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Published: August 14th 2009
Hopefully I had you all on the edge of your seats waiting for the next China installment.... or more likely you were leaning back snoozing by the time you made it to the end of the last one 😊 Hence the reason for cutting the story in two.
Day 4: "Temple Mania"
We were up and to Yonghe Gong Lama Temple very early. This temple is considered to be "Beijing's most magnificent Buddhist temple." The short story of how it became famous: "The temple was once the official residence of Count Yin Zhen who became emperor in 1723 and traded up to the Forbidden City. His name changed to Yongzheng, and his former residence became Yonghe Palace (Yonghe Gong). In 1744 it was converted into a lamasery and became home to legions of monks from Mongolia and Tibet. In 1729 the Emperor Qianlong, having quelled an uprising in Tibet, instituted a new administrative system involving two golden vases. One was kept at the renowned Jokhang Temple in Lhasa, to be employed for determining the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, and the other was kept at the Lama Temple for the lottery used for choosing the next Panchen Lama. The Lama
Temple thus assumed a new importance in ethnic minority control."
Fran found the temple to be both interesting and boring as he didn't know the history or understand the Buddhist symbolism and we didn't rent audio guides. I did my best to explain what I could but my Buddhist history could use a refresher course as well. (It was also very repetitive).
Next it was 5 stops down on the subway line to the Temple of Heaven park - which was actually a 20 minute walk from the subway station and it shouldn't have been, so we saw a bit of Beijing on the way, including the Pearl Market. I'm not really sure if they actually sell pearls there but it appears so. Anyway, I was really excited to get to the Temple of Heaven Park because last year, not knowing if I would ever make it to China, I read a book called Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven. It was a woman's memoir about her journeys through communist China about 5 seconds after they re-opened the country and started to allow tourists in again. I found the story to be fascinating and I have to
say it was the first time I ever had any real interest in seeing China. Not much of the story took place in the Temple of Heaven park but it made me want to see it nonetheless.
We finally made it to the East entrance to the park. Upon entering Fran finally realized that the Temple of Heaven Park wasn't just a temple but actually a vast, well-maintained, gorgeous park as well. We finally made it to Tinatin, the park of the park I was so looking forward to seeing; I was a bit disappointed to realize that we could not actually go inside. To make matters worse the Chinese were pulling their usual pushing and shoving , cutting everyone else off stuff so it took a long time to get anywhere near the entrance. I didn't know a lot of the details about everything involved in the temple (though I did learn some while there), but I really appreciated the architecture and all of the detail involved in the designs.
After that we took a few wrong turns and ended up going the opposite end of the park from where everything we wanted to see was, but
we saw some beautiful places along the way. We did finally make it to the last three things we wanted to see, but they were not as interesting as we hoped, so we finished up quickly and headed in the direction of the silk market. At the market we were actually able to learn about the production of silk and the process that it goes through. We wouldn't have known better if it hadn't been but it was reassuring to know the silk products sold in this market were guaranteed.
Following our adventures in silk we treated ourselves to the meal we'd been waiting for since we arrived - dinner at a famous duck restaurant. I was excited even though I don't normally eat duck but knew that if I was ever going to give it a try, the place famous for Peking duck was the place to do it. I had actually found a place that became famous by modifying the ducks and the cooking process and making them 45% leaner than other ducks. And it just happened that the morning we were planning to go we ran into someone at our hostel that had just had dinner
there the night before and said it was excellent.
We had to wait 40 minutes for our table, but the restaurant was nice enough to give out free wine and other drinks while you wait. We spent a few moments looking over the numerous awards and photo/autographs with famous people on the walls. The rest of the time we spent out front watching the world go by and looking at the people from all over the world also coming to eat at this restaurant. The menu was huge but we knew what we'd come for & ordered a duck with the 'fixings' - side items including cucumbers, garlic, salt, pancakes etc. Our meal also came with some unexpected extras: Frozen, pureed corn served in a champagne glass with a spoon, wheat buns (to make sort of a duck sandwich), and duck soup broth (you added your own duck), some marmalade-type dessert as well as fruit. Needless to say I was very impressed as well as satisfied with my first duck experience, and went to sleep quite happy.
Day 5: "Grey Streets"
I mentioned in the first blog that I was very interested in exploring the hutong of Beijing.
