BEIJING, CHINA

Beijing. We arrived. 🇨🇳

It was a long journey from Tokyo with a nauseous, sick Zach. After clearing customs we took the 30 min express train into downtown Beijing and decided to connect to our hotel with a taxi - the kids were exhausted. The taxi driver did the typical ‘no meter’ scam and told us the 10 min taxi ride would be 450 RMB ($90), and luckily we have been there, done that once a few too many times in travel history. We insisted... and he insisted there was no meter in Beijing (cough.... bullshit) but we agreed on 150RMB fare knowing it was ridiculous but at that stage we just couldn’t be bothered. We survived his taxi ride. Barely. Seems traffic lights are more of a guideline here. As well as which side of the road you choose to drive on (if the car in front of you is going too slow for your liking).

It was a relief to arrive in Dongcheng, near the amazing Wangfujing area. Great apartment-hotel (with a great pool and whirlpool!!) with loads of space. China may be a good place to have a comfortable refuge.

Had a swim this morning and then decided to play tourist close to home. I should mention here that my navigation skills surpassed Buz’s today. We are close to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. We walked in that direction via a hutong neighbourhood where delicacies such as live scorpions on a stick were readily bought and consumed. Buz and Jesse bought a tea drink that ‘smoked’ from dry ice. Baby chickens roasted on a stick. Unrecognisable meats. Lots of cigarette smoke. Senses challenged. By the time we arrived between TS and the FC, we looked at queues blocks & blocks long. Buz forgot his passport