Final days in China, Dubai (Airport) and India.

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O in my last blog-entry i was just off to Tiannamen Square in Beijing for some May-Day celebrations and to see what all the fuss was about. As i walked out of the subway i could feel the buzz of all the holiday-ing Chinese making a pilgrimage to what is essentially the political and cultural heart of modern Communist China. The fervour amongst these people was incredible, and the adrenaline that pumped through my veins as i finally caught my my first glimpse of the largest public square in the world was that which i have rarely experienced. The pride that the Chinese people hold for their country is quite amazing, and each and every one of them seemed very pleased to be beneath the gaze of Mao. Tiannamen was certainly a place i would go back to, and is almost worth the trip to Beijing alone!!
I also visited the Forbidden City whilst i was in Beijing, however this failed to live up to my expectations. Not only were a few of the inner halls under restoration, but the volume of tourists made the whole experience feel rather rushed and a little forced. Speaking to a group of American girls in the hostel later on that day, we were all in agreement that viewing the area from above would probably have been a much more impressive experience.
On my final day in Beijing i experienced the madness of the Silk Street Market, a place infamous for brand-name fakes for next-to-nothing prices. Ths was a place of madness, stall holders grabbing you if you gave their wares even the slightest glance, and the holler and emotion of bargaining filling the air as tourists and traders fought for the best deal. I escaped with a pair of leather sandals and some electrical gear, all much cheaper than would normally be payed, however that was a hard task, and if anybody reading this ever pays a visit, be prepared to bargain HARD!!
I left for Kolkata the following day, although i did have 30 hours worth or flights and stop-overs in Dubai to deal with, which put my first day in Kolkata firmly as one of sleep.
Kolkata is an incredibly hectic city, and with a vast number of homeless people and beggars, it was not an experience i had had before. the people are friendly however, and the food fantastic (and cheap), but also with a high level of humidity to contend with. I visited the Victoria Memorial, which is from the outside a beautiful relic of British-colonialism, and inside a fascinating museum that gives a brief history or Kolkata, from Armenian and Dutch settlements, the Brits, and finally in its modern state.
Ive moved on to the holy city of Varanasi, right on the River Ganges (or Ganga as its locally known), famous for its Ghats and freelancing, chilling, holy bovines. I have yet to see much, and my room is very sparse, so i may not be here too long, but hopefully i will have a week of good sight-seeing before hitting Mumbai at the weekend.

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