Beijing - Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, and getting ready for the Olympics!

Well, I was really excited to come to China but I was worried about my arrival into Beijing. My flight was arriving fairly late at night and I was wondering how I would make the journey to my hotel at the centre of the city without knowing a lot of Chinese. The airport was a lot more modern than I expected - with English signs and very Western looking advertisements. I am guessing preparation for the 2008 Summer Olympics. After a smooth journey through Chinese Customs (much to my surprise!), there I was walking out to the taxi corridor scared at the thought of being lost on my first night in China. Or worse abandoned in some foreign city. I was jealous of all the travelers who had strangers holding signs with their names on them - waiting for prearranged rides to their hotel. But, then much to my surprise - the very last name written on a sign was mine. I couldn't believe it - I have never been so excited to see my name. I had contacted my travel agent earlier in my trip and she said that my hotel did not offer rides - but looks like she forgot and never told me that I was charged for one 7 months ago! Woohoo! Door to door service never felt so great as I rolled into my hotel nearing 1 A.M.

My first day included a walk to the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square - all within 10 minutes of my hotel. A great hotel location makes traveling so easy. I didn't head all the way into the Forbidden City - but I admired the Gates of Heavenly Peace with the giant picture of Chinese leader Mao on it and wandered inside the huge doors to see the courtyard inside the wall. The Forbidden City was closed to the public for over 500 years - and was the home to many Emperors and Chinese Dynasties. There were tons of tourists there - mostly native Chinese. I think it is a pretty big deal to visit the Capital City and check out this place that was forbidden for so many generations.

How about a little bartering at the markets?

The best thing that happened to me on my first day was having random strangers take photos of me as I was passing by or even ask to have a photo with me. Some were really excited too, while others tried to be really coy and not obvious that they were snapping a photo of some white, blond girl. It felt very stereotypical - as many people had told me that it would happen in Asia. I think the people that deal with tourists all the time could care less - but people from other places in China where less Western tourists may not visit I would guess would be more interested or perhaps people that don't have a lot of contact with foreigners. I have noticed that caucasian people are glamorized on many advertisements in the city - often for expensive products or western-wannabe restaurants or stores. We are portrayed in a celebrity kind of way - so it was hilarious to feel like a character at Disneyland posing for random photos on my day-to-day journeys.

I did manage to check out a few temples around the city the following few days. They are pretty big places. The Lama Temple had many buildings - one often lined up behind another one. Each had a one or many buddhas inside. Each buddha having a different meaning. The Lama Temple is the largest Tibetan Buddhist temple outside of Tibet. It was really neat to see Chinese people burning incense at the base of particular buddhas as I wandered around the temple grounds. The best thing I saw at the temple was a huge buddha that was carved out of a piece of wood and measured 26 metres high. It was insane. I felt like I was looking up at a giant. The carving is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records.

I visited the Drum and Bell Towers at town. After climbing up the STEEP steps in each building I checked them out. The Drum Tower had 24 drums and I even got to witness a traditional drum performance. Back in the day - drums were used to keep track of time - that's why there are 24 different drums up in the tower. Unfortunately I didn't get to perfect my drumming skills...but that is probably a good thing. No need to scare away fellow travelers. The Bell Tower had one giant bell in it that was used in the Ming Dynasty. It is one of the largest bells in Chinese history. It is not in use anymore - so I didn't get to hear the bell ring.

Up at the top of the Bell and Drum Towers an excellent view is provided of the surrounding area - which includes the 'hutongs'. Hutongs are what chinese homes are called - well, Chinese homes that are centuries old. Basically, they mostly look like ramshackle areas from up above, but I did have a tour around them later on in my visit and some are actually quite nice. I think the size and quality of the hutong depends mainly on available money and family status. Over a million people in Beijing still live in these types of buildings. And, the government is working to preserve areas of them as many areas are being destroyed with modern development.

I did manage to squeeze in a few markets in my Beijing visit and was surprised by how organized they were. I took in the Silk Market (as well as the Pearl Market a few days later) - which has silk, amongst everything else you could possibly want for sale - mostly knock off shoes, purses, clothes, jewellry, and random souvenirs too. I just wandered for the first while. Taking in the spectacle. I was pretty overwhelmed. There are hundreds of stalls - grouped in specific areas for what they are selling. It was pretty funny too as you just walked and you would hear: "hey lady, hi pretty lady, Louis Vouitton, hey lady come into my store"...over and over. I tried my hand at bargaining again for a few items - thankful that I had had boot camp for bartering in Egypt and Turkey earlier on my trip. Basically tips for bargaining: be stubborn, allow time for a good deal, don't seem too interested, aim for 25-30% of what they originally say it costs. And, if it's out of your price range - walk away - and don't be surprised if you get chased after and the vendor settles for your offered price. You will hear ALL the stories about how it's a good price 'just for you and only today!' Don't listen to it...you are the consumer, you have the money, and you want a good deal. I'm not saying go in there and rip them off - but bargaining is the lifestyle and it is soooo much fun. On my second journey to the markets - 3 different vendors told me I was a really tough bargainer - which was a great compliment. Plus, it makes their work day a bit more interesting I think! Can't wait for Shanghai  - it's supposed to be the shopping capital of China! Uh-oh! My bag is already full! But, I bet they sell suitcases!

I joined my pre-booked 'Taste of China' tour a few days into my Beijing visit -meeting people from around the world and enjoying a smaller tour group size - only 10 including our sweet Chinese tour leader. We took in a journey to the Great Wall one day, as well as an amazing acrobat performance. We also investigated the Forbidden City a bit more and walked through the MANY buildings on the property. The Forbidden City is located at the centre of Beijing with 9,999 rooms. I'm telling you - it's big! It's beautiful though - with reds, golds, blues, and greens being the popular colors. As well as there being many lions and dragons on site. Worth a visit for sure. But, hard on the feet as it's a pretty big place.

On my fifth evening in Beijing I departed with my group on an overnight train (12 hours!) to Xi'an (pronounced She-Ann) to take in the city and the famous Terracota Warriors. Beijing is a great city, I was surprised at how modern it is, and I look forward to seeing it on t.v. next year and saying 'I've been there!'! Just over 500 days to the Summer Olympics to go!