Great Wall & Forbidden City

I thought we were hiring a private mini-van to take us to the Great Wall. But I soon found out we were taking a tour bus with Chinese tourists. We would leave at 8:30 and then hopefully get back at 4:30 or 5 because Sheree, Marcus, and Ilias were going to see a concert at 7:30.

There were two slightly disappointing things about this little excursion. The woman tour guide on the bus talked the entire time in Chinese on a microphone. She didn't let up the entire ride there. I'm sure she must have given a lot of useful information about the history of the wall. But I found it too loud and annoying.

What was even worse than this lady, if you can imagine, was that we would have to spend 90 minutes shopping and eating lunch (at 10:30 mind you). What a waste! I thought we were going to the Great Wall?

This happened the last time I was in China too. Sometimes they try to slip in these extra "bonuses" for the tourists. They are not welcome by all. If we wanted to buy jade we certainly wouldn't do it in this place, in the middle of nowhere. It was specifically set up on the highway as a tourist trap. The food was terrible and who could stomach it at 10:30. Everyone had just eaten breakfast.

Why not give 90 minutes extra at the Great Wall? If you want to eat there you can. There are plenty of restaurants. I can't believe anyone is going to buy the overpriced jade. Ok, enough of my rant!

Next stop was the Great Wall. It was convenient to go on the bus and hang out with my new friends, but unfortunately we would only have two hours at the Great Wall. That was my only regret.

Once we arrived, the quickest way was to take the chairlift up. The first part of the path was really crowded. There are people coming and going in both directions of the 10 foot wide path. The steps are really quite steep. There are also sections that have no steps and are just steep ramps up or down.

Once you get to the first tower the crowds thin out. It really is all uphill until you reach the tower. Then there is more room to spread out and take some photos. It was really a gorgeous setting in the mountains with this windy path wiggling through it. I guess it wasn't obvious to the Chinese back then that if someone really wanted to climb over the wall they could.

We were all wondering how far we
could walk in 2 hours. Ilias and I just took off. We wanted to get as far as we could and see where we would end up. The view just kept getting better. It actually seemed like we were doing a lot of downhill. Umm, this could be a problem on the way back.

There were a lot more of these sections with steep ramps. You literally have to hang on to the railing and pull yourself up with your arms because your feet cannot possibly climb at this angle without sliding. The stones are slippery and you could easily fall.

We passed a few more towers. At 1:30 I told Ilias I think I'm done. I will be slow on the way back as it's mostly uphill. He's like, I think we could go a little further. Ok, I knew I shouldn't have but I continued on with him anyway. This additional section was all downhill and we would be going uphill on the way back.

It was really nice walking around now. The crowds were gone and the wall was getting more interesting. But I guess, the next time I go, I will know that this is something you would want to hire a car for and spend the whole day here. Maybe even bring a picnic. The wall literally follows the topography of the mountains. That is why it is so steep in sections.

Ok, we got to our turn around spot. And yes, it was all uphill to start. Oh, I forgot to mention how hot it was today. I was carrying a fairly heavy bag as usual. I know the bag is my responsibility. Ilias offered to carry it for me. But I wouldn't allow him to. I did have to keep stopping at the real steep spots. It was ridiculously steep. I was so surprised every time I saw someone older than me. They were always the fearless Chinese.

Ilias was waiting for me again. This time he took my bag and he wouldn't accept no for an answer. He said we would have to go faster to make it back in time. He was still a bit ahead of me. Soon he got a pleasant surprise. There was a gentle breeze blowing and a young woman in front of him was on her cell phone. All of a sudden her entire skirt blew up in the air. He later said that she couldn't have been more than 2-3 feet away. I was further behind but I saw it all unfold as well. He said she was a little annoyed but kept talking on the phone to her friend. I guess she had tights on : )

Soon we ran into Michelle and Ariel. They hadn't turned around yet. Or maybe they were waiting for us. We all walked the rest of the way back together. We got in line for the chairlift ride back down at 2:15. The line was really long and didn't seem to be moving. We were supposed to be on the bus at 2:30. There would be no possible way this could happen.

We were finally off the chairlift and down at the parking lot by about 2:45. Now we just had to find our bus. There were only three large parking lots and hundreds of buses. Thank goodness Sheree called us. The bus was waiting for us. When Ilias told her we were really close she didn't believe him. Apparently she said our bus was at the end of the parking lot. But which end? I finally realized the buses closest to the chairlift had no people in them. It must be the other end. So we headed the other way.

By 3:00 we were on the bus again (of course the last to arrive) and we were off. I was glad there were 4 late arrivals-- two Chinese and two westerners.

