March 30
The first stop on this day’s itinerary was Tiananmen Square;
known for the infamous “tank man” and the pro-democracy protests. This was our
first run in with swarming street vendors trying to make a buck. To be honest,
there was nothing there to really admire, except for the architecture of the
buildings around the area. We did see a building in the process of being
remodeled, which was interesting. Then we saw the famous painting of Emperor
Mao; and just recently discovered the gentleman in the photo appears to be
taking a selfie with it. At the time Beijing was preparing for the 2008
Olympics and so we saw a countdown clock on display. Next we moved on to the
Forbidden City, which was once home to Chinese Emperors; we learned about them
as well as their customs.
Later on the day we boarded the bus and headed for the Great
Wall. The Wall is not flat, it follows the hills and mountains so while walking
it you will experience flat parts, elevated steps and steep steps. It is still
amazing to this day to think I actually walked on the Great Wall, that’s a
bucket list item there. If it weren’t for the limited time we were allotted
there, I don’t know how far I would’ve gone; yet after three guard towers, I,
and the few others I was with, decided to turn around and head back down. I was
amazing to stand at the bottom and look up, then be up higher and look down. I
remember the tour guide joking about not falling over one side, or dropping
your camera because that side was Mongolia, and good luck if it happens. On the
ride back to the hotel we passed by the site where the Olympic Stadium was
being built.
During the time on the bus, Adam told us the expression for going
to the bathroom is “singing a song”; although wouldn’t explain why it is. He
then told us of two funny instances which were bathroom related. The first of
which was of a female tour guide whose adopted Western name was synonymous with
“butt” and had to have a tourist tell her that. Second, Adam was leading a
group, either they were all British, or had a British couple on it. Either way,
this British man told him he had to “spend a penny”. Adam responded, confused,
that there were shops where they were going so no problem. The man thinks
specified he meant he had to go to the bathroom. So there’s some potty humor
for you all. In all seriousness though,
your “toilet” is a hole in the ground; unless you are handicapped, then they
have the toilets we use in the west.
March 31
This day we visited the Beijing Zoo, which is smaller than
the Cincinnati Zoo. They had some interesting animals, including panda bears.
And that’s all I have to say about that; unintentional “Forest Gump” reference.
Next stop was the Temple of Heaven, where we again got hassled by street
vendors. It was here the Emperors would pray for a good harvest. We were told
about the “Clapping stones” which were stones line up in a row and you stood on
a stone and if you clapped it echoed the same number of times as the stone you
were on; meaning if you stood in the first stone, it echoed once. If you were
on the second stone, it echoed twice, and so on.
After that we had lunch and then departed for the Silk Market, which is quite the shopping experience, even beating out Black Friday. I am not a haggler, so obviously you haggle here and I was looking to buy some wooden dolls and the woman I was haggling with just about freaked out at my initial low ball offer. She started to tell me how fine the wood was and all this stuff; we eventually reached an agreement. We closed out the day by stopping by the Beijing Hard Rock Café.
Next time: We leave Beijing and head for a week long stay in
Nanning
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