Beijing or Bust--Day 1

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March 2nd 2011

Published: March 2nd 2011

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tyinchina

The Forbidden City

Sorry it has taken so LONG to get this up. As you can see there was a lot to catch up on (and this is only Day 1). The task has been so daunting I've kept putting it off HAHA Enjoy!

Alicia and I woke up around 5:30 AM and caught a city bus to the bus station for 1RMB (about 15 cents). The central train station is conveniently located right across the street. Our train ride was 5 hours on the fast train and it wasn’t that bad. The countryside was nice to see but after about an hour it all started to look the same. Lots of empty fields and what looks like orchards (nothing growing because of Winter). We brought snacks, books, word searches, and music to keep us occupied. I slept for a little bit to kill some time and also so I would be rested for our busy day in Beijing. There were several stops along the way and I was surprised to see that people who boarded as we neared Beijing didn’t have seats. They had to stand awkwardly in the aisle hovering over the other passengers. Apparently they sell both seat and standing

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tickets at the same price and the seat tickets are first-come-first-serve. We were lucky enough to be seated! The tickets were 213 RMB (about $32) each way.
We got to Beijing around noon and took a taxi to the hotel. We had no idea where it was and only had the address in Chinese characters in a text message on Alicia’s phone. The cab driver didn’t use the meter but quoted us 100 RMB (about $15). It sounds like a good deal, right? $7.50 each. But in China terms, that’s A LOT! I couldn’t help but feel like we could’ve bargained a better deal. Can you tell I’m still not over it? Hahaha I’m such a tight-wad!
The hotel is a small place kind of plopped down in the middle of a labyrinth of alleyways. Piao Home Inn is the name. The room is like a standard hotel room. Two full size beds, a TV, desk, and FREE INTERNET! Yep, free internet! It seems like most hotels in the US charge for daily usage so that was nice. The design of the room is very comfortable and contemporary. The best way to describe the hotel, I think, is a hybrid

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of a “normal” hotel and hostel. It isn’t expensive and doesn’t have the amenities of a big hotel but at the same time it isn’t what I imagine a typical hostel to be (extremely cheap and just a bed in a room shared by other travelers). It cost us 168RMB per night (about $25). We were only planning on staying 2 nights and 3 days but decided to extend the trip an extra day. Partly because we didn’t want to feel rushed but also because it was so cheap to do so.
After settling in, we changed and walked about 20 minutes to Tiananmen Square. I’m very direction-oriented so I enjoyed exploring the city and figuring out where we were on the map and how to get to the places we wanted to visit.
We walked through the Square and took lots of pictures then crossed the street to visit the Forbidden City. On our way we stopped to visit the park right next to. I think the name of it is the Working People’s Park. Admission: 2RMB (about $.30). haha Near the entrance to the park, there was a school shop that was full of calligraphy drawings and large

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underground walkway to go under the street and over to Tiananmen Square

paintings. I really liked one that is a picture of bamboo shoots. It was on a scroll about 4.5 feet long and hangs on the wall. I was told that the bamboo represents flexibility, wealth, and fair judgment. The painter also shared that it represents progressive growth because it grows section after section. This is what creates the notches in the shoot. I think that is a good way to view life, that there is always room for continuous and progressive growth. Each notch is the beginning of a new experience that will provide room for personal growth and learning.
Alicia liked a similar scroll that had flowers on it instead of bamboo. The painter told us they were 580RMB each (almost $100). The scroll is nice but I wasn’t about to spend such a large portion of my trip’s budget on a painting on the FIRST day! I kindly told him I wouldn’t be purchasing anything. At which point he continued to show us around the shop to look at smaller, less expensive, paintings. Still, no plan to make a purchase. Alicia was interested but couldn’t spend that much either. Since almost every purchase in China is made by

