Well today was our first day officially in Beijing and Beijing is HUGE. So huge that the maps make a walk seem short when in reality it is not at all! It actually reminds me a lot of Berlin with the huge boulevards, bike lanes, and lack of central organization, After sorting out a travel hiccup (no available trains to Xi'an), we headed off to find the Forbidden City. It took us awhile to find the subway but once we did, it was quite easy (and new and air conditioned).
We got off at the stop by Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City, we took the obligatory Mao photos (his portrait hangs above one of the main buildings off the square), and then we became the tourist attraction. After asking a man to take our picture (he was very excited), a few groups approached us to take pictures with us. It was interesting and amusing and a bit weird all rolled into one. I had heard of people asking to take pictures with foreigners before, but Courtney and I are both short and brunette--not tall and blond. So really, not all thaaaat different from most ethnic Chinese. Exhibit A: Posing with a small child...
Like Beijing, the Forbidden City is huge! Huge. It took us probably half an hour to even find the ticket kiosk. We just kept wandering through various gates until we reached one. The Forbidden City contains a palace from one of the older dynasties (too many for me to remember) and got its name because very few were allowed into the city. It's basically the Chinese version of Versailles--ridiculously huge, opulent, and most liking inspired great curiousity/jealousy from ordinary citizens. There are a ton of the iconic, old style pavilions in addition to large open spaces, and gardens at the back. It was pretty cool and there were a bunch of exhibits (with AC)!
I was pretty surprised at how few Western tourists I saw in the actual city. There were a ton of Chinese tourists (it is a Sunday) but very few Westerners. We were approached a few times with the same phrases "Hello, how are you? Where are you from? Welcome to China!" Apparently Beijing-ers were encouraged to learn some English phrases and that's definitely what we encountered. When I tried turning the tables and asking "Where are you from?" they definitely didn't understand. Oh well, I tried.
Post-Forbidden City we had our first Chinese dinner experience. I'm still not sure what exactly we ate, but it was predominantly noodles with tomatoes--nothing scary!
We're off to the Great Wall tomorrow and will most likely return even sweatier than we did today. I'm thinking of adopting this kid's hot weather attire:
We got off at the stop by Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City, we took the obligatory Mao photos (his portrait hangs above one of the main buildings off the square), and then we became the tourist attraction. After asking a man to take our picture (he was very excited), a few groups approached us to take pictures with us. It was interesting and amusing and a bit weird all rolled into one. I had heard of people asking to take pictures with foreigners before, but Courtney and I are both short and brunette--not tall and blond. So really, not all thaaaat different from most ethnic Chinese. Exhibit A: Posing with a small child...
Like Beijing, the Forbidden City is huge! Huge. It took us probably half an hour to even find the ticket kiosk. We just kept wandering through various gates until we reached one. The Forbidden City contains a palace from one of the older dynasties (too many for me to remember) and got its name because very few were allowed into the city. It's basically the Chinese version of Versailles--ridiculously huge, opulent, and most liking inspired great curiousity/jealousy from ordinary citizens. There are a ton of the iconic, old style pavilions in addition to large open spaces, and gardens at the back. It was pretty cool and there were a bunch of exhibits (with AC)!
I was pretty surprised at how few Western tourists I saw in the actual city. There were a ton of Chinese tourists (it is a Sunday) but very few Westerners. We were approached a few times with the same phrases "Hello, how are you? Where are you from? Welcome to China!" Apparently Beijing-ers were encouraged to learn some English phrases and that's definitely what we encountered. When I tried turning the tables and asking "Where are you from?" they definitely didn't understand. Oh well, I tried.
Post-Forbidden City we had our first Chinese dinner experience. I'm still not sure what exactly we ate, but it was predominantly noodles with tomatoes--nothing scary!
We're off to the Great Wall tomorrow and will most likely return even sweatier than we did today. I'm thinking of adopting this kid's hot weather attire:
Thoughts?
4 comments:
Linds! I am so glad you are giving work-prisoners like me a way to escape for awhile. Thanks so much for blogging. I am looking forward to reading along with you on your journey. Have fun and tell Court I say hello :) Love, Meg
I love the woman pointing out the naked/apron baby. I didn't realize most of this stuff was a metro ride away, unless I'm mistaken. Did you happen to ask for General Tsao's chicken at dinner? I'm guessing that doesn't really exist there. But you have to let me know when you try cobra. Keep an open mind. Ha, I know you just muttered "fat chance" under your breath.
PS - Your sister is a better photographer than the jump-roping moose.
That little baby's bottom is the funniest thing I have ever seen! If you decide to opt for the "hot weather attire" let's refrain from pictures :)
I'm not gonna lie - I'm going to think of that baby in the loin-cloth/apron outfit of sorts when I'm sweating tomorrow in business attire to and from the metro...
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