Chapter 1 - Two for the Road

In which we depart Beijing for Changping and the Great Wall.

We depart our hotel. 250 meters to the Birds Nest Stadium past the Water Cube and turn right out of town.

We are following the Badaling Expressway. This is the same route of the men's Olympic cycling road race. We are not doing it quite as fast. I blame the traffic for our slow pace, but secretly suspect that a lack of years of training and dedication, drugs and an extra 30 kilograms is probably the real reason.

Karen has far more close encounters with cars on the way than I do. She claims to have developed a high pitched Chinese chant that wards off evil and protects her from oncoming traffic - but I know a scream when I hear one. Her chant lets her down at a bus transfer station about 10 km out when she is collected by an opening car door. Then the Australian chant begins ....

Changping is about 35 kms from Beijing - About 40 km allowing for navigation errors. We are to spend two days at the Auspicious Hotel in Changping. The Hotel is auspicious for serving Hot Water and Cold Coffee and Saturday Night Karaoke that could peel paint from a battleship - but the staff are friendly - and it has a wonderfully quirky Chinese decor. The Hotel has a great Spa. Karen and I have our eyes on a cheap massage. Thai, Chinese, and Swedish massage forms are offered. The French Massage is twice as much as all the others. Karen and I have no idea what a French Massage is - and why it is so much more expensive than the others. Any ideas dear reader?

We spend this afternoon riding around the Ming Tombs. These are ancient burial places of nobility from years ago. Tombs are often built way underground. Similarities with Egyptian pyramids and burial practices (chambers and internment with goods and chattels) are intriguing.

Changping is not westernised at all. Non-Chinese signs are rare, and English is barely spoken. We are only 40 km from Beijing, but it seems much further. Getting fed is a challenge (Finding a Bike Shop? Forget it!). Finding a menu in English is almost impossible. Karen and I are the only Gwai Lo in town - and Karen is determined to eat ...

Anyway here is a photo showing how to get a meal in Changping .....

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