Intercontinental Shock

I traveled down this hutong just hours after landing while looking for my hostel and thought, "Can this be right?"
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As my plane took off from Osaka bound for Beijing, I felt the typical rush of excitement for an unknown destination and a new adventure.  However, by the time I landed, much of that excitement had been replaced with a sense of impending disgust for China's capital city.  Lonely Planet guidebooks are just that - guides.  They should not be taken for absolute truths, nor should it be forgotten that they are simply a collection of opinions.  I forgot that as I read the overview of China and its capital city aboard my flight, and I let it form a pre-conceived notion of my new adventure.  While the city did live up to some of the less redeemable qualities, it also met some of my personal expectations as well.

Postcard shot from Tiannanmen looking upon the massive south wall of the Forbidden City.
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In my short tour of Asia, Japan has been the standard for cleanliness, courtesy, and safety.  China, on the other hand, is still a very much 'dog-eat-dog' world, but not without its own charm.  Trouble is, the charm is often cloaked beneath grimy skies, muted by the cries of aggressive street vendors, and tucked in the same dark alleys as pickpockets and scam artists.  The LP guidebook warned me of receiving counterfeit bills, dodging phlegm hocked from passers-by, and avoiding the diarrhea-inducing meals that 30-50% of travelers ingest.  Japan had relaxed my guard and reminded me how "contemporary" or "modern" societies function, so I was not yet ready to reconnect with my Darwinistic sense of survival.  Luckily, shortly after I arrived, one of Beijing's most famous sites and some new-found friends provided the sunshine that the weather would not.

...at the very heart just before the Tranquility Palace and next to the Purity Gate, a Starbucks Coffee...

These clocks were also seen in most heavily trafficked places.
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I spent eight days in the capital city, but it was not due to an abundance of things to see.  In my humble opinion, the "mandatory" urban sights of Tiannanmen, the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, and the Temple of Heaven can be accomplished easily in three days.  My extra time was spent preparing for my other four weeks in this ancient land, wandering through the various hutongs looking for delicious snacks, and seeing all the necessary preparations for the Asia's third summer Olympiad and the first in a developing nation in 30 years.

With one of my Beijing buddies (although really a Canuck), Jason.
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In Japan, I was blessed with company from home as well as locally for my entire duration save the last three days.  In China, my first evening and the next full day I spent alone but have been blessed with the same excellent companions ever since.  In New Zealand, I met half-a-dozen people with similar interests and timetables, and it led to the most memorable three-week stint of my journey thus far.  The same good luck graced me in Beijing with my new family: Jason, Amy, Katy, Ofer, and Adi.  One from Canada, two from England, and two from Israel, this motley crue has been the key ingredient to my smile here in China.  Adventurous, fun-loving, and modest, we six have successfully battled the crowded buses, dodgy food, and difficult language barrier with light hearts and open minds, the keys to any potentially frustrating endeavor.

A few months before an Olympiad is not a great time to visit a place because everything is being prepared for a more important date. Scaffolding like this was present at many tourist sites around the city.
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Shortly after my arrival, the weather did its best to wash away some of Beijing's perpetual dust and filth, much of which is a product from the nearby and encroaching Gobi Desert.  However, Jason and I did not let this stop us from wandering through the Forbidden City.  If well-equipped for chilly air and occassional downpour, a rainy day is often the only way to see a popular tourist site with fewer crowds, especially in a megapolis like Beijing.  While its sheer size and mysterious allure of being closed to the public for 500 years is impressive, I am sorry to say I found it lacking.  This was largely due to the vast amount of restoration taking place for the world's upcoming visit in four months, a common theme in many heavily trafficked areas.  However, it was also due to another feeling I later experienced at other important historic sites, a lack of ambience created by people's behavior and the drive to make money.  The Forbidden City, a place of magnificent grandeur and power.  Unfortunately, it is also a place to spit, throw trash, and even urinate - by visitors and guards alike.  If the behavior of the Chinese can be ignored long enough, the ambience still has little chance to develop because of the numerous souvenir shops, snack stands, and cafes within the walls.  And at the very heart just before the Tranquility Palace and next to the Purity Gate, a Starbucks Coffee, should one not be able to wait 10 more minutes for a cappucino.

The light rains kept the crowds to a minimum, a rarity in the Forbidden City.
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As the clouds lifted in the next few days, so did my excitement and attitude. By Monday, just four days after I arrived, the sun had broken through the clouds in time for my one "must-see" site: The Great Wall.  One of my minor goals for this world adventure is to see the newly voted upon Seven Wonders of the World, and China's was my first.  Thankfully it did not disappoint in any way.  Like beauty, much of its greatness lies in the beholder's eye, and mine was prime.  However, a weekday morning coupled with a moderately strenuous hike through a less-trafficked section made for a light tourist population and an optimal setting to experience a truly remarkable architectural feat.  We hiked 10km from Jinshanling to Simatai, taking our time for photos, snacking, or just musing.  Fifteen minutes into my hike I found myself giving thanks for the experience I was having as well as wishing it for so many I know who will likely never see it.  It was as close to perfect as I can describe and recognized it then as unduplicatable.  I hope the other wonders are indeed as wonder-full.

One of the newly touched up areas.
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My time in the city ended with two other sites worthwhile for their greenery, if nothing else.  While the Summer Palace and the Temple of Heaven are appreciated for their histories and architecture, they also boast two of the largest greenbelts in the ever-expanding industrial jungle.  Originally a summertime playground for the royalty of the day, the Summer Palace was created as an oasis from the Forbidden City's stifling heat and stagnation.  Now, this hillside park freckled with temples, halls, and pagodas is populated by foreign backpackers, touring Chinese families, and local couples in love desiring some shade, clean air, and a view of the massive manmade Kunming Lake.  The Temple of Heaven follows suit as a complex of prayer halls set within a 270-hectare park.  Many visitors pass their time with a brief walk through the main attractions of the Round Altar, Echo Wall (my favorite), and the iconic Hall for Prayer of Good Harvests but are equally interested in the surrounding gardens.  I must admit, the pull to sit beneath flowering plum and cherry trees and soak up the sun while listening to locals play the accordian was just as strong as indulging in the intriguing architecture, bold color combinations, and ornate marble carvings throughout the places of worship.

Loved the blatant disregard for the sign...ironic, right?
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Beijing is a conundrum.  Its hutongs are old China, and its skyscrapers are new China.  It is as much the beggars on the street as it is the English-speaking sales staff in its Tiffany and Rolex stores.  It is 1-Yuan snack food from a bicycle cart and 200-Yuan Peking Duck from the 150-year old five-star Quanjude restaurant.  It is a city that is heavily criticized by the same countries that now financially support it through tourism.  It is a city of the past and one of significant future.  I look forward to the attention it will soon receive under the 'developed' world's spotlight come August.