The Chinese Capital - Beijing

So I flew to Beijing for the National Holiday with 5 of my colleagues to Beijing and had a great time!


We were there for a total of 5 days and accomplished the following:

day 1:
Arrival, went out and checked out the area we were staying at. The Hutong district, probably a 20 minute walk from Tiananmen Sq.

day 2:
Woke up super early and went on an organized tour which included the Great Wall, Ming Tombs, and obviously cuz they need to make commission to a jade factory (the real stuff is super expensive), and a silk factory.

About the Great Wall: In our itinerary it said they were going to take us to the Badaling wall section, but instead they took us to the Ji Yu Guan wall section. Any problem with that you ask? OF COURSE!!! They think they can rip off foreigners!!! So as they exited the freeway and already headed for the parking lot they asked us if we objected on the grounds that there was heavy traffic... First off everyone objected but that didn't stop the tour guide from getting off the bus as it parked. Secondly from the top of the wall as my pictures will indicate I could see the freeway and half of China, and the traffic was running as smooth as could be! So I think they thought they could mess with us! NOT WITH ME! (Entrance fee is lower here and also it is 13K"M closer).

So do yourself a favor and don't use this agency: TourBeijing.com

Anyhow, that part of the wall was lovely too, such a hike jeeeeeeeeeeeeeeez!! I hiked up both ways and it was so steep! I thought I was going to pass out! But I made it to both tops! It is harder than climbing Masada hands down! The view from there is really scenic and gorgeous! The wall is built along a stretch of mountains which are all green.

After the Great Wall we had lunch at some restaurant, then went to the Ming tombs, a section that you couldn't go underground so that was a little disappointing... From there we continued to a jade factory, where they taught us how to distinguish from the fakes... Apparently you can tell by the pitch, the color, which should be cloudy, and also you can't scratch it. It is almost as durable as a diamond.

So here comes the redemption part... My group had not paid and I asked the girls not to pay until I had a chat with our tour guide. She came up to us at the silk factory when we were all together and then asked us to pay. I was the last to arrive so the girls already started to pay and I told them not to.

backtracking, we were a total of 19 persons on the tour, and everyone was voicing their discontent, along the whole way. Also the tour guide was shady about the price, because she said not to let others know how much we paid (150RMB) because some paid more (up to 260RMB). But that can have to do with booking through a third party/travel agency. We found them online.

So getting back. As my friends began to pay I told them not to. I faced up to the guide and told her that I was very unhappy with what they did. Gave her all the reasons, and made her admit she was wrong. Then once she did that I told her that when all the participants showed up we would all together discuss the issue at hand and come up with a solution.

While waiting I let everyone what the deal was, then once everyone showed up I told her that the only reasonable compensation would be monetary. 50RMB/person, and thats what she did.

That will teach her and her business. No one messes with me!! I told her straight out that she was cheating us, and basically gave her no options. Put her where she belongs haha! I had to do all the dirty work and represent everyone because they all chickened out at the end. But eventually I was able to rally everyone and some put in their two cents too.

And for me it wasn't the money refund but the principle. I hate the feeling of being cheated and basically will not stand for people f%#^#*ng with me! Put her in her place.

Moving on to happier things:)

Oops. I forgot to mention that the tour also included a stop at the Olympic Park which is being constructed right now. It is really pretty with the Bird's Nest being the Chinese pride and joy.

day 3:

Went to the Summer Palace of the Chinese emperor. It is located on the outskirts of the city and used to be the emperors vacation place during the hot summer times. It is a beautiful stretch of land with gardens and temples, and a huge lake! we had to compete with a billion Chinese who were also touring Beijing to see all the sites, so it was quite hectic!

To get there we took the subway to the closest stop and from there we were supposed to take a bus but it was way too packed so we hopped into a taxi to get there. Very inexpensive compared to the West!!
On our way back we did take the bus, the Summer Palace is one of the last stops. That was the biggest mistake ever! We were on the bus for a whole hour in order to get back to the subway stop. On every bus stop more people kept getting on. Not a single soul left the bus and it was so crowded I was pushed into a family of three (dad, mom, and little child) leaning over them, and not able to move an inch because there were probably 150 people of the bus if not more!

Do yourselves a huge favor and don't take the bus if you ever go to Beijing!

Day 4:
We went to see the Forbidden City, again having to push our way through a crowd of a billion and a half Chinese. Nonetheless, this place was amazing. A huge area of corridors, alleys, temples, and buildings. This entire area was the emperors permanent location and for centuries no one was able to enter with the exception of foreign dignitaries and the emperors staff.
Later that night we went out to a club called Vics. Honestly, one of the best I have been to ever! Great selection of music and a great crowd. Quite a lot of foreigners too. The Beijing crowd is pretty trendy too.

Day 5:
Woke up fairly late (although we averaged 5 hours of sleep/night), packed our stuff and headed out to Tiananmen Square. This is also the location of Mao, his body that is, preserved and open to the public to pay their respects. We didn't have time to go see him but I am sure he will forgive me. Later on we went back to the hostel to pick up our backpacks and hop back on a plane to Guangzhou.

And I forgot to mention that we went to this huge shopping area called the Silk Rd in which you can find any type of clothing you could possibly want. And what's more I did not buy anything!



All in all I had a fantastic time and really enjoyed the company of the girls although now I do need a break from estrogen!
Hope everyone is well! Chag sameach!

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