Amazing Beijing

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Half an hour with the train and a 5min drive in a taxi and we were at the Daegu International Airport. We decided not to check in any baggage and carry the back pack and bag on, but our minds were changed for us. At the airport security they scan the hand luggage like always. We were called to one side and asked to open our bags. She dug out all my shampoo, conditioner, hand cream, toner, face cream, roll-on etc, as we are only allowed to have one small bag of 100ml liquids with us. We had to go back, unpack all the liquids, and pack it into our bag that had to be checked in... After all that drama China Air was happy to accept us with our non-liquid hand luggage.

Gary got fear in his eyes when he saw the small plane but survived. About 2 hours later we arrived in Beijing International Airport. Next to this Airport a new and bigger one is being build for the 2008 Olympics. Inside it was chaos people everywhere! Here you have to know our story, we exited at gate 11 and bought a bus ticket to Beijing Station. An hour and very bad traffic later we arrived at the Beijing Station. We got our bags and head for the station. The station was packed with hundreds of people (although the photos are a bid deceiving). At the station we took the Subway to Qian Men Station.

Coming out of the station we had our first glimpse of Tian'an Square. We followed the map down Qian Men Street and turned into a narrow busy street walking past t-shirt shops and food stalls- we arrived at Leo Hostel. The staff took us to our room that was clean and cosy just what you need on a trip like this. A bed to sleep in and a shower. Thank goodness the toilet is Western style! The Chinese toilets isn't the easiest thing to handle!

We were pressed for time and to late for the Forbidden City and decided to go to the Temple of Heaven. We located it on the map and started walking. We miss judged the distance but got there with plenty of light to spare. At the ticket office we were informed that the buildings were closed but we can walk in the garden. Disappointed we went in, first we saw the Qinian Dian (Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests) where the emperor prayed for a good harvest. Then we moved on to the Triple gates (it leads to the Hall). The east gates was for the Emperor, the West gate was for Officials and the center gate for the Gods. You then walk with a Red Stone Bridge to the next gate. Through that gate you find the Imperial Vault of Heaven. This is were the spirit tablets of the gods were stored. Behind the Imperial Vault of Heaven we found the Round Altar. It is 3 round tiers of marble, 90m in diameter and 6m high. In the middle of the altar is the Heavenly Center Stone. If you stand on this stone and speak, there will be a strong effect of acoustic resonance, as if you are communicating with gods. Usually an official would read aloud prayers to the God of Heaven and his voice was loud as if communicating with gods.

Dusk was telling us it's time to go and we caught a taxi to Wangfujing Street. Apparently this is the street to shop in. But we were disappointed. There was a few shops with some bargains but not worth writing home about. The best for me was the Silk shop. The whole store is filled with silk roles. The prices are very good about 118RMB pm (R110). We found a shop with pearls, pearls, pearls and pearls. There were also some fake watches and silk goods. The pearls are so cheap, you select a string, the sales lady put a clasp on and you can wear it right there and then. By this time it was past 10 and we were on our last energy for the day. We dragged ourselves to the hostel and crawled into bed.

It was 8 o'clock Sunday morning and we were on our way to the Great Wall of China! 2 and a half hours later we arrived at the Mutianyu section of the Wall. The Wall here dates back to 1368 and was built upon the foundations of the wall built during the Northern Qi Dynasty (AD 550-77) We went up with the cable car and was stunned by the view! You can see the wall going on into the distance. We had 3 hours there and so we started to walk. The overall Wall is 6000km long, and 7m wide. The towers served as signal towers, forts, living quarters and storerooms for provisions. The towers are spaced two arrow shots apart to make sure no one climbed over. The wall enhanced communications via smoke, flares, drums and bells , as well as allowing for the rapid transport of troops throughout the country. It was to hot for my sneakers so I slipped on my flip flops (heaven). The sun was very hot and we drank water all the time. The light breeze brought relieve when you were standing in die towers. After a few hours we headed back and were lucky to take the same cable car down that Pres. Clinton took down in 1998. When you walk out the cable car you are attacked by ladies who want to sell their goods to you. Caps, t-shirts, cups etc... They hold on to you and you get annoyed, every lady you walk past do the same... "t-shirt, only one dola"
Drinks and food are very expensive there. At the Supermarket next to the hostel a 500ml Coke is 2RMB (R1.80) and at the wall it is 10RMB. If you want you can bargain for it... but there will be some foreigner who will pay that amount eventually. Our ride picked us up at 2 and we were off.
Back at the hostel we headed for a 6 floor all bargain shop. If you bargain long enough you can get a good price. We got some shoes and headed for the market near our hostel were you can bargain for much lower prices. They have everything from scarfs, shoes, bags, crafts... You are so overwhelmed that at the end you don't know what to buy.

Monday morning and this is the day we want to see the major sites in Beijing self. Our first stop was the Drum and Bell Towers it is located in a historic Beijing Hutong (original Chinese living area). These 2 instruments were used to tell/indicate the time during the 1400s. To go into the Bell Tower you climb up 60 very steep steps. The bell is 4.5m high and weigh 42 tons. In the Drum Tower you will find 25 drums. We were lucky to see the beating of the drums that happens from 9-11:30am every half an hour.
We took the Subway to the Lama Temple. This is the biggest Buddhist Temple in Beijing. It was build in the 1700 and was converted into a Tibetan lamasery in 1744. It has a mix of Han, Mongol and Tibetan motives. In the Wanfu Pavilion is a 18m high statue of Maitreya (the Future Buddha) it was carved form a single block of sandalwood. It is enormous. You can't believe the size, one aren't allowed to take photos of most of the Buddhas but you can sneak in one or 2 shots.
Next on our list was the Confucius Temple. When we got there it was being renovated and so we decided not to go in. We did see Confucius...
By this time I was "so dun soos 'n plank" as our South Africans would say and needed desperately to eat something. We popped in at a restaurant across the street and ordered some real Chinese sweet and sour pork...what a treat! Even better than the dish in Korea... Again so cheap we couldn't believe it.
With full stomachs we headed for Tian'an Men Guangchang (The Square of the Gate of Heavenly Peace). It is located in the middle of Beijing with Mao's Mausoleum where Chairman Mao embalmed body is kept. There were 1000's of people on the square flying kites walking around, sitting around... The big red flags was impressive! There is also the Monument to the People's Heroes and the National Flag that is raised at dawn and lowered at dusk every day. You pass under the street and you get to the Tian'an Men. It is the red building with Chairman Mao's portrait on it. When you walk through the Tian'an Men you are on your way to the Forbidden City. Everywhere there were 1000's of people from every nation. You walk on straight and you get to the Meridain Gate. The gate to the Forbidden City. Due to renovations it is not worth going in at the moment. Most sights are being revamped for the 2008 Olympics. The Forbidden City is also known as the Palace Museum and was completed in 1420. This palace was the exclusive domain of the imperial court and dignitaries until the 1920's and was fully opened to the public in 1949. We took a ride along side the palace and saw the Imperial Gardens.
With very sore feet and legs we went back to the hostel to eat and relax before hitting the bargain shopping for the last time.
I must say it is extremely cheap here some things even cheaper than in Hong Kong. Most stores sell the same thing but here and there you can find something different you just have to search. Some people will through it for free at you if you walk away long enough!

We got up at 3 to take a taxi to the airport at 4. Because 1 May is the start of a big national holiday in China we were advised to leave early to avoid traffic. We arrived in Daegu 11 o'clock took a taxi to DongDaegu Station and caught the 12:20 train to Gumi...Home Sweet Home!

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