Forty eight hours spent cooped up in a small confined space is enough to give anyone cabin fever, and the time passed very slowly. The scenery is incredible until you hit Xining – when the industrial heart lands of China starts, and there isn't that much to see out of the window.
Beijing is unlike any other capital city I've been in. It doesn't feel like a capital some how – it's quiet, and there doesn't seem to be an obvious centre or Central Business District to speak off – although I guess Tiananmen Square is the focal point – more of which later.
I'd left my Lonely Planet on a wall at Deprung Monastery when we were being held by the Police, so didn't have any maps or information – but what I did have was a very handy list of “what to do in Beijing” from Mark in Manchester - so was ready to hit some of the sites.
Having being stuck in a tiny cabin for 48 hours I decided get out and take a walk. So having dropped my stuff off at the Hostel I headed out on the bus to the Summer Palace.
It's a fair way out of the city on the bus, but it's worth the journey. The Summer Palace is a great place to chill out and have a walk around – exactly what I needed. Right in the centre there's a big hill, and I walked all the way to the top with out stopping. Having been at altitude for so long, the air felt really rich – it's the fittest I've felt in ages :-)
Seventeen Arch Bridge:
Looking over the park from the top of the hill:
Where the Emperors lived:
Stone carving:
The long corridor:
Just one of the hundreds of paintings:
A quiet corner in the palace:
The marble boat:
And one of the many boats that takes people across the lake:
:-)
That night I went to Tiananmen Square to watch the flag lowering ceremony. It's as you'd expect. A show of military force, under the watchful eye of Mao, as soldiers go through a twice a day ritual.
Security at the square is very tight – you have to go through security checks just to get in, and there are police everywhere. I'm not sure if it's anything to do with the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Protests, but it does feel very oppressive.
Here's the iconic picture that symbolises the uprising in 1989:
The sun setting over the square:
The next day – it was my Birthday – so I decided to have a day of loafing. So after a monster lie in (which was really needed), I headed to Starbucks for a coffee and a butter croissant. And Pizza for lunch. And then Strarbucks and a bit of a wander around :-)
That night I headed out with Brittny to the Weird Food Market (my name not theirs) in Beijing and ate the one thing I'd been looking forward to trying in Beijing: deep fried scorpion.
Pretty tasty, and not at all what I expected. The slightly disconcerting thing is that they are still alive on the stick before they get cooked – which is a bit off putting. But they are really crunchy, and some of the larger ones are a bit chewy in the middle, but they were OK – and I went back the next day for some more...
The main shopping street by the weird food market:
Starfish waiting to be deep fried:
Me - getting ready to eat four deep fried scorpion - with the stall owner:
In they go:
And all gone:
The real highlight for me so far in Beijing has been the Forbidden City. If you've never seen the film “The Last Emperor” then cancel any plans you have for this evening, buy a good bottle of wine and rent the DVD. It's an incredible film, and features the Forbidden City.
Here's me - with Chairman Mao outside the main gate of the Forbidden City:
Inside the City:
This amazing carving is cut out of a single piece of rock. It was so big they moved it by waiting until winter, and then pouring water on the ground until they had a frozen track of ice along which they dragged the block of stone.
Camouflage tree:
Amazing paint work in the City:
In the afternoon I headed off to a market to try and find a present for Joshua, and got really lost. But I ended up walking through one of the Hutong's – the traditional neighborhoods of Beijing where a quarter of the population live. The Hutongs are like crazy mazes with little alleys and shops everywhere. It's a real slice of life – and you really get to see how the average Beijinger lives – it's a real reminder that China is still a developing country.
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One thing worth noting about Beijing is that it's a city full of scams. The main one seems to be the “tea scam”, in which someone approaches you wanting to “practise their English”. They then suggest that you go for tea – which turns out to be really expensive – and you end up footing the bill.
I've met a lot of people who've been caught out. But I've also met a lot of people who've got there money back by going to the “tea” place and kicking up a fuss. Usually it doesn't work until you say your going to go get the police.
I actually had the pleasure of going with someone and getting their money back. Such a sense of satisfaction :-)
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