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BeijingSep 22, 2009
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We had a smooth flight from London to Hong Kong and on to Beijing. We meet H and J (MS's parents) at the airport in Hong Kong after their flight from Brisbane. It was all smooth sailing through immigration and customs and our first real hurdle came when trying to get to our hotel. We originally thought we would take a taxi to our very centrally located hotel and had researched how much it would cost and whether one taxi could fit all four of us. But the real problem was that no taxi would take us there. Every taxi driver we showed our address to simply shook his head or wound up his window so we were left none the wiser on the pavement. When finally found a guy who spoke a bit of English and he inforrmed us that the whole of the city centre was shut for a practice session for the 60th anniversary celebrations. On ringing our hotel, they confirmed we had a booking and that they were open.....but they also said there was no way we would get through the police blocks in the city to get there.. Okay – their solution, we were to stay at a hotel near the airport. So that is what we did. The hotel was basic but there was a great restaurant just outside of it so we had our first taste of real Chinese food. The staff spoke no English but the menu had pictures so we just had to point – and the staff were lovely and found MS the one and only fork they had in the restaurant (eventhough we didn't ask for it – he ate with the chopsticks anyway).
The next day we were assured the city centre was open so we headed in to check in to our hotel where we met WA, our friend from Oz who was joining us on the tour (she also had the same problem with getting into the city the previous evening). Our first stop was a walk to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. We were impressed with how clean Beijing is – although the pollution in the air is still a real issue. The square is enormous and as the city is preparing for the 60th anniversary, there were lots of pillars, flags and decorations being erected for the event. The next day we visited the Temple of Heaven Park which was lovely. We spent the first hour people watching – tai chi, ballroom dancing, singing, stretching, clapping, etc were all activities that were popular in the park and everyone looked like they were having a great time – even J joined in a badminton match. Our bad luck continued with taxis as we tried to hail one back to the hotel so instead we put H and J on the back of a motorised bike and we walked – it was funny to see this small bike weaving in and out of central Beijing traffic with them on the back! We met our tour group that night – mostly British and Aussies and we have a great Chinese guide. He took us out for dinner that night and we ate like kings – all for the top price of £1.50. MS and our guide soon we engaging in a drinking contest that involved some seriously dodgy Chinese moonshine and MS almost had to be carried back to the hotel.
After our trip to the Great Wall of China (see separate entry), with weary bones we dragged ourselves to the Summer Palace the next day – another magnificent park in the heart of Beijing. We caught the subway there which was easy and so efficient – it puts all other subways we have travelled on to shame. I think a lot of work was done prior to the Olympics because there was English everywhere and we had no problems negotiating the city by ourselves. The people in Beijing have been so friendly and helpful as well. Usually our conversations are limited to “Hello” or “Where are you from?” “Sydney?” Sometimes it is easier to say Yes than to try and explain where Brisbane is. MS also seems to attract a bit of attention and we have quite regularly seen people taking photos of him and wanting photos with the rest of us as well. We also stopped by to have a look at the Olympic Complexes – the Bird's Nest and the Cube which were interesting and just as spectacular up close as they were on TV. We had worn the men out by this stage so the ladies continued on to the Lama Temple. That night we visited Tiananmen Square at night and it was all lit up for the 60th anniversary celebrations so we have been lucky as we have seen the city at its best in preparation for the celebrations.
