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Beijing China! | (Entered May. 05, 2006) | Great Escapes... | |||||||
It's been a while since I'd taken a trip anywhere outside Japan except to go back to Canada. So with Golden Week upon us again, Kumi and I made our way to Beijing for about 4 days. I'd been dreaming of taking a trip to China for years now, but it kept being put off. China, so mysterious and compelling to me for so long... well now I know the reality is a little different. Before I start, let me just say that the trip was a lot of fun, and an interesting adventure, but there are some things that need mentioning. The wall ran off in two directions from the starting point, but most people went this way shown here. Apparently the scenery is better but I didn't really notice. We went both directions and you can see the difference in crowds in the two pictures. The first two restaurants we went to were pretty dodgy but it seems that in Beijing at least, you can't go wrong with Peking Duck. We ate duck twice in three days and both times it was amazing. Here we are with enough duck for 4 people. The Forbidden City (now called the People's Palace) at night with Chairman Mao front and centre. Inside the Forbidden City! We mistakenly went on a Chinese national holiday so the crowds were insane. Took us about 30 minutes just to make it through the entrance to get to the line-up to the ticket booth. The forbidden city, seemingly empty! Nobody except us was really interested in posing in front of the construction. They thoughtfully painted a picture of what the palace would look like if it was there, wasn't really the same though. Construction was rampant everywhere in Beijing, in preparation for the 2008 Olympics I guess. China sold out to Starbucks both on the Great Wall and in the Forbidden City, obviously nothing is sacred anymore. No McDonald's though, maybe that would be pushing it a bit. Chinese opera was very enjoyable, especially the acrobatics. The performance was an hour and a half and we had front row seats! Not only that, but people in the front got to sit at tables and were served tea and snacks before the performance. The Summer Palace north of the city, an absolutely massive park complete with lake. We happened to go to Beijing during some tree's (willow I think) molting period. For a couple of days the air was filled with white fluff, which you can see if you look closely at the picture. The fluff piled up like snow. Walking around in it was fun for a while, but it quickly grew tiring as my skin and eyes started itching. On the last day we wandered around the shopping/market area, bought souvenirs, checked out market stalls selling roast scorpions and snakes on a stick, and drank coconuts, all things considered, it was a great trip!
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If You Build It, They Will Leave...
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