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Published: October 26th 2009
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The day after our Great Wall adventure, we headed out early again this time to see the Summer Palace. I love visiting stuff of historical importance so I was pretty stoked about seeing the Summer Palace. I knew that much of it was rebuilt and not original (courtesy of the destructive plundering of French troops many moons ago) but I was still excited to see how the emperor’s spent their summer holidays.
A short train and cab ride from our hostel and we arrived at the main gate. There was an immense lake where one could take dragon boat rides. There were several islands with various temples and the main structure which towered in the distance. Awesome, more stairs. Lots more. We crossed a bridge that was famous for something and stopped at our first temple. It was beautiful, nestled on a hilltop surrounded by rocky outcroppings and flowers. As we entered the temple we were greeted by the sight of hundreds of bits and bobs for sale. It was a gift shop. Hmph. So they turned one of the temples into a gift shop. It seemed a little irreverent, even for China. We all shrugged and moved on.
One dragon boat trip later we stood at the foot of the lofty main palace. Here, in the water, was the empress’s marble boat. There were also many small temples. They were as follows: gift shop, gift shop, gift shop, café/convenience store, gift shop, and gift shop. We climbed and climbed and climbed until we reached the top. The view from the top would have been spectacular if the smog had been kind enough to step aside. There were some interesting passages carved in stone. There was also an impressive statue with a “No Photos” signed posted prominently in front of it. Everyone was taking pictures. The security guards didn’t seem to care. Neither did the girls posted at the gift shop there.
We started the hike back down and saw what is supposed to be the longest art gallery in the world. It was a covered walkway with some nice paintings on the ceiling and wall panels. It was peppered here and there with more temple/gift shops and one temple/restaurant. There was much more to see but we were all so disillusioned by the place that we decided to move on to the Water Cube. Before leaving I
Hands down...
The cutest couple I have ever seen in my life. stopped by the toilet and bought some postcards at the gift shop there. I’m totally not kidding. Kids: Skip the Summer Palace. It’s not worth the $10 admission fee to take a tour of junky gift shops.
We were too tired and lazy to figure out the train route to the Olympic sites so we decided to splurge on a cab. The Water Cube was Cara’s idea. She’s a huge fan of swimming. I’m glad we went. I might have skipped the whole Olympic thing if it weren’t for Cara’s enthusiasm. It was pretty cool. The Bird’s Nest Stadium was beautiful and the Water Cube was unreal. The Chinese really did it up right for their turn at the Olympic table. It’s really a shame that they’ll never recoup the cost of building and maintaining these impressive structures. I have a feeling they’ll become a burden to the capitol rather than the beacon they were meant to be.
After touring the Cube it was time to head back to the hostel to clean up before our evening show. We decided we couldn’t come to Beijing without seeing a Beijing Opera. I love the costumes, the make up, and
the music. The singing, however, can best be described as a combination of the sound a cat makes when you wind its tail and nails on a chalkboard. I don’t understand what makes it an attractive way of singing. I don’t even see how it could become an acquired taste. It’s like limburger cheese or durian fruit: you either love it or believe it is something the world can live without. I loved the show. The choreographed dancing and battles, the amazing costumes and face paint, and the wonderful music made it a feast for the senses. The feast, of course, came with a side order of durian.
The day was also a minor triumph as we got to leave the fleabag hotel and check into our hostel. The room we booked still wasn’t available but there was another room open and we snagged it. There was only one bed, but it was king size and large enough for the three of us. At last, our own bathroom and western toilet and it was clean!
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