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Published: October 3rd 2012
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Today I met Peter my Beijing guide. I found Peter on trip adviser as I searched for local guides. He advertised as an independent guide and was thoroughly recommended by many other travellers. I initially emailed him in June and have remained in contact with himever since.
We met at my hotel this morning. The opening exchange went a bit like this;
Peter " hello Spencer, you from Autrailia?"
Me " no I am from the uk" ( in a Chinese accent of course)
Peter " no no you sound Austrailian, where in Austrailia you from?"
Me " do you know Sydney? Near the opera house?"
We headed off for a coffee and to plan the day.
Peter told me that all the main sights in the city would be extremely busy because this week is a national holiday for the Chinese. As he was telling me about the thousands who have descended on Beijing for the holiday I started to think about Thorpe park on a bank holiday Monday. The scramble for the tea cup ride and a soggy burger, nothing can surely be as bad as that, can it?
Off we went down into the subway, to avoid queuing for tickets Peter gave me his spare oyster card to use for the day. Our first stop was the Temple of Heaven, an ancient temple once used as a place to prayer for prosperous harvests. As we walked round the park Peter gave me a plotted history of the country, whispering when describing contentious periods just in case anyone else was listening. Unfortunately he sometime spoke so quietly that I could not hear him so as usual I missed the detail.
We then took the number 11 bus to Tiananmen. We visited the local shopping streets packed with restaurants, silk shops and Chinese medicine shops. By now the crowds were huge and mainly Chinese visitors all heading to pick up their health remeddies and a spot of lunch. Peter was a step ahead though and knew a restaurant that was 'low price' and quiet. I am not so keen on low price venues, and probably would have bought his lunch (obviously not the king prawn butterfly) if he had given me the option. We were suddenly off left into a building and down an escalator into an
area I can only describe as the equivalent of croydon's indoor market. Food shacks all around the walls with a seating area in the middle, I made my excuses and left.
We met after lunch and walked into Tiananmen square passing the goverment buildings and huge portraits of past leaders. I pointed at the place where the young chap had stood in front of the tank in the 1989 up rising, very pleased with myself that I had actually recognised it. Peter went pale and started to tell me to shsssss and quickened his step leaving me behind.
From there we finally ended the day at the Forbidden City. The crowds were massive and I estimate I exited the city at the end of the day with about 40,000 other people. I had ditched Peter at the city gates and had agreed to meet him two hours later on the north side of the city. The forbidden city was spectacular with lavish detail. What struck me was the damage being caused by us visitors and the lack of determination to preserve the site for future generations. Quite exhausting battling through the crowds to see the rooms
and courtyards but I managed to see enough. We eventually located one another before hopping on the bus and heading back towards my hotel.
I found out that Peter learnt his English as a trainee Canadian missionary 20 years ago. From my understanding he lost his faith and never deployed as a missionary. The strange thing is that he went to the London Olympics with the Canadian team and stayed in the village for the entire games. I could not get to the bottom of why this was and what his connection to Canada actually is. I am meeting with him on Thursday to head off to the Great Wall, a two hour car journey each way; plenty of time to quiz him further! He is as much Canadian as I am Austrailian.
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Sunny Dee
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Gidday fella
'Deployed'as a missionary? Clearly needed that three weeks away!!! Very funny..... Keep it up. LYL. Xx