There was no chitter chatter from the guide on the way home. I think everyone slept a little. They asked me if I wanted to join them at the concert and said there will probably still be tickets available. I said thanks anyway. I think I want to relax someplace with a pot of tea.

Michelle and Ariel were going to meet a college friend. When we got off the bus I thanked everyone for letting me hang out with them. I said I had such a great time and gave them my email to keep in touch.

Awh, it was still a fun day even with the crazy tour. But I had to get something to eat and get some tea. I snacked on the sesame sweet bread again on my way back from the hotel. This is the third day in a row I stopped at the same place and the vendor recognized me now.

Ariel gave me the names of two tea houses she knew of nearby. She said I should be able to just order tea and drink. No one should bother me. I asked at the hostel about these two places. One was closer than the other and the woman at the counter gave me directions to it.

I freshened up. I noticed Shirley had emailed me. She worked at my former company. She had just moved back to China last month after living in the US for 10 years. Her husband William just finished his masters degree. He would be coming back to China to join her in July. He worked at my former company as well.

I called her and told her I was at the Great Wall today. She asked me if I had plans for Tuesday and I said I would be leaving then, but could she meet tomorrow? We agreed to meet at 9 tomorrow and head to the Forbidden City. Oh, I am so glad I could coordinate with her.

I figured I would head over to the tea house. I took the subway. The woman at the front desk said it would be easier. It was literally 15 steps from when you got off the subway. But guess what, this shop only had tea sales and no tea house. Both stores on Ariel's list had multiple locations. I guess I must have picked the wrong one.

I figured out where I was on the map. There was only one thing to do. I headed to the Raffles Hotel. I saw it yesterday and knew it was nearby. They would have fabulous teas and they would let me sit and hang out all night if I wanted to.

What an oasis! This place was magnificent! I found my way over to the cocktail lounge. They had tea or alcohol. I got a pot of lung jing (dragonwell). I felt like it was time to have some green tea in China. I was missing it as I typically start my day with green tea.

The tea arrived with cookies! I just relaxed and hung out. I must have had close to three pots. My waitress kept coming by with more hot water. I decided to go for the decadent while I was here. Instead of ordering dinner I got three kinds of creme brûlée. The first was traditional, the second was chocolate, and the third was a lavender version. They were small tasting plates, but I hadn't had something this rich in two months. My body wasn't sure what to make of it. When the waitress came by with it she said this will make you fat and this will make you thin. It's a good balance. She was pointing to the dessert and the tea. I felt a little lonely. I missed the gang.....

On my way back I walked by Tienanmen Square. I still can't get over the amount of security and cameras. In some ways there is a lot more security in both India and China than in the US. For example to get on the subway you must put your bag through an xray in both countries. In the US we don't have to. I walked the rest of the way back to the hostel and went to bed.

The following morning, I decided to get breakfast at the hostel, I would probably be out for quite a while with Shirley and didn't know when we would have a chance to get a snack. So I got fried rice. I actually didn't mind rice for breakfast. It was way better than eggs for me.

She got there just after 9. She arrived with some tea and also some sticky rice. The rice was wrapped in leaves and there were also dates inside. This is typical fare for the dragonboat festival. I'm going to have to read a little bit more about this.

We tried to get a taxi to the Forbidden City. No luck. They almost laugh at you. I have never seen so many taxi drivers refuse fares as in Beijing. They won't take you if you are not going far enough.

I didn't mind walking. It was about 1/2 hour. Shirley noticed lots of changes just walking around Beijing. She had been gone for 10 years and this was her first time back in the Forbidden City. It must be weird to come back to a place after so long. She said she had been back in 2008 but only for a short time.

Walking in the Forbidden City is again walking with thousands of people. Anyone can get in the first section, but to go further back into the other courtyards, you must start paying. Then each building you want to go in, you have to pay 10 or more yuan.

We went into the Pottery Museum. There were so many amazing treasures. There were bowls, tea things, vases, urns, from way before Christ. We saw all the different styles of the Emperor's dress. We saw some of the most intricate and beautiful jewelry. We also saw the queen's jeweled crown. Then there was an area with large jade carvings. That was very impressive to see such intricate detail. We walked in a couple of the gardens.

I would say we spent at least 3 hours there. It started raining slightly on and off, but it actually felt nice. It was so humid today. Shirley wanted to take me for Peking duck but I had already been the other night. So instead we went for a Chinese hot pot. We took a taxi there. I think she somehow bribed the taxi driver to pay him double to take us to the restaurant. Otherwise we would be doing more walking.

