Beijing

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Day 1:
The flight was delayed because of fog, so sitting on the tarmac we were served lunch. I hoped this wasn't an example of the food to come because it was very ordinary. Eleanor noted that it was no Etihad, but I didn't have to carry a chicken on my lap, so I was fairly confident that it was a professional outfit we were flying.
Landing in the fog (or smog?), we couldn't see anything. 3:30pm and you could cut the air with a knife. My lungs were constricting with the thought of what it would actually be like outside. The fog had penetrated the terminal and I was hoping my asthma pump was within reach. Adding to the mass of chemicals in the air was the stench of cigarette smoke. Ignoring the no smoking signs, people were lighting up all over the place. Sad times. The taxi queue was quite lengthy and whilst Dean was busy making friends in the line, a scammer neatly separated us from the herd and tried to get us into his "taxi". Luckily we woke up to his little ploy and made our way back to the rank and into an official taxi, but I don't know if that was any better because at least the scammer spoke a bit of English. Our driver pulled up outside the airport and got on the phone to work out where we were going. I had asked a lady at an Information Kiosk in the airport to write the name of the hotel and address in Chinese. It made no difference because I don't think he could read.

Eventually we set off into the fog. At one point, Dean noted that the driver's tactics were similar to those of Greg Williams; weaving in and out of packs. Nobody was taking any notice of line markings and there were numerous cars just stopped on the road or to the side, which I think were used like obstacles in a giant game of traffic. There were technically three lanes but four lanes had been created on this freeway and our driver was using all of them, sometimes simultaneously. Eleanor and I were in the back seat (no belts), watching wide-eyed as he ducked and weaved around/through pedestrians, bus stops, oncoming traffic etc. After about two hours in peak hour traffic, we arrived at the hotel. Our bags were whisked away, smiling people greeted us and we started to relax. Happy times. That feeling lasted for approximately three minutes. We were at the wrong hotel. AAAAAAAGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!! We were dumped back outside like gatecrashers, but they did call a taxi for us. Great.

Back into the traffic jam. Even better - it was the same driver from the airport. The look of horror on his face said it all. Once he was convinced that the Tourist Info had made the error, he was prepared to have us back in his vehicle (complete with the smell of a freshly lit cigarette). Twenty minutes later, we were delivered to the correct hotel. Unfortunately I had left a bag at the other hotel. I considered dumping it, but it contained some things from Seoul and special pencils for Yolanta. We worked out that we could go and get it in the morning. Crisis averted. The next incident to work through - dinner. I was in no mood to go out into the traffic and smog again to find something to eat, so we had what could be loosely classified as food in the hotel. Afterwards, Dean went out for a walk, while Eleanor proceeded to flood the bathroom (admittedly not her fault). Had to call maintenance to rectify the problem. We weren't having the best day by this stage. When the towel rack swung off the wall and the clothesline broke, I called it a night. Surely the next day would be better.
DAY 2:
The breakfast buffet cheered us up somewhat. East met west in an eclectic mix of fruit, vegetable and bakery items. We came to the conclusion that we would go by taxi to the other hotel first to retrieve the bag and then drop our luggage at our next hotel. Easier said than done. The taxi driver understood we needed to go to the first hotel but not that we wanted to continue our journey to another hotel. After consulting some more people, the driver finally came to understand his new mission. Excellent, until we arrived at the tour hotel but nobody knew anything. After convincing them to hold our bags anyway, we departed for the Olympic precinct, telling them we'd be back at 4.

Tackling the Beijing subway system, I was pleasantly surprised by its cleanliness (although I saw my first child urinating in public on the concourse tiled area). For 2 yuan, you can catch a train anywhere on the network, which I think half of Beijing's population were doing. Despite the squishiness, it was efficient and easy to use, delivering us to our destination quickly. The Bird's Nest Stadium looked impressive as you walked out of the station. Dodging touts selling tickets, kites, photos and other paraphernalia, we eventually found the ticket box (conveniently located 50m away, underground and with no signage) and had a sticky beak inside. The field was being prepared for BMX or motorbikes or something that rides on big mounds of dirt. The morning fog hadn't entirely cleared but by the time we exited the stadium, the wind had picked up, the sky was blue and I could turn my oxygen supply off.

Next up was The Cube. We had brought our bathers for a swim but you needed caps so we just had a look around and a bite to eat. Jumping back on the subway we joined a school of sardines and was shuffled along with the crowds at each transfer station until we popped up at a station near the hotel. We didn't have to cross too many roads, so I felt confident we would possibly make it back without colliding with a vehicle. Arriving at the hotel there was good news and bad news. Happily, we were given a room. Sadly, Peregrine Tours had forgotten us, although someone had hastily arranged a guide. So our group consisted of us. Somewhat disappointing, but I'll be giving them a bake once we hit Hong Kong. I really feel for Dean and Eleanor because they love a chat but we'll make the best of it. It could have been worse.


