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Published: January 2nd 2009
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Tiananmen Sqaure What a wonderful time we had in Beijing. Over a week of exploring the capital, and its surroundings, was great. We stayed at the Sulitun International Hostel (near the Worker's Stadium) in the northeast side of the city within walking distance of the Dozhimen subway station.
Arriving early evening in the city, the first stop was a delicious dinner at a local restaurant that was fit for five or six people. It was eaten--and finished--by my brother and I. Large plates of Chinese brocolli, stir-fried vegetables, and pork were devoured with cold (but not great) beer. The evening was spent walking the neighborhood.
Early next morning Tiananmen Square was the destination. The subway lines in the city are easily accessible by English speakers--in large part thanks to the Olympics. The atmosphere within the square is hard to explain. Entering the subways, or the square through any of the side streets, one is greeted by a couple of guards checking bags and persons with metal detectors and x-ray machines. Once through, the views are a bit surreal.
People walking around are enjoying the scenery, taking pictures, or some are just waiting for the next foreigner to go up to
The Ninth Gate
In Tiananmen Square and start up a chat. We walked past the Mausoleum, the Obelisk, and looked in awe at the entrance to the Forbidden City. After taking a stroll around the biggest city plaza in the world, we were met by a couple of tourists from Shanghai who wanted to practice their English. In front of the gate in the square, we discussed a bit of Chinese history, and planned to meet back for lunch at the same time.
The area directly south of the square has been reconstructed for tourism, blocking old housing. The hutongs can still be explored though. That's what we did. We explored and got lost for about an hour or two around these neighborhoods, and those southwest of Tiananmen. We decided to go into one of many restaurants. It was cheap and delicious, just as I am sure any one you choose will be cheap and delicious.
After lunch, we walked a bit more, walking by markets and shops. The scenery and smells were a great experience. Around one in the afternoon we headed back to where we had met the guys from Shanghai. Unfortunately, they were not there; luckily, and ironically, we met another
couple of students from Beijing, on the same spot, that also wanted to practice their English. After twenty minutes of talking, we each headed our way. We went up to the large city gate that is found on Tiananmen.
The tour is worth it, and it takes no longer than an hour. The views that it provides, along with some history, are amazing. At high places, one can really notice the smog within the city.
After walking the four levels of this gate, we decided to visit the Temple of Heave, a bit south of Tiananmen Square. The walk took us longer than expected, as we went through a number of neighborhoods and shopping centers. Once there, we noticed that we would not be able to see all that the site provides in the little amount of time we had. Already late afternoon, we decided to head to the Niujie Mosque.
The taxi driver had no idea where the place was, despite us showing him on his own personal map. We had to walk about half the distance from the Temple of Heaven. The mosque inside is quiet and nicely laid out. It is definitely worth a
visit, as it mixes Islamic and Chinese architecture.
We did not want to miss the flag lowering procession, so we hailed a taxi cab near the mosque. The 19yuan ride got us there as the event was beginning. After the procession is finished, all the building surrounding the square are lit up. The whole square looks beautiful. Once again, we were stopped by another two individuals, a brother and sister, also from Shanghai, who wanted to practice their English as well. We heard and read many horror stories from travelers about students in Tiananmen who want deceit some tourists, either through selling art or going to tea houses and leaving them with expensive check; however, we only met wonderful individuals who wanted to learn from us as we wanted to learn from them. After twenty minutes of chatting, we were on our way back to the hostel. Despite the fact that we planned to head out that night, I fell asleep early, and my brother hung out in the lobby.
The following day, the Temple of Heaven was the destination. We woke early, and headed to the subway station. We got off one stop south of Tiantan (the
Solitun Area
First night in Beijing subway stop, as well as the name for Temple of Heaven), and walked the rest of the way. It is suggested that the southern entrance is the best, so we decided to do that. From here, there are many stops along the way, and each is stunning. I hope the pictures will do them justice. The last compound, if you will, is the the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest. The structure is beautiful, a must visit if in Beijing.
It took us around three hours to see everything that the Temple of Heaven has. Exiting from the north gate, we headed towards the Pearl Market. This is one of the three popular markets, where haggling is the experience of visiting these places. We didn't enter that day, but ate across the street. After a few beers and decent food, we headed back to the area around the hostel.
Here we drank and ate until we were to go and meet up with Alex, a friend who was coming from Atlanta to travel with us for a week in Beijing and Shanghai.
That night we got completely wasted--my brother and Alex a bit more than I. One
of the great things about the hostel, is that they help you with everything. Everyone there was so nice. One of the guys who works at the front desk helped us go on our way. In addition, the hostel is located in a great part for nightlife. As we walked south from the hostel, walking by one club after another, we ran into a guy from England. Jide suggested that we should hit up either Vic's or Mix, both of which are next to the Worker's stadium. We decided to hit up Vic's. A wonderful night until five in the morning, we spent it dancing and drinking. with our new friend There I met Jennifer and her friends, who joined us for dancing. Great music and great company highlighted the night.
Once outside, my brother and Alex were hassled by some kids begging for money. They attempted to run away from these kids that were in good shape for about half a block to where the hostel is. They couldn't shake them off. If you are lucky enough to hear the story from them, they will tell you they ran for 3 miles, at full speed, with kids behind
them. They were gasping for air when I caught up them near the hostel, with the kids laughing alongside them.
