A week in Beijing

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We have been in Beijing since the 22nd; that is five days in a large smoggy city. And when I say 'large' I mean really really large. I have been to many big cities, but this is just unreal. Randy and I have walked Rome, Paris, New York (Manhattan), but this city I find too much to walk. It is really flat, and the air is hard to breath and makes the sun more unbearable than any I have come across. The streets are some-what on an orginazed grid, but the blocks are just unending. I have been impressed by the monstrosity that is China, and I think Beijing is being hurled like a shotput into the future by the 2008 Olympics.
As a local man told us: "...China has no shortage of laborers, resorses, or money..." So why not use them and change this city dramatically? I don't know what this city looked like 5, 10 or even twenty years ago; and I don't need that information to see the change that is being forced on the city and people living it. Not saying it is a bad thing, how they are re-molding their city, just making the observation that Beijingis changing, and is going to be a city completly unique to China.
Everything is underconstruction. From the sidewalkes to the Skyscrapers, from the State-of-the-Art Subway to the ancient Forbiden City. Everything is underconstuction. Everything is being renovated; and when the spot light is turned to this city, I think the world will get a glimps of magnificense. But like none that is found anywhere else in China. "New York is not America." I have heard people say, and Beijing is not China.
I think it is good in a way that our permit to Tibet is taking so long. I couldn't imagine us staying here this long if we would have gotten it earlier like we wanted. I would have said "Lets get out of this city!" But I find it nice now that we are stuck. I feel like the city is so vast that everytime we go see something it is in a completly different city. The pollution is bad, expeselly today. Yesterday was the clearest and hottest it has been yet this year in Beijing, so of course that is the day we choose to go out and hike the Great Wall. I have been quite sun burnt, but Randy has gotten away with minor injuries.
We had four hours on the wall, and it was great. We didn't go to the renovated part that most people go to in Beijing; so we got some great pictures with just us on the wall for miles around. The wall itself could be seen as not that amazing, but to see its length (to walk its lenght none-the-less) is an experiance to experiance. The wall would crumple under our feet, and the watch-towers have been ransacked. The only occupants now on gaurd, are those who will check your tickets or sell you "I survied the Wall" T-shirts. Locals come from all around to sell iced water and fans. They will even walk with you if they get a sence that you will get tired, breakdown, and have to pay them for the only water for miles around. Don't show them that your water bottle is getting low, or your sweat is dripping in your eyes, this is only seen as a money-making oppertunity by them.
I have been slacking in the keeping-the-people-happy Department; but it is really hard to find a good place to write that doesn't charge you ten Yuan an hour (about 1.3 US dollars). I know that doesn't sound like much, but where I am now is only charging us three Yuan (about .43 US dollars). And this adds up really quickly. With a morgage to pay, insurance, vehichle bills, and not working for three months, I really can't afford to waste my money. I know I have famliy to bail me out when the time comes (and I'm sure it will... haha Dad...) but that is a lugsury I would rather not take advantage of.
Anyway, back to the greatness of China: We have seen the Forbiden City, the Temples, the Summer Palace, Tian'anmen Square, the museums, the shopping streets, the shank allies and the greatest Peking Duck Resturante in the World. Our Duck was the 1.5 millionth and something Duck made by this Resturante (that has been in busness since the late 1800's). It has served duck to Presidents of all nations, famous hip-hop icons and exhausted travelers. What I am trying to say is that the duck was great and the most expensive thing I think we have ever shouveled into our starving mouths. It's funny how we always manage to just 'run-into' some of these great things on our travles. We didn't go out looking for this resturant. We just walked by one night, saw the sign, and came back the next night to see what it was.
What it was, was a five story resturante where everyone gets the same thing: Duck. And it is a great duck. We were sitted on the third floor next to all the other common tourists. There are special rooms for large groups, diplomates, and other various people. It was really funny to see how they go about eating the duck though. After we ordered what the waiter highly suggest (as to act like we would be stupid to order anyting else (he did chose the most expersive thing on the menu mind you)) I began to examine the other cutomers and how they were eating. They would take a small pancake type thing out of a small wooden steam cylinder on the table. They would then take some meat (of course it was duck, but I was far away and could not be certain at this moment in time) dip it in some black sauce, spread it around the pancake, and then proceed to either add random other things from their table to it or just fold it up like a taco and eat it just the same. It was absolutly histerical. In the States, if you consider a good steak a good meal, you eat it just how it comes out of the kitchen. And I couldn't imagine ruining a 50 dollar steak by rolling it in a pancake. It was really funny, and it turned out to be as equally as tasty.
The other sites in the city are big and nice. Most are being renovated and are upsetting to see in this state. With either big steel grids surrounding the building covered with green mats, or the option I really like: A big poster that is made to look like the building it is hidding. I so do love seeing that one. We even got some pictures to remember these great attestiment to human stupidity. The Forbiden City is nice. It is a large ancient walled city, with many ancient large and small buildings. It doesn't quite look like the romatic image I see is Chinesse movies, but is nice just the same.
The Summer Palace is also large and nice with its renovation readily underway. Most things are visible, as it is a large lake surrounded by buildings and walk-ways with interesting bridges and old trees. The hill overlooking the lake provides some nice pictures and is a great place to watch people. Some things I find interesting in the monuments in this city is that inside them, whenever their is something of interest, it has a sign that says their name and historical importance. But they all read at least one sentence that is always the same: "... was burned down by at ..." OK ALREADY! We get the idea! If you could have deffended yourselves better a hundred years ago, this place would be better! We get it! haha! But really. Why do they insite on repeating themselves so many times about the same thing!? I don't know. But whatever, it adds for some comedic releife on these long escapades of things that are good now, but were better before they were destroyed by someone long ago.

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