Day 3:
With the sun streaming through the window, we woke to a magnificent Beijing morning. After the festival of food breakfast buffet (where once again, East meets West in a confusing array of dishes), we set off for the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall. Now, the Chinese love a superlative and often it appears that someone has used a thesaurus and found words that might mean the same, but generally in the wrong context, to describe something. But the word 'great' is appropriate and, I believe, maybe even understated. It was the perfect day for it - blue skies, sunshine and a light breeze. And that's what the 20,000 other tourists thought too.

Being a Sunday, and a brilliant Autumn day too, there were hordes of people. We caught the cable car up (a sign proudly proclaimed it was the same one the 17th Buddha descended in. The one ahead had transported Bill Clinton) and walked along a few sections admiring the view. It was so clear, you could see Beijing in the distance. Quite steep in parts, the scenery was breathtaking and, in the words of the Japanese, a top three attraction. Dean and Eleanor tobogganed down and I caught the chair lift to the bottom. A brilliant moment of our holiday and one of the best so far.

The afternoon concluded with a visit to the summer palace. Another picturesque place where we walked around for a little bit admiring the excesses of Emperors and then caught a boat to the other side of the lake. Eleanor sampled a special takeaway snack that will hopefully never be exported to Australia - a waffle covered ham dog. Pretty disgusting, I thought, but she was pleased with it. The evening continued after dinner with a Chinese acrobatic show. How the five motorcyclists riding in a giant ball cage fit in, I'm not sure, but there was something for everyone. Although the lady two rows back shrieking into her phone was either unhappy there wasn't something she liked or she was giving a blow-by-blow account of the acts to someone back in her village.

Day 4:
The next day started overcast, however cleared up as the afternoon progressed. We caught a public bus to the Temple of Heaven and spent a leisurely morning walking around the extensive gardens. Lots of exercising "oldsters" (as the metro signs say) doing Tai Chi, dancing, badminton and other games. Dean and Eleanor joined in a hoops game and then Dean played a racquet game with an oldster and impressed everyone with his athleticism.

A highlight of the gardens was the 'marriage market'. Consisting mainly of mothers and aunts, they meet in the park to discuss and advertise their children. Notices outlining height, weight, job, salary etc are discreetly displayed and only a couple proudly offered photographs (hmmm.....). We then caught another public bus to Tian'anmen Square. Chairman Mao's mausoleum was closed so we enjoyed the sunshine with about 50,000 other tourists for a while before heading to the Palace Museum (Forbidden City). I thought the Eiffel Tower was busy but the number of people walking around was staggering. Luckily all the places we have seen so far in Beijing are ridiculously massive, otherwise it would be very claustrophobic. The Palace Museum stretches for a kilometre (maybe more) and you'd need to spend a week to fully explore it. I think we got the gist of it in two hours.

Wondering if we're eating ourselves silly in China? Surprisingly the answer is yes. Haven't really eaten anything you'd find in the local 'Dragon Palace', unsurprisingly. I had been hoping to halt the food frenzy that's been the key feature of our adventure so far, but no, it's business as usual in the calorie intake.

The sleeper train to Xi'an departed Beijing West Station at 8pm. We had to leave the hotel by 6pm to ensure we made it in time because of the traffic (we weren't that far away, either). An early dinner in the hutong behind the hotel consisted of a Mongolian hotpot, which was quite interesting. The night before we had eaten in the hutong too, but at a place specialising in some sort of regional cuisine (very spicy), which I couldn't understand the name, but really delicious. Dean made friends with the locals over some 'firewater' (only 56% alcohol content). I think he brought the restaurant to a standstill when he downed the second glass. Dean's experience in Korea with firewater has hardened his stomach, but they weren't to know. For only 10 yuan, you can buy a small bottle and pickle your insides (or remove nail polish) to your heart's content.

Anyway, back to the train. Hundreds of people were waiting in the lounge area, even a few Westie children on school camps were dotted about in their bright red or blue hoodies. I'm glad we had a guide at this point because it looked really confusing. We made it to the platform without being shunted onto another train accidentally. A four berth soft sleeper (sharing with our guide) was cosy. The ubiquitous aroma of cigarettes was evident before we had even left the station. Once the train started moving, we caught a glimpse of Beijing's burbs at night, then we settled in for the night. I fell asleep pretty quickly after our big day of walking and woke about 7am.

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Photos

Inside the bird's nest
For a few RMB, you can basically walk anywhere around the stadium.

Interesting concept
Located in the Bird's Nest

Outside the cube
Not worth finding the entrance and paying for a ticket.

Margarita time!
Same as the price of a coffee.

On the great wall
A brilliant day, fortunately.

A PE lesson in the park
At the temple of heaven

Red capped tourists
Each tour group had a colourful cap.

Comments

[Tracy]

Brillant
Jane, you have outdone yourself. My favorite entry yet although sadly I cut out at the start of day 4. I'll try to find a way to view the rest. Brilliant writing, I can almost smell China and feel slightly asthmatic myself. Can't wait for the next installment. Tracy

[Yolanta]

Fun times.
Four things... 1. Yes for pencils, 2. Yes for crazy ham waffles, 3. Yes for food frenzy and 4. Yes for this blog Keep it coming.

[nicky]

Priceless
Fantastic blog Jane, what an amazing four days, you packed alot in ; looking forward to the next installment xx