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bargaining, he quickly came down in price when he heard we wouldn’t be paying full price. 500? No. 450? No. 400? No. Almost 200RMB less in a matter of seconds. This could be a fun game. He finally asked Alicia what she wanted to pay. She told him, that she couldn’t afford anything more than 100RMB but that she knows it is worth much more and would feel bad to take it at the price. 350? No. 300? No. 250? “I told you, I cannot afford any more than 100.” We left the shop and got in line to buy our ticket for the park (no haggling necessary there). No sooner, the painter came out and said his manager allowed him to come down to 105RMB and that is only to cover the materials for the painting. Alicia was close to accepting the deal when I reminded her of the principle of the matter. “Sorry, no more than 100.” “Let me check with my manager. Okay” Hehe
After all of this, I really wanted the bamboo painting. I HAD to have something to take home to remind me of what just took place! “So….does this mean I can get the

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bamboo one for the same price?” They said yes! There’s something very empowering about winning at the game of bargaining. And though Alicia might say she was the one doing all the talking, I’d argue that I was the backbone that got us through it.
Finally, we walked around the park. It was pretty basic- lots of trees and benches. I’m not sure I would’ve enjoyed it much but the grounds were covered with snow; we had a snowball fight! We also took some pictures of the frozen moat around The Forbidden City.
I’m not sure exactly what is about the foreigners in China but we attract a lot of attention. If being stared at everywhere we go isn’t enough, we often get asked to take pictures with Chinese people. It’s really funny. I mention this because when we were walking through the park there was a group of Chinese teenagers ahead of us and they were hardly inconspicuous about the fact that they were trying to take a picture of each other with us in the background. I called them over to us and offered to take a picture with them. They gladly accepted.
After leaving the park, Alicia

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and I were walking through the crowds of people leaving The Forbidden City when a young Chinese woman looked at me and said “Hello.” This has happened to me a lot when I am just walking down the street. Chinese who know a little English like to say hi and sometimes spark a conversation about where I am from, what I’m doing in China, etc. This young woman was no different. She spoke impressive English and I learned that she and two of her girlfriends are from another part of China but are on vacation in Beijing. Alicia and I started talking to all three of them and we eventually decided to all go get tea together. I love spontaneous things like that when traveling! During all of my trips in the past, I have had tour guides and itineraries. They never left time for things like this.
We walked to a quaint Tea House where we experienced a traditional tea tasting. We watched a demonstration of 8 different teas and learned what each is used for (mostly for medicinal purposes). One of the floral blends was used for healthy sight so we held the teacup under our eyes and

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allowed the steam to “refresh” our eyes. After drinking one of the other teas, we rubbed the warm teacup on our faces to “prevent wrinkles”. I really love that the Chinese cultures appreciates the importance to take care of the body. Whether or not I believe that rubbing warm porcelain around my eyes will prevent crow’s feet from forming isn’t important; but it can’t hurt, right?
The demonstration turned out to be WAY more expensive than we had anticipated. It was $70 each from the five of us! I had to force myself to forget about it. After spending too much on the taxi cab and now this, all in the same day. One of my new habits is to spend money on experiences rather than “things.” I look at it as “I could buy a nice pair of jeans or a once in a lifetime experience that I hope to never forget”. It was definitely worth it. I’m just glad I didn’t see the price before the demonstration because I would have been out of there!
After tea, we said goodbye to the girls and went to one of Beijing’s many night markets. It is a series of alleys

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branching off alleys branching off more alleys. They are all lined with vendors selling almost any sort of souvenir you can think of. I enjoyed looking at all the stuff but didn’t buy anything. The vendors are funny though. If they so much as see you glance at an item, they try to sell it to you. “You want? You want?” “It is 200 but I give you good deal” (I love that one) “How much you want to pay?” And after showing more interest, they get more aggressive. I tried to walk away from one of the shops and was grabbed on the arm by the vendor. After realizing there was no malice in her gesture, I relaxed and just repeated one of the first words I learned after touching down in China, “Mao, Mao, Mao!” (“No”), and kept walking.
Alicia and I both bought a few items for friends and family but I can’t divulge much more than that. They’re surprises! We walked back to our hotel and enjoyed walking past Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City at night. It is always nice to see attractions in different ways. Tiananmen Square looks much nicer, I think, when it’s

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lit up at night.
After our long day, we were both eager to take a hot shower and climb into our cozy beds. We caught the tail end of the Grammy’s (showing as a re-run) and rested up for another big day tomorrow!

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