China was never very high on my "places to go" list. I can say that easily, without fear of exposing my complete and utter ignorance, because I've just returned from Beijing and I'm happy to admit how I wrong I have been. My previous view of China was based on, rather pathetically, my experiences in San Francisco's Chinatown. Images of overly crowded streets, foreign smells, and hanging duck carcasses left me preferring to spend my precious vacation time in places like Greece or Europe before I ever stepped foot in Asia. It's amazing what taking a leap of faith can do. In four months I will have covered more of Asia than I ever thought possible and enjoyed every minute of it, proving that change can sometimes be very rewarding. (Don't read too much into that, mom, no Thanksgiving will ever be complete without regular old, no frills stuffing.)I landed in Beijing on Friday evening. Christian had already been there for a couple days at a conference. The ride from the airport was uneventful and Beijing, from the taxi window and in the evening light, looked like it could be anywhere else in the world. Aside, I guess, from the illegible street and highway signs. I was looking forward to seeing Christian, but a little apprehensive about how this trip would go, and most importantly, how we'd ever find something not scary to eat. At this point I was armed with my preconceived notions and the fact that Christian had been served cow lung and duck tongue. Once, about ten years ago, I acquired a duckling. It was only for a few days, until we turned it over to a local wildlife reserve, but "Mabel" had peeped and pecked and preened her way into my heart. After a baby duck the size of a hamster nestles into your sweater to keep warm, feasting on a member if it's family, however far removed, is not an option. I don't care how "peking" it is. Trying to look at the bright side, I told myself this would be the perfect opportunity to start that wedding diet.
Christian had arranged for our tour of the Great Wall of China first thing that first morning and when we woke up at the crack of dawn, we were delighted to see a light blanket of snow on the ground. Being from California, and the Central part at that, I still thrill at the sight of the clean white cold stuff that makes everything look like it's covered in marshmallow fluff. Yum. As we headed out, the lovely dusting had turned into a heavier coating and as we got closer to the Wall, our decision to forgo the over-crowded tourist section for the more scenic yet more steep and more remote location in Mutianyu started to seem like a very, very bad one. It wasn't exactly a blizzard but considering our past travel luck, I couldn't help but take stock of what we had in the way of provisions: about 1/3 of one pint of water, 13 almonds, and an oat and honey granola bar. For five of us.
Our rickety little caravan consisted of us, our tour guide, Lin, our driver, and Mark, one of Christian's friends and co-workers. By the time we got to Mutianyu and helped the one other tour bus that was there by pushing it up the snow-covered hill before it slid down it, my converse and Christian's black patent leather Jack Purcell's were soaked. Totally charmed by the snow and picturesque scenery, the prospect of hiking one hour up a steep slope in our ridiculous city clothes seemed like a good idea, so we decided against the gondola and bounced off in the direction of the Wall, snow falling like bits of confetti around our widely smiling faces.
The ascent up the slope was so tiring that it cancelled out the cold on most my person, except for my toes, which were numb about five minutes in. Luckily, when it really got bad, we reached a peak where you could see the first section of wall, and wonder and awe took over. The overwhelming feeling of gratitude and amazement that I was where I was trumped all thoughts of losing a toe to hypothermia. What a wonder the Wall truly is. You can't help but think of the 1000's of people across history who lost their lives to build it, the people who were saved by it's existence, and the people who have stood in wonder, just like I did, at it's magnificence. In case you didn't know (I didn't), parts of this wall, in some form, have been around since 200 BC and some estimates put the current standing, fully man-made wall at over 8,000 km long. So. Utterly. Cool.
Next, our guide took us to a restaurant serving up the local cuisine. Uh-oh. Another review of my remaining provisions yielded eight almonds and one half of the granola bar. I'd be fine. Entering the restaurant, we were met with a surprisingly pleasant aroma and eight baby food jars sitting atop a cabinet near the hostess stand, each one with it's own large insect tenant. A cricket, to be exact. After nervously staring at the critters, we asked our guide as nonchalantly as we could muster, if they were to be part of our lunch. She looked at us as if we were crazy and explained to us that they keep them around to hear the cricket's sing, going so far as to carry the jar's with them in their coat pockets. How...strangely beautiful. I decided at this point to set my perceptions aside and just go with it, and it worked out in my favor. We left lunch with bellies full of noodles, pork, and only one odd dish of some starchy substance that we dipped fried strips of something in. Ignorance is bliss.
Next up was Tienanmen Square and the Forbidden City. The square is huge, much larger than I expected, and full of visitors who come to take their picture next to the huge portrait of Mao that is hanging near the entrance to the Forbidden City. The Emperor's old digs were equally large but heaps more fascinating. It was so cool to step into a piece of ancient history, and I eagerly listened to Lin describe all the structural detail, while Christian and Mark tried to keep their ears warm and counted the minutes 'til we were back in the car. My excitement, even in 20 degree weather, was slightly disturbing as I realized how much closer I've become to turning into my mother (love you, mom).
The next day, Christian and I took to the streets and headed to an area of town called Dashanzi Art District, or 798 for short. It's a thriving artistic community nestled inside 50-year old decommissioned military factory buildings built by the Germans. When the factory zone was abandoned in the early 80's, the University of Fine Art bought the buildings to use as workspace for their art students. Then, about ten years ago, a Texan strolled into town and bought one of the spots to open Timezone 8 Bookshop and Cafe (which is where we lunched). An employee of his, who was also a designer, started helping her artist friends secure their own studio's and it all blossomed from there. There are now literally 100's of studios and gallery spaces and every street is lined with incredibly large art installations. Another point for Beijing!
