Beijing

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No we haven't disappeared. My first entry didn't get saved, wireless connection again spotty, and time has been hard to come by.

We arrived in Beijing on Thursday, and got to our B&B without problem. The room we had the first night was too small to fit our luggage in, but we moved to another room that has a closet, a sofa, and a beautiful little desk that I am writing this on now, looking out the window over the tiny courtyard. This is a typical old style Beijing residence on a hutong (east-west alley), and it is in the most happening neighborhood in Beijing, apparently. Lots of little bars and cafes and great restaurants, as well as ordinary residences, piles of junk, and various stages of rehabbing and construction.

Day 1--Forbidden City. We took the subway to Tien'an Men Square, and took about four hours go go through the FC from south to north. By the time we were done we were close enough to walk back to our B&B. A couple of the main structures in the FC were covered with the green netting and scaffolding they use here, being rehabbed for the Olympics. If this were what I came to China to see I'd have been disappointed, but there is PLENTY more to see in the FC! I'll let the pictures do the talking. Highlights included the special exhibit on the life of the concubines, the Palace of Mental CUltivation where the princes learned calligraphy, and the Gardens.

Day 2--Lama temple, again a reasonable walk from our place. This is a mini-FC that was converted by one of the Qing emperors into a temple for Tibetan Buddhism, as a gesture of goodwill and unity of all of the ethnic groups in the empire. At least that is the spin they are putting on it, for obvious reasons. It was very beautiful and inspiring to see many Buddhist worshippers paying respects to Sakyamuni (the Buddha, equivalent to Gautama or Siddhartha, the names I learned) and other major figures in Buddhism. Lots of incense, too.

Then a subway ride that we thought would lead to the Summer Palace but, unlike in Shanghai, the subway lines that the map says are under construction are not actually running yet. So we went to the Hongqiao Shichang, the Pearl Market, to get manhandled by people selling stuff.

Yesterday--the Great Wall. Wow! This really was one of those major life experiences.

There's a young couple staying here who also wanted to go, so our host, Jacob, made an arrangement for a car to take us to Mutianyu. He had recommended Simitai, which is farther away and less developed, but the road is under repair and it would have taken five hours. So we were driven to Mutianyou which is developed but apparently less so than the primary tourist destination of Badaling.

It was a perfect day--the first truly sunny day in Beijing we've had (every day has been listed as sunny but it's really a haze all the time.) We left at 815 AM, and there was no traffic, only a few tour buses arrived at the site. Took a cable car to the starting point (once again, Bill Clinton had paved the way for us!) Then walked about a mile along a truly amazing structure--not as massive as the city wall of Xi'an, but of course, a bit longer. Again, see the pictures for a better impression than I can give. By the time we were done after about three hours, the crowds were just starting to build up, so we felt fortunate to have the experience we did.

We met a guy at the first gate who had graduated from West Division High School in M'woky, and I climbed to the highest tower (45 deg angle, about 450 steps, probably 300 feet) with a couple from California who recognized Lynn's "accent". Lynn wisely did not make the climb. (Her back & leg held up quite well with this trek, as well as with most of the trekking we have done.)

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Photos

We are ALL hutong people!
The place and neighborhood have a sort of hippie aspect, kind of like a youthful rebellion against the full-steam-ahead, no-holds-barred capitalism that dominates the country

Nanluogu Xiong
The north-south main drag in the Dongcheng area--Hutongren is on a little alley just off this street.

Mao'er hutong by day
Fixed up residence

Forbidden City
From the Gate of Supreme Harmony, looking back to the Meridian Gate

Hall of Preserving Harmony
(Hall of Supreme Harmony closed for repairs)

Cable Car at Mutianyu
Two gentlemen from Moscow were in the car with us. They could say "Magnificent!" and I could say "Horrorshow" (see Clockwork Orange), and we understood eachother.

L&R at Great Wall, Mutianyu
Taken by a nice Australian couple who were professional photographers and knew how to pose us (and they had a REALLY nice camera!)