The next day we headed to the clothing market, one of the three markets mentioned above. Here Alex had his heart set on a North Face jacket. Half the day was spent shopping and getting foot massages. We ended the afternoon with a huge meal at the same local restaurant from the first night. Our bellies were happy.
Since the next morning we were heading to the Great Wall, we decided to have a quiet night. We visited one of the famous food vendor streets, where all types of animals are fried in front of you. An array of sheep testicles, penises, seahorses, sea stars, scorpions of all sizes, and snakes to name a few are there for your choosing. Quite a lot of things that I wanted to taste. I was the only one brave/smart/stupid enough to try something. I went with three small scorpions. Surprisingly, they tasted like fried pork. The area around the market is a bunch of new shopping centers, with brand names at each spot. After a short walk we went to sleep
to get ready for the next day and the Great Wall. (I will share the Great Wall adventure in another blog).
The day following the hike of the Great Wall, we met Mike, a Brazilian who was traveling the world for 12 months. He was in his fourth month of his journey, and had just come from Southeast Asia and heading to Japan after Beijing. Our destination was the Forbidden City. That took most of the late morning and early afternoon. The place is beautiful. Walking from one building to the next provides a great walk. One can also visit several other structures inside that have art, and there is also a clock hall. A must visit.
Exiting from the north of the Forbidden City, one finds Jingshan Park. A five-minute hike to the top provides views of the capital city are magnificent. A 360degree view is beautiful, and allows you place yourself in relation to other places around the city.
From here we headed north towards the Drum Tower and Bell Tower. The walk left us with 15 minutes to see both, so instead of rushing, we chose to walk up the Bell Tower. A wonderful
Tiananmen Square
Looking up at gate story on how the Bell was cast awaits you at the top, along with beautiful views. For us, it was a great sunset.
After a full day of sight seeing it was time for dinner. From just before 6pm until past 11pm my brother (Felipe), Alex, Mike, and I ate our selves silly, and drank even more. We were so drunk by the end of the meal, that we closed down the place due to the time. Guests came and went, we stayed, as our conversation that night fueled our beer consumption. Once in the hostel we made plans for the next day, talked downstairs with the front staff, and made our way to bed.
The next morning we headed to the Olympic area first. A two-hour walk around and inside the Birds Nest, followed by the Cube, and then walk north through other Olympic sites. The day was beautiful but cold. A taxi ride from the Olympic area to the Summer Palace, our next destination, was about 40yuan.
The Summer Palace is breathtaking. The views of the architecture, lake, and surroundings are beautiful. It could take a whole day to walk every part of the complex,
Under the Gate
Tiananmen Square we saw lots of it in the half day we were there. After climbing to the top, and seeing gardens, bridges, and scenes, we rested on the banks of the lake to see the sunset. The four of us enjoyed it greatly.
That evening, before it closed at seven, Alex wanted to buy a Rolex from the Pearl Market. After haggling he found the perfect knockoff he wanted at a price he wanted to buy. Back at the hostel, we had a few bears, made dumplings, met two Swedes whom we would enjoy Shanghai with, and said goodbye to Mike, as the next morning it was off to Shanghai for us.
My brother and I returned to Beijing after a week in Shanghai and its surroundings. Our trip to Xian could not be realized because train tickets were sold out. Our option was to return to Shanghai from Suzhou, and fly back to Beijing.
We arrived late Sunday night, around 1am, and luckily the Sulitun hostel had a room. I stayed three nights. The following morning, all the staff knew that the brothers had come back. It was a lot of fun, and we were glad to
Statue
Tiananmen be back to spend our last few days with wonderful people. Candy the manager is great person, Julie will also help you with anything, an extremely nice person, and the two guys out front are a lot of fun and will help you with anything.
On the last full day for my brother, we visited the Lama Temple, the Temple of Earth, and did a little shopping at the clothing market. The Lama Temple is beautiful. The day was extremely cold, so we walked the area as fast as we could. At the end, there is a 26-meter high Buddha which cannot be missed. The Temple of Earth is located north of the Lama Temple, and inside the structures are small with not many visitors.
We finished the night by going to a vegetarian restaurant that provides a buffet. It is located in front of the Confucius Temple, near the Lama Temple. Inside we ate non-stop delicious plates and chatted up the cute wait staff as they were trying to learn English. We finished the night with a few beers at the bar in the hostel, talking to the staff and other travelers.
The next morning we
ate breakfast at China Noodle, a restaurant owned by a wonderful lady who will help you learn Chinese, near the hostel. We ate there several times. My brother packed and left midday.
After our goodbye, I headed to the Silk market, the last of the three markets, and bought some souvenirs. Back at the hostel, I drank myself silly with the staff and other travelers til about six in the morning. The next day, I accompanied Julie, a staff member at the hostel, to do errands around the city. A wonderful new friend. Mid-afternoon, back at the hostel, Candy joined us for a conversation, and said our goodbyes. I said goodbye to the staff present, and was ready to head to the airport. Will miss them.
Beijing is beautiful. Lots of history and culture that cannot be missed. The people we met are wonderful, and I am hoping to keep in touch with all of them--its easier said than done however--and see them sometime soon. Thanks to all for a great time. The time with my brother and Alex was a lot of fun, and will not forget our travels together in the country.
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Allyson
non-member comment
Awesome!
Juan, Thanks for sending me the link to this! Your pictures are awesome and the writing in your blog is really entertaining! I am so glad you guys had a wonderful time and enjoyed the holidays over there! Hope to see you soon! Allyson