Another memorable Beijing experience took place on one of our last evenings, in an area of town nestled around Hoi Hai Lake. The lake itself was carved out in the 12th century, but the banks are now dotted with alfresco bars, cafes, and the odd curio shop. The bars are mostly filled with locals singing bad renditions of Bryan Adams songs, but the backalleys behind the shops and the ancient bridges and temples that are sprinkled throughout are worth exploring. We had several ice-less "whiskey colas" and ended up at a great restaurant called "Cafe Sambal", a delightful gem of a restaurant, which was in the middle of an old run down neighborhood. The delicious Maylasian food they served was a perfect night cap to our fantastic and fascinating trip.
China, your land and your people have captured my heart and piqued my interest. I can't wait to start planning for Hong Kong, then Shanghai, and beyond!
YOU'LL FIND ALL OUR PHOTOS FROM BEIJING HERE.
Christian had arranged for our tour of the Great Wall of China first thing that first morning and when we woke up at the crack of dawn, we were delighted to see a light blanket of snow on the ground. Being from California, and the Central part at that, I still thrill at the sight of the clean white cold stuff that makes everything look like it's covered in marshmallow fluff. Yum. As we headed out, the lovely dusting had turned into a heavier coating and as we got closer to the Wall, our decision to forgo the over-crowded tourist section for the more scenic yet more steep and more remote location in Mutianyu started to seem like a very, very bad one. It wasn't exactly a blizzard but considering our past travel luck, I couldn't help but take stock of what we had in the way of provisions: about 1/3 of one pint of water, 13 almonds, and an oat and honey granola bar. For five of us.
Our rickety little caravan consisted of us, our tour guide, Lin, our driver, and Mark, one of Christian's friends and co-workers. By the time we got to Mutianyu and helped the one other tour bus that was there by pushing it up the snow-covered hill before it slid down it, my converse and Christian's black patent leather Jack Purcell's were soaked. Totally charmed by the snow and picturesque scenery, the prospect of hiking one hour up a steep slope in our ridiculous city clothes seemed like a good idea, so we decided against the gondola and bounced off in the direction of the Wall, snow falling like bits of confetti around our widely smiling faces.
The ascent up the slope was so tiring that it cancelled out the cold on most my person, except for my toes, which were numb about five minutes in. Luckily, when it really got bad, we reached a peak where you could see the first section of wall, and wonder and awe took over. The overwhelming feeling of gratitude and amazement that I was where I was trumped all thoughts of losing a toe to hypothermia. What a wonder the Wall truly is. You can't help but think of the 1000's of people across history who lost their lives to build it, the people who were saved by it's existence, and the people who have stood in wonder, just like I did, at it's magnificence. In case you didn't know (I didn't), parts of this wall, in some form, have been around since 200 BC and some estimates put the current standing, fully man-made wall at over 8,000 km long. So. Utterly. Cool.
Next, our guide took us to a restaurant serving up the local cuisine. Uh-oh. Another review of my remaining provisions yielded eight almonds and one half of the granola bar. I'd be fine. Entering the restaurant, we were met with a surprisingly pleasant aroma and eight baby food jars sitting atop a cabinet near the hostess stand, each one with it's own large insect tenant. A cricket, to be exact. After nervously staring at the critters, we asked our guide as nonchalantly as we could muster, if they were to be part of our lunch. She looked at us as if we were crazy and explained to us that they keep them around to hear the cricket's sing, going so far as to carry the jar's with them in their coat pockets. How...strangely beautiful. I decided at this point to set my perceptions aside and just go with it, and it worked out in my favor. We left lunch with bellies full of noodles, pork, and only one odd dish of some starchy substance that we dipped fried strips of something in. Ignorance is bliss.
Next up was Tienanmen Square and the Forbidden City. The square is huge, much larger than I expected, and full of visitors who come to take their picture next to the huge portrait of Mao that is hanging near the entrance to the Forbidden City. The Emperor's old digs were equally large but heaps more fascinating. It was so cool to step into a piece of ancient history, and I eagerly listened to Lin describe all the structural detail, while Christian and Mark tried to keep their ears warm and counted the minutes 'til we were back in the car. My excitement, even in 20 degree weather, was slightly disturbing as I realized how much closer I've become to turning into my mother (love you, mom).
The next day, Christian and I took to the streets and headed to an area of town called Dashanzi Art District, or 798 for short. It's a thriving artistic community nestled inside 50-year old decommissioned military factory buildings built by the Germans. When the factory zone was abandoned in the early 80's, the University of Fine Art bought the buildings to use as workspace for their art students. Then, about ten years ago, a Texan strolled into town and bought one of the spots to open Timezone 8 Bookshop and Cafe (which is where we lunched). An employee of his, who was also a designer, started helping her artist friends secure their own studio's and it all blossomed from there. There are now literally 100's of studios and gallery spaces and every street is lined with incredibly large art installations. Another point for Beijing!
Another memorable Beijing experience took place on one of our last evenings, in an area of town nestled around Hoi Hai Lake. The lake itself was carved out in the 12th century, but the banks are now dotted with alfresco bars, cafes, and the odd curio shop. The bars are mostly filled with locals singing bad renditions of Bryan Adams songs, but the backalleys behind the shops and the ancient bridges and temples that are sprinkled throughout are worth exploring. We had several ice-less "whiskey colas" and ended up at a great restaurant called "Cafe Sambal", a delightful gem of a restaurant, which was in the middle of an old run down neighborhood. The delicious Maylasian food they served was a perfect night cap to our fantastic and fascinating trip.
China, your land and your people have captured my heart and piqued my interest. I can't wait to start planning for Hong Kong, then Shanghai, and beyond!
YOU'LL FIND ALL OUR PHOTOS FROM BEIJING HERE.
