Beijing

Corey and I arrived back to Dalian from Beijing late last night, and now I'm here to try and translate a short, but incredibly awesome, trip into easily digestible blog form. Before we start, I just want to say that the words probably won't do it justice. The pictures might come closer, and you might get even closer when Corey throws up some shots in the very near future. The best hope I have after reading this is that you'll feel the inspired need to get off your ass, hop in a plane, and head on over here. Besides, we wouldn't mind the company.

Lets get on with the show...

DAY ONE

The hostel we stayed at was ideally located in the HaoHi area - basically, it's an incredibly trendy area surrounding a gorgeous lake. It is also the gate to many of the HuTongs (small alleyways that are all over Beijing... trust me, you know what I'm talking about). Because of our location, we were able to start the day strong by renting bikes and traversing around the HuTongs.







The HuTong bike route conveniently led us to the north gate of the Forbidden City. Now, before we start here, I just want to say that the Forbidden City is bar none the coolest name for a place that I have ever heard. And I'm glad I went. That said, it sure ain't forbidden no more. The place is crammed with tourists (most of whom were Chinese), so it got a bit crowded at parts. But the place definitely gets points for being able to maintain its majesty and awe inspiring nature despite the crowds. Usually overpopulated touristy things are a major turn off, but the Forbidden City still impressed me. The size, the architecture and the flora all paint a fairly magnificent picture of ancient China.







Not that it's all ancient... strangely enough, there's a hidden Starbucks. There's no sign (besides one that reads "Coffee Shop" with an arrow pointing), but the Seattle Corporate Kings have infiltrated, and they don't seem to want anyone to know, as they threaten to not serve you your coffee if you take a picture.



It's a good thing I don't drink coffee...

As you walk out of the Forbidden City, you quickly leave ancient China behind when you walk into Tienanmen Square. Just as packed and bustling as the Forbidden City, your eyes can't help but be drawn away from the crowds and straight at the giant portrait of Chairman Mao. You also can't help but think about all the history that happened there, and the fact that all the Chinese walking around are probably completely unaware...





All the sightseeing mentioned above pretty much killed the entire day, and at night we met up with Cody, a friend of ours from Syracuse who is living in Beijing for the time being, who took us out for Peking Duck, the city's world renowned specialty. It was "quite nice" as the Brits would say... (That means it tasted good.)




DAY TWO

Day two was all about the Great Wall. We decided to go a little further out of Beijing than most tourists go to see the wall, and went to an area called Simatai. Lonely Planet promised us a wall that was less crowded, and also a bit more of an "experience". This part of the wall has numerous steep ascents (and descents), with the steepest climb reportedly at 70 degrees.



Well, lonely planet delivered. I don't want to over use a lame joke and say that the Great Wall was... great... and besides, it was a lot more than that. It was awe-inspiring in so many different ways. From the grandiose nature of the structure itself, to the steep climbs that'll scare anyone, not to mention the jaw dropping views, the Great Wall is without a doubt one of the coolest places I have ever been to, and it lives up to the hype in so many ways.



Corey and I climbed a good chunk of it (and I do mean climbed - at least for parts), and even though we only explored a fraction of the wall, you could get a real sense of what makes it one of the great Wonders of the World.


(see... climbing...)

Also, since we only saw a little bit, I think we'd be more than happy to check out the rest if and when some of you loyal readers come to visit.

The six hour round trip, coupled with the time spent on the wall, took care of day two. In the evening we met up with Cody again, who is probably convinced that all we do is eat.


DAY THREE

We tried to get an early start on our last day in Beijing by going to a temple that Lonely Planet promised us would be "an active place of worship", where there are rooms where monks contemplate the wrongdoings of their lives, eternal damnation, the afterlife, etc, etc, as well as have shows where monks do backflips and the like (presumably while contemplating eternal damnation as well).

Well, it was definitely a temple, but aside from that, there wasn't much else going on. Oh well, at least Lonely Planet hooked us up with the Simatai Great Wall...

The day shifted into slower gear after that. We visited the bargainers paradise (or hell, depending on which way you look at it, and how badly you get ripped off) the Salt Market. It was actually kind of neat, and we scored some sweet stuff that we probably still grossly overpaid for despite bargaining like crazy.


When the store clerks wouldn't budge on a ridiculous price and I just decided to walk away, some of them got nasty. One girl went as far as telling me that I'm too ugly to demand prices that low. And that maybe if I was handsomer, I'd get better deals. Ouch.

Afterwards we walked around the city for a bit with Cody, who took us to some sweet DVD shops that'll ensure that the Bootleg DVD section will keep going for a long time. Some of the bootleggers in Beijing are a lot classier than the ones in Dalian, I mean... having actual large stores out in the street devoted to illegal movie goodness? Quality.

Of course that doesn't mean the street sellers weren't there also.

After a dinner, and a mad dash to the airport, Corey and I said goodbye to Beijing after an all too short trip. But it's ok, we'll be back.

And a quick note here at the end - the pictures on the blog are a mere taste of the many, many kickass pictures we took. Many more of my Beijing pictures will be finding their way to Facebook. Also, if I were you, I'd check back sooner rather than later for Corey's pictures right here on this very blog. They'll be worth the return trip here.

So until I see you on The Wall, or until my next post, I bid you farewell.

- Shawn