The hot pot place was crowded as it was 1:30. I had no idea how to order but was hungry. I said I would try anything. So we got the hot pot for two people. They bring the pot with hot water and some onions and garlic already cooking. Once it starts boiling you can start feeding it. We had two greens--lettuce and a local Chinese green. Then we had noodles. We also had two kinds of lamb. We had tofu, beef intestine, and a mild white fish that unfortunately had tiny bones, but was really tasty. Then there were scallions and cilantro to season with. You were supposed to dip everything in the peanut sauce they give you.

We had some roasted peanuts, one lamb skewer each, and a sort of cabbage similar to kimchi. These were all foods to eat without the hot pot or sauce. We ordered some lung jing tea and we were off to the races.

You simply put everything in the pot. It was really good. You could keep grazing for hours. We did eat for a while. But at a certain point you can't eat any more. Shirley was able to get all the uncooked food wrapped up for dinner tonight. Then they brought out some sliced watermelon which was refreshing.

We decided to go to the silk market afterwards. It's not just for people in the market to buy silk. Basically you could get anything you wanted. But bargaining is essential. The only thing you had to worry about was that if it said Gucci or any other designer name it was probably a knock-off!

I did want to buy a silk dress. I had actually seen some more modern styles at the stores near my hostel. They were really expensive. I love the traditional Chinese style dresses but I knew I would never wear it. The silk market used to be outside the last time Shirley was there. Now it had moved indoors to more of a mall with 6 or more floors. Each vendor was crammed in to such a small space and the aisles were very narrow. Plus there were all these people calling to you, "lady". Come look at this. I saw a couple dresses I liked. But I didn't really find this shopping experience so fun. If it was earlier in the day, I think I would have had more energy. I told Shirley that maybe we should go. I also said she needed to get home to cook dinner.

Shirley said that once William got here and they selected the right schools for the kids she would focus on getting a job herself. Picking the right schools here is also difficult. She said her oldest was 7 and he excelled in English but was behind in Chinese. I asked her what she wanted to do for work, she said maybe teach English or work in finance which is what her degree was in. She said her job in San Francisco was something she had really enjoyed, so she hoped she could find something she liked here too.

William already had a job set up for when he arrived in China. It was a really great position for him and a nice career move.

I thanked her for a wonderful day and wished them luck. She was so generous with her time and I really enjoyed spending the day with her.

We each took the subway back and I got off first. She continued on the same line the whole way back. I walked by Tienanmen the last time. I got my last sesame bread. I had some tea in my room when I got back. It's just a nice relaxation thing now. I feel I have become more of tea addict then before if that is possible! I had given Shirley some green puerh to try. I hope she likes it.

I didn't have much to do tonight. The main things were to access the money situation. I needed at least 200 yuan to get to the airport by taxi. I could buy some tea at the airport if there was anything left. I also needed to have the hostel write down for me in Chinese that I wanted to go to the international terminal of the airport. I would have to drag my bags to the end of the walking street to get the taxi. They also told me I needed to know which terminal. It depended on the airline. I was at terminal 3 so they wrote that down too. They said it could take up to 90 minutes in the morning. I figured I would leave early and have breakfast at the airport. Then I wouldn't have to rush around.

My friend Ulla remembered that she offered to pick me up in SFO and emailed me to see if any of my plans had changed. I had forgotten about this. It would be nice to see someone I knew when I got back.

Then I just sat down with my sticky rice at the hostel and ordered a beer. Ariel sent me an email that she was worried about me being alone in Beijing. She told me about their 911 service (you dial 110). Funny I felt safer in India and China then I do in San Francisco! She also sent me the job listings at BMW at their new plant. What a sweetie! I would love an international job at this point in my life. Who knows?

So I couldn't believe my journey was coming to an end. Maybe it wasn't long enough? Just before I left I was a little nervous. I wondered if I should take this trip. Could I forget that I didn't have a job when I got back and really enjoy myself?

The countries and places I wanted to visit were not for everyone and I didn't even know if they were for me. It wasn't like going to Europe with the comforts of home and once and a while getting mistaken for a local. But I wasn't roughing it either. I hoped I could be open enough to meet people as I was traveling alone for the most part.

It was humbling to realize how many really generous people there are in this world. Not only with their time but with their knowledge. I still can't believe my day in Nannoushan? Did all of that really happen? Travel for me opens my mind and my soul. I like how I feel now without the day to day rushing around and stress. Hopefully I can carry this feeling with me.

I also learned that traveling and my real life must be so different. How did I meet so many interesting people? I met more people traveling in two months, than I have in the last 5-10 years. I think I am longing for and miss connecting with people at a certain level. Whether it be family or friends. I want more of a community in my life. That will be the hardest thing to achieve being back in the US, as people are many times too busy with their own lives. Either way, I will forever be searching for my own Shangri-la.