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Published: September 20th 2010
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My next gift to myself will be a backpack on wheels. So it's much easier to go to my hostel/hotel/couch by public transport instead of having to arrange a price for a taxi. Ok, I can ask for a meter, but I'm pretty sure that if the driver wants, he can run up a high bill as well...
Arrived this morning with the night train from Shanghai in Beijing South station and had to go to near the North station. I'm staying in Sleepy Inn, a hostel a friend of me adviced. I love the area, the staff is very friendly but it still can't beat the hostel I stayed with in Xi'an. I'm also getting good in changing rooms, they put me again in one next to the street, changed and now I'm at the back...
Let somewhere between 11 and 12 to the Summer Palace today. I knew from last time that you could go there by boat and that I'm more or less in the same area as where they boats leave so I decided to go on foot as it's only one stop away. Of course it was much further then I firs thought but
people who know my map reading skills (am champion in getting lost) can understand the chalange. But I mad it there without any problem!
When I was here in the begining of my trip, we were thinking of taking the boat to have a relaxing trip. Forget about it, you are in China, meaning that evetything has to be explained. We had to change boats inbetween (something to do with the level of the water) and the first part there was explenations all the way. 2nd part a little less explenations but this time a megaphone was used, no escape there!
The summer palace was much bigger then I expected, you can easily spent a day there. It's built around a lake, an ideal place to hang out when the weather is nice. Sadly enough it was clouded today and now it's raining...
Anyway, we arrived more or less at the back of the place so I was a bit confused as it was so quiet and peacefull. I thanked the not so great wheather for that as most places you visit here are pretty crowded unless you go early in the morning. Then I realised my mistake
and hurried over to the more touristy side as I wanted to climb the big tower you could see, as that seems to be the center of the summer palace. The closer I got, the more people there were 'till I got stuck in traffic and getting a bit angry. My book said that the buildings would close at 4 and it was just after 3 so not all that much time left! But I made it to the tower, which turned out to be one or other temple with a hugh Boeddha in it. It looked more like one or other Indian goddess then a Boeddha thought...
What more is there to remember from the Summer Palace? First of all, got there in time. Half a day is definatly not enough as the place is hugh. I really only saw a very small area of it, including the corridor they have there. It's the longest garden corridor of whole China ans has, if I remeber correctly, more then 6000 different pictures on the way. Can't remeber how long it exactly was but it was beautiful. Also something you have to try and do when you visit those places is imaging that you are there all alone, that you own the place and that you just there relaxing, looking around. Kind of go back in time. If you manage that you can see the grandness of it all. How powerfull and rich the emperors were. Only hope they did some good for the country, some did, some didn'tn I guess as always.
Also something I wondered whether it was a mistake in translation, but the queen seemed to have several birthdays. Maybe her own, the day she became queen etc, etc...
Left the place around 5 and followed some other toursist to the metro as I had no idea where it was. Got back to the hostel without any problem and went to a local restaurant. They didn't have any English menue but had the dishes they served circled in the dictionary. It was good and very cheap...
Of to bed as I'll be vistiting the wall tomorrow and have to leave at 6.15. I do hope it stops raining by then though otherwise it won't be such a great experience...
More about the summer palace
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summer_Palace
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