While teaching in Japan, I found myself with some summer vacation and decided a trip to China would be intriguing. I wanted to see the Great Wall and other attractions, while experiencing a different culture. The Lonely Planet states, China isn't a country-it's a different world. I imagined Beijing (Peking) steeped in history while being a westernized, modern capital with plenty of English speaking people. My sister Bobbie was on board so we obtained the required visa, bought our tickets and headed for a new adventure.
Visiting China in mid-August was maybe not the most ideal plan. We stepped out of the airport into a wall of heat. Within seconds, our shirts were drenched in sweat. We walked to the taxi stand but no one seemed willing to take on our fare. Finally a vision in knock-off Versace approached us. After negotiating a price, we hopped in and began the most hellish and frightful ride of our lives. Our driver although stylishly dressed, drove incensed, with one hand on the horn and the other balled into a fist, yelling at anyone or anything around him. With 300 million bicycles in this city, I had no idea how he was able to navigate the streets. Fortunately we made it to our guesthouse unscathed. After checking in, we met some other guests, enjoyed a delicious meal of sweet and sour pork, and settled in for a good night's sleep.
The first place we wanted to visit was the Great Wall. The manager at the guesthouse suggested going to the most visited section of the Wall, Badaling. There was a tour group complete with an English speaking guide and this sounded perfect for us. Since we had to take public transportation, we had the manager write down all instructions in both English and Chinese. Bobbie and I were both Girl Scouts in our younger years and learned the most valuable lesson: be prepared. We hit the busy streets with our bottled water, backpacks and cameras.
Arriving at the bus depot, we located a bus with #1 on it as per our instructions. We then noticed there were a couple of other buses with #1 and we tried comparing the writing on the bus with the writing on our paper. A bus driver noticed our perplexed expressions and approached us. We showed him our paper and he nudged us towards the steps of his bus. We hopped on and headed towards the back to the only available seats. We were greeted with a number of smiles and Ni Hao's (pronounced knee how; hello in Chinese). After finding seats and looking around, we started to panic, realizing we were the only foreigners and must be on the wrong bus. As I stood to make my way to the front, the driver closed the door, stepped on the gas and peeled out of the depot, throwing me back into my seat. Apparently he and the taxi driver attended the same driving school.
Within a couple of minutes, a frazzled looking woman with a megaphone and clipboard stood at the front of the bus and began bellowing in a high pitched voice. The guide was Chinese, not an English speaker as I was hoping. Everyone on the bus quieted down and listened to what I could only presume was information about a tour. Soon everyone started digging in their bags for their wallet. I noticed a lot of name brands and made a mental note to do some shopping on this trip. When the guide made her way to the back of the bus, she wrote down what we owed on a piece of paper. I asked, "Badaling, ok?" and she nodded and pointed at the total. It was more than what we were told at the guesthouse but not by much, so we handed her the money. In turn, we got buttons to pin to our shirts so they would be able to identify us for the duration of the tour. I didn't think the button was necessary (it was pretty obvious we stood out in this group) but we put them on anyway.
After we drove for a while, we pulled into a parking lot filled with other buses and the guide made some sort of announcement. Looking out the window, I could see the Great Wall. This is the most famous feature of China and the symbol of the nation. Built in 206 BC, it spans over ten provinces, and is almost 22,000 km in length. Just as I was about to disembark the bus, the driver grabbed my arm and wrote down a time on a piece of paper, then gestured to the bus. I assumed he wanted us back at the time, so I smiled, gave a thumbs up and followed the rest of the group towards the Wall.
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| The Great Wall |
Our next stop was Badaling, and we were given a couple of hours to climb the Wall. It was extremely hot and we were promptly drenched in sweat. The temperature was hovering around 39°C and we bought bottles of frozen water which melted in seconds. It was a steep climb but there were handrails to hold onto. Perhaps this is why Canada's pop singer/douchebag Justin Bieber had to get a lift on the shoulders of his bodyguards when visiting the Wall. There is a cable car and pulley available for those that need it. The Badaling section of the Wall has visitors in the millions each year, likely due to the incredible views.
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| The Great Wall: Badaling If you look closely, you can see the tour button on my shirt. |
After paying the equivalent of 5 cents for a square of toilet paper, we stood in line and waited our turn. Heading inside, we were immediately overpowered by the pungent stench. When our eyes adjusted to the dimly lit room, we saw women lined up, squatting over what can only be described as a trough. It was startling to urinate in a line-up, but looking down and watching excrement and urine floating by, was another matter entirely. I was used to squat toilets in Japan but I was also used to privacy. A door or separate stall would have been welcome. Bobbie and I made a pact to hold it until we returned to the guesthouse with it's western style toilet.
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| A picture of the washroom was too disgusting to post (Google it if you dare). I felt this eloquent sign was best. Make sure to bring sanitizer-or a hazmat suit! |
Getting back on the bus, we figured our tour was coming to an end. It was close to dinnertime and I was craving some sweet and sour pork. However, our day wasn't quite done. The next stop was at a jade and jewelry shop, where we were given 45 minutes to peruse and make some purchases. I had no interest in this part of the tour so sat under a tree and relaxed. After the shopping, we made one final stop at a house/museum of a famous deceased person. There was no English during this portion of the tour so my sister and I just walked around trying to look interested.
Finally, we headed back to the bus station. Bobbie and I shook hands with the driver and some of our group members, smiling while saying xie xie which is thank you in Chinese. We then boarded another bus that took us back to the guesthouse. Describing our tour with some fellow travelers in the lounge that night, they thought it sounded much better than the English-guided one. I have a feeling our driver was surprised but pleased to find some Australians and a couple Brits on his bus the next day.
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| Bobbie and I at the Summer Palace |
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| Tiananmen Square-the largest city square in the world. If looking for Mao souveniers, this is the place for them. |
For the duration of the trip, my sister and I became more at ease despite little English being spoken. We ordered at a restaurant with no English on the menu, took buses and rickshaws around the city, bartered while shopping, and toured some of the best parts of Beijing. We visited Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, the Temple of Heaven, and of course, the lively outdoor markets.
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| The Temple of Heaven |
We came across a Kenny Rogers Roasters while walking around the city one day. The sign boasted "Deliciously Healthy" so we went in to check it out. Having already seen McDonalds and Starbucks across from Tiananmen Square, this Western attraction didn't surprise us. Photos of Kenny donned the walls and his music videos played on a loop from t.v.'s around the restaurant. Apparently this is a popular franchise across Asia. Go Gambler! On our last night, we took in "The Flying Acrobatic Show" at the Chaoyang Theatre.
The Beijing Acrobatic Troupe is a group of highly skilled, trained acrobats and circus performers. There were contortionists, high-wire acts and stunts. There were also quite a few people balancing on one bicycle!
Chinese acrobatic tradition goes back centuries and is one of the few art forms that was condoned by Mao.
We were completely spellbound and sat mesmerized during the entire show. It was the perfect end to a wonderful vacation.
Visiting this magnificent city showed me a glimpse of a different culture and way of life. Even though I was ripped off by a couple of drivers, thought I would perish while riding around the city, entered the men's washroom instead of the women's (no sign on the door), I was able to take it all in stride. I vowed never to take for granted a western style toilet, the abundance of toilet paper we have at home, and the English language. I became a master at gestures and smiling and saying thank you. A simple smile and thank you goes a long way, no matter where you travel. Although the visit was short, it was cetainly memorable.
~MT