Every day in Beijing we tried to spend even just a little time walking through hutong in the areas we were passing. Our first hostel, Happy Dragon was just next to some hutong which we didn't really end up exploring until our last morning there when I had to make a run to the bank before breakfast. We were surprised by some of the wider roads in them - they were obviously restored hutong. Because we wanted to learn more about them we booked our second accommodation in a restored hutong in another part of the city. And the 5th day in Beijing was the day we 'moved' there.
We couldn't find the hostel for a while & found ourselves in one of those "I get by with a little help from my friends" situations. A random Beijinger who spoke absolutely no English brought us to our new "street." Apparently his and our charades were quite good as we managed to communicate a little. He was very nice if not a little intimidating. It turned out that our new hostel was one of three owned by a couple and the directions brought us to a different hostel as it
was easier to find. Someone came to pick us up and bring us just a little further down the street.
Outside in the hutong it was muddy and dusty. It had rained during our adventures on the subway to get there from another part of the city, and the amount of dirt in the streets here made walking around a bit like taking on an obstacle course. Not only were we dodging puddles and 'rivers' but we were also trying to avoid being hit by bicycles, motor bikes and the random car that comes down the street. The hutong are crowded and sometimes noisy, but they are also pulsing with life. There is a sense of security as you walk down the streets. It is part of the reason so many have stayed even though the sanitation is lacking. These neighborhoods possess such a sense of community as well which is evident in the veritable sitting rooms you find on the street. Men and women (sometimes children) sitting and talking, laughing and playing (Chinese chess much of the time).
The living conditions sometimes made us cringe, but the fact that so many stayed here when then don't have
to speaks volumes about the cultural and lifestyle differences. It also made me pause and try to consider from their perspective what makes the hutong so appealing, rather than the initial reaction to many of them which was something along the lines of shock and horror.
Not all hutong are created equal either. Many in the early photos are soon to be knocked down. Because I cannot read Chinese I cannot tell you if there are plans for them to be rebuilt or if something else will take their place. I did say that people still inhabit some of the more dilapidated ones, and they do. But the rebuilt or refurbished ones are not so bad sometimes. Some of them are located on tree-lined, wide roads. The walk down these roads was incredibly peaceful, and you sometimes forgot you were inside a large, noisy city.
We spent more than half the day wandering through the hutong. We started in our own new neighborhood and wound our way in and out of them throughout the city. When we tired in the mid-afternoon heat and reached the Forbidden City again we decided it was time to take a taxi, and
chose the Golou lake area as the destination.
Golou is full of interesting shops, bars and restaurants. It feels somewhat western (but that may have more to do with the numbers of tourists in the area), but also retains a very Chinese atmosphere. We walked only a short way before find a place to have a snack (chicken satay) and some drinks on a roof-top bar. We discovered we had quite the view from up there and the breeze helped us to relax after all the walking we'd done.
We spent the next few hours wandering around the lakes stopping to take pictures or haggle for a better deal at some of the stalls. We stopped for dinner and drinks by the lake, where the choices surprised us. The food I ordered was highly disappointing, while Fran's was fabulous - although again, hours later we learned it had made us quite sick, and this time for days. We continued to make our way around the lakes back to where we started after eating. The lights in front of the restaurants made for quite the amazing view. We also encountered some street performers playing a game that resembled hackey
sac with feathers attached. And most surprising was the semi-darkened section where we discovered many men swimming in the lake. (Slightly dangerous with the amount of boats that were still out on the water!) It was a very relaxing end to a busy day.
Day 6: "Sick again"
My last full day in Beijing began with the discovery that Chinese food and I really didn't get along. We had an interesting breakfast at our new hostel before going out to explore the morning sounds we could hear in the hutong. It was fascinating but unfortunately I was slightly distracted by how I felt, and it took me a very long time to make it to the subway station. From there we were headed to the Olympic Stadium which meant changing subway lines many times, and my halted progress meant it took ages longer than it should have.
When we finally emerged above ground we were almost knocked back by the humidity. It was muggy, warm, and cloudy. You could barely see for all the haze. What made the Olympic Stadium so interesting and memorable for us was that we quickly discovered ourselves to be the main event. Everybody
wanted pictures with us (and we weren't the ONLY foreigners so I'm not quite sure what made us so desirable). And some of you will probably find pictures of us online with random Chinese people, positioned in front of the Birds Nest.
We didn't have the energy to do too much exploring in the heat (nothing is very close in terms of walking either), so we had a snack and prepared to move on. I was slightly disappointed to discover how poorly some of the Olympic sites have been maintained. They are quite the tourist draw for Beijing, and you would think the amount of money they bring in would help to keep them up and running, but perhaps I just do not comprehend the whole story.
