:00

Surrounding our trip to the DPRK, we were lucky enough to get a few days in Beijing - just enough to get us really excited to head back when our contracts are up in February. The city was a huge surprise, mostly because I've always heard about how noisy, dirty, and crowded China is supposed to be. Instead, my first impression was that of a city with wide streets lined with tall trees and a very laid-back atmosphere (except during the rush-hour traffic). Maybe I'm just becoming too accustomed to Asian cities, but so far I'm a fan of Beijing, and looking forward to going back to see more.

Here's the great wall (duh). A few more pictures at the bottom, but I promise not to overwhelm you with too many.

A street near our hotel.

Tiananmen Square - the side furthest from the famous gate which opens to the Forbidden City

A statue in the square. The most striking thing about visiting this sight was the number of people who wouldn't leave us alone, all wanting to practice their English because they're getting the Olympics soon. (Yeah yeah, I get it, there are Olympic countdown signs everywhere, and those panda mascots, and the rings being incorporated...) It got pretty frustrating, so I just started throwing some French at them (actual French, not swearing) until they gave up and left us alone.
The best part of this was when some woman still tried to tell us about her paintings but yelling loudly and slowly at us in English while gesturing frantically.
Her: "SEE???... HERE!!!... BRUSH!!!... PAINT!!!... PIC-TURE!!!"
Us: *blank stares*

When we visited the square it was the Friday before Golden Week in China, when they celebrate their national day. Everywhere you went there were flags, and this little girl was really excited about hers.

The sun setting behind a building beside the square

Tiananmen Gate, with its famous Mao picture over the door

ROAR!! A lion guarding the gate

Unfortunately for us, we arrived too late in the day to see what's not under renovation at the Forbidden City (stupid Spaniards being late to our meeting, stupid bad traffic), but no real worries, we'll go in when we go back. Here's a shot of parts of the complex reflecting in a pond near the back.

Early evening at the gate.

When we came back from the DPRK, we met up with Ryan and some more people from our Pyongyang trip to go see the Great Wall. We opted for Mutianyu, as it is meant to be far less busy than Badaling, but closer/easier to see than Simatai. It seemed to be the right choice. We took the ski lift up to the top, which I loved because I hate climbing mountains, and were fortunate enough to see most of that section with only a few people, or sometimes none at all.

Here's how we got back down again. Yeah, you sit on a little rolly thing and 'toboggan' down the mountain'. I was a little concerned at first, especially as we decided that you couldn't NOT have a beer on the great wall, but it ended up being ridiculously fun, despite the old lady who ended up holding up all the traffic.

The wall, snaking across the mountains in the background. I can't even express how amazing it was to actually be up here.

A particularly curvy part. It was a little tiring to walk on this thing, as there are so many slopes and stairs, but it was incredible.

Glamorous in Retrospect - China

Beijing - part one