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Published: February 27th 2009
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Temple Of Heaven
Temple Of Heaven, feather Kicking thing! Well first chinese night train was ..........an experience! Although booked on to a 7pm train we were assured we should get to the train station at 5pm!! Quite why we were unsure, until we arrive there and realise that Xi'an station actually resembles an overfull 'refuge-camp', because of 'Spring Festival'- of course! There are literally thousands of people crowding/ queing in a unique chinese style, but as we all have tickets for the train, you cant enter the station without one, we are oblivious what the crush is for. When the gates open we join in and use our size advantage to push through to the front! I am glad all other seats had sold out by the time we brought our tickets so we HAVE to get soft sleepers!! bit of luxury, but everytime the train lurched i thought we had crashed! The journey itself is ok once the excitement of the crush has died down, and we arrive to Beijing at about 6.40am!
Hop on the subway, as we are 'couch-surfing' in Dawanglu, a suburb of Beijing, get to the station and realise that with no chinese phone at 7am in a Beijing suburb, with "hello" and "thankyou"
as our only mandarin, we are pretty much stuck! Luckly, just as we were getting depressed (travelling seems to be a mix of lows-- when you realise you are pretty lost or stuck, and Highs--when you make it somewhere on your own!!) a Tuk-Tuk man, in a tiny tuk tuk takes pity on us- (or sees a quick buck) and lets us use his phone, speaks to Serena and Alessandro, the lovely Italian couple we are staying with, and after a worrying squeeze: fitting 2.no. large back packs, 2.no. small packs, and 2.no. V. tired travellers in to the tiny tuk tuk, he pulls off.......eventually, and delivers us to the right place! amazing!
Feeling pretty pleased with ourselves, it is a bright fresh day and we head out to start the Beijing sight-seeing! Straight to the Temple of Heaven, set in a beautiful park, it is a really lovely place, a great bit of chinese history, still being used, with a service going on outside, singing, dancers, Tai-Chi, chinese Fan and Sword dancers, Badminton, and of course the crazy feather kicking thing- which we have to have a go at. Tom is good at it-I cant even kick the
bloody thing!!! SOO frustrating!! The Temple of Heaven just happens to be right opposite a Pearl Market, so we pop in there and buy 3 pairs of pearl earrings for 5 pounds! Yay! Pretty!
Subway over to Tianamen Sq (the transport is great in Beijing, the city is clean and the people are so much more friendly- I think the olympics has been really good for Beijing!) Tianamen is pretty impressive, Although, I think for alot of western minds there will always be a nervous association of Chinese oppression with this Iconic Sq. Feeling really touristy, we go to the Forbidden City, whilst alot of people have said they didnt think much of it, I was in awe of the sheer scale of the whole complex of temples, state and living buildings. Rich in symbolism and full of Chinese, still flocking to pay there respects to Mao, we enjoyed wandering through the whole area, home to the Emperor, 1000s of concubines and Eunchs. Love the Chinese architectural ideal that buildings for people were on a human (low) level, and Temples taller, towards Heaven, and for years nothing was allowed to be built taller than the temple in the forbidden
city!
After a very cultural day, we head back to the flat and eventually wrestle our way in (dodgy key) and head out to meet Warren and Sarah, (US students studying Mandarin,) for PEKING DUCK! Wander through the restored "Hutongs" near the South of Tianamen Sq, to some back streets, and order Peking Duck! With the sauce, sugar, chopped vegetables and the funny little pancakes, I actually really enjoyed the duck. It was fresh and tender, unlike the double fried greasy duck at home! Although, we didnt really need the broth of boiled duck-neck and other items that was presented after the main event!! Head to the Bell Tower, for a nite out in the local Hutongs. It has dropped freezing by now and we get massively lost in the Hutongs, looking for a bar that none of the locals seem aware off.........but sure enough, after a wander, stop for a cheeky beer to warm up , and stops in the dodgy chinese toilets (public ones line the hutongs as they do not have induvidual bathrooms per property) we find the infamous bar- with pool table! Shamfully I am soo tired by now I promptly fall asleep at the
table.............
Day 2~we go and Book the Secret Great Wall Trek (Leos Hostel-Qianmen Subway, Meishi Jie) then hire lovely little shopper bikes- masculine black for Tom, Basket on front for me! and after a small 'discusson' with the crossing guard about left turns on Tianamen Sq, we cycle round the Forbidden City, Beihai Park, and up to a fantastic local market! (so big you cant see out in either direction! It is soo cold that even through our snazzy new fake north face gloves our hands are frozen, as are all the lakes!
Day 3~ The Great Wall.
The snow that started the night before was now really thick, and when we were about 1.5 hours in to the drive to the Great Wall and it felt like we hadnt gone above 20miles an hour, or changed out of 2nd gear (not unsual in China) I started to wonder if we would actually make it there, and if we did would we make it back!! Eventually pile out of the Bus and It is Literally -5C, but the view of the wall was amazing, as we hopped out of the minibus in to the freezing blizzard like conditions!
It became clear we were to follow a tiny old chinese man, wearing cordroy slippers, as he headed off towards the wall and the first ruined check point. The view of the great wall weaving across the hill side, some places dropping off in to ruins, was fantastic in the snow. The climb was pretty stepp, made trickier by the icy snow, and after 3 hours we were all ready to head down to the village. Following a different route we got to a different settlement, andit ws great to see a table set with beer and drinks. Not really knowing wat to expect we are glad to be brought a massive hot bowl of veggie noodles, then big bowls of rice, and then beans, more veggies, chillies and egg dishes follow, exhausted and full, the Secret Great Wall was a great day. Head back to Beijing, where Serena cooks Italian Pasta, a very welcome change from the chinese food, and I make Apple Crumble- soo English!
Day 4~ The (winter) Summer Palace, and the Olympics.
Realising we had not had time to do all we wanted in Beijing we stay an extra day, to see the Summer Palace
and the Olympic Buildings. It has snowed again and feels even colder today- still in thermals and ski jackets! The Summer Palace is stunning, set round a massive (frozen) lake, I would love to be the Empress Cixi wandering round the gardens and in my little boat in the summer! At the top of the complex of buildings that make up the Palace there is a really unsual temple, supposed to represent Buddah in his home land, just when you are templed-out, another type comes along. The extravagance of the whole place is amazing, with a static Marble ship built with naval funds in the lake, never to sail! We stop at a cute little Teahouse for Jasmine Tea to Warm up, we cant believe how the time has flown in Beijing. Freezing cold, we race over to the Olympic Green, the Birds Nest Stadium is impressive, but in the massively consumer based China, it is depressing to hear that as the structure is already crumbling, and no oen can afford to maitain it as a staduim/ sports arena, it has been sold off to be turned in to a mall! no lasting Olympic Legacy there!
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Julie
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Duck's neck??????
Well, that duck neck thing would've been enough to finish me off I think! That's really sad to hear about he olympic stadium - really disappointing but then, not suprising also. Keep warm you two!