In order to leave the Olympic park area we needed to hire a taxi to bring us to our next destination. We took quite a few taxis in Beijing because they are convenient and very cheap (usually RMB 15-20 or $2-3/ride, sometimes reaching a whole $5 for long distances). Before we could even make it to the taxi queue we were approached by a man (not in a driver's uniform) who
offered to 'help' us. Basically he asked where we were trying to go and walked us over to a particular driver. After a few minutes of attempting to figure out where we were trying to go he says ok - RMB 180 (about $21). I think the shock took over because we very literally laughed in his face. We were very glad to have been in China long enough to know this was not an acceptable fare, not to mention our knowledge of the warning inside the taxis which clearly reads that rides within city limits are subject to the metered fare and should not be agreed upon beforehand.
We found another driver who wasn't so bad, but did try to quote quite high (RMB 50). Fran managed to get him to agree on the metered rate, which ended up being around RMB 32. Fran didn't have change so he had to give the man RMB 35. Well, the driver did not want to give Fran his change. He gave one RMB back, but tried to keep the two. And he was so stubborn about it that even if Fran was feeling generous he was right to demand all
of his change. I had to laugh about it because it seemed so ridiculous, but then, that is Beijing in all its shoddy glory.
Our taxi ride brought us back to the Sanlitun area, specifically to a shopping/bar/restaurant area called The Village. It's a very nice area, even though shopping for Western items wasn't really on our list of things to do in Beijing. We did find an amazing Western restaurant to have lunch at where the food was quite simple but of extremely good quality - the Chinese food was wreaking havoc on our bodies and we weren't taking any more chances! We managed to have a great conversation with our server (who's English was very good) about the area and things we had done in Beijing. We spent a bit of time walking around the area and stopping in various places for a drink or a snack. We tried a local place where the night's entertainment (a lone guitarist) was just gearing up, even though we were the only patrons. We also visited a Mexican place and had some drinks chips and salsa on the roof. That was somewhat disappointing for me and really made me miss
Chili's / Margaritas for the quality of the chips & salsa as well as the margaritas. But I suppose, in light of where we were, I should have been more surprised to find a Mexican restaurant in the first place rather than being surprised it wasn't first rate.
The last place we stopped was an Italian restaurant. We discovered it was actually a famous chain (the walls of the place were covered in photos of the owners and Hollywood stars). We sat outside in the courtyard lit by soft lights and candles and read a bit of an English newspaper we'd come across. We also talked about our trip that was quickly coming to an end. Then we headed back to our hutong to prepare for our departure and take one last walk around.
Fran wanted to make sure I added one last interesting bit. Going through immigration you are required to hand over your passport for them to scan and check. They rarely ask questions here (most likely because they don't speak much English, but possibly we just don't look suspicious enough). When they are finished you are asked to rate the service. Satisfied, ok, took too
long and dissatisfied. We also encoutered this at the Bank of China when I was exchanging money. Same setup, but these ratings were actually calculated into overall performance by displaying the number of stars a person had earned. We found this system quite interesting. And when going through immigration we figured that no matter what happened no one would rate the people anything but satisfied for fear they might not be let through!
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China surprised us in many ways. There were so many situations we were not prepared for but quickly adjusted to, which was reassuring considering the amount of traveling we plan to do over the next year. The biggest disappointment would have to be the food. Perhaps we didn't always know where to go to get something we would be satisfied with. For me, it was the fact that many of the times I thought I was enjoying the food, I later discovered it had actually made me sick. That would be the only other downside to the trip, but in the future we will take better care in what we eat while traveling. Up until now (I'll be honest) it was something I'd read
about but not needed to take much care in following through on the advice. But we're not in Kansas anymore.
An unexpected upside to the trip was arriving back in Korea and realizing just how much China made us miss it. We have finally adjusted to living here but hadn't yet noticed. The fact that Korea is quieter, the people are much kinder and not always looking to take your money and run also helps. Fran really missed the food as well and couldn't wait to (literally) get his hands on some galbi.
Thanks again for reading, I hope it was interesting & at least somewhat informative. And again, if you are interested in seeing more of our photos from China, just let us know & we'll send them to you.
xxx Fran & Jess
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pilgrim mother
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encore!
Please do send the photos , if you have the time, we are enjoying this vicarious travelling so very much! Jimmy Chu told Ellen it would be the bugs that would make her (inevitably !) sick in China and not the food which would be the BEST on the planet -poor lass, she didn't dare to eat for a week....