China - June, 2010 - Beijing

June 9 – Overnight Train to BeijingDusty and I were unsure what to expect at the train station as our various hosts in Harbin hinted we would have difficulty navigating the building without knowing Mandarin. However, as we suspected, it was a piece of cake – just show the ticket and rely on universal sign language - finger pointing the correct direction. Whoever we asked rattled off Mandarin as well, or who knows, maybe Russian, but it was all French to us. Needless to say, we made it to the jam-packed and steamy waiting area without incident - And noticed all the people we didn’t want to share our sleeping cubby with.

We finally boarded the train and found our sleeping bunks quite easily. We were stacked 3 high with Dusty and I taking the top beds. We knew this as we couldn’t get anything better at the time of booking. To our surprise, the sheets, down comforters and mattresses were absolutely spotless. However I wouldn’t recommend sleeping on the train if you are over 5’6” tall. Even that might be pushing it. This was one of those moments when being short really pays off. Our neighbors - 3 women who took an instant dislike to us and one 20/30 year old guy who was helpful with our luggage. Whew – none of the unsavory characters we saw at the station! The rest is history - the train left on-time, lights went out about 1 hour later and everyone drifted off to la-la-land. We lucked out with no true snorers. Morning came and as we neared Beijing, the guy left and the 3 ladies proceeded to have soup and cucumber for breakfast. We were stuck ‘upstairs’ as the only way to get down out of the bunk was to put my foot in their soup! But being Canadian, we patiently and politely waited until we had an opportunity to climb down without stepping on them. It was then we realized we were one of the last ones off the train. Looking back on it, I should have gone for my foot in their food.


June 10 to June 12 – Beijing
I’ll be brief with Beijing as both Dusty and I have been here before. Our goal was to visit the sites we missed 1st time around.

I’ll start with a Hutong area. Ever since the media has hyped the disappearance of these traditional neighborhoods, I felt we must wander through them now before my only chance is akin to a visit to a ‘Pioneer Village’ here in North America. Our hostel was in a Hutong so ticked this off the list immediately. For many people, they would find the neighborhoods an interesting ‘look’ into Chinese life, but for me, having been in China 10 years ago when it was just opening to the ‘West’, daily life was far more interesting before the economic boom and influences of the western world.

Next on the list was the Forbidden City. Dusty missed it as a visiting dignitary was in town so the area was completely blocked to visitors. It is a fairly interesting long walk from building to building but a peek inside each one reveals fake replicas of furnishings, the originals long gone - probably disappearing sometime during the Cultural Revolution. I am particularly fond of the ornate decorations on the eaves of the roof’s - human and animal ceramic figurines. We ended our walk with a visit to Jingshan Park at the north end of the Forbidden City. It is one of the few hills in the city – man made from digging the moat around the Forbidden City. Temperatures still soaring in China, it was a hot climb to the top but we were rewarded with panoramic views of Beijing.

Our real challenge was to visit Mao’s Tomb. Dusty had tried 3 times previously but was unsuccessful for various reasons. Our first attempt (her 4th) and we bailed. We would have to pay for camera storage and we didn’t have ID with us. Determined, we gave it one more try the following morning and were successful. You can imagine the long and solemn procession of people that quickly glimpse Mao lying in state. Except for the young security guard that sees 2 blond haired laowai (foreigners) and immediately begins to smile and chat us up, breaking the extreme silence and solemnity in the room.

The Olympic Plaza was non-existent when I was previously in Beijing so I thought it might be interesting to see the Aquatic Cube and Bird’s Nest Stadium lit up and glowing at night. Again we met with success, although it was drizzling the entire time. Just as well we didn’t stay long as we were famished and all we could think of was Peking Duck. We made it to a recommended restaurant with only 15 minutes to spare. Fortunately we were not disappointed and returned the following evening for one of our favourite meals again.

Having completed our ‘must-sees’, we did have time for a bit of wandering. We checked out the Donghuamen Night Market where they skewer insects, snakes and star fish for wok cooking – much to the delight of tourists. For a different shopping experience we thought we’d try the Lufthansa Shopping City mall. We realized we were out of our league when starting prices for shoes was 8,000rmb (about $1,200cdn) and we’d choke on each gulp going down trying to enjoy a coffee at the prices they were charging. The chauffeurs’ at the entrance should have been a dead give-away before we even entered (and this mall was recommended in the Lonely Planet as a place we’d find all we needed!). An evening stroll around Houhai Lake near the hostel, just one of the many lakes in Beijing, was certainly pleasant. Another swim club here, but this time in a stagnant lake which is home to a real gaggle of geese (50 or more) – our first thought - they must all suffer from a bad case of swimmer’s itch – TIC.

To see more pictures of Beijing check out:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrisfick/sets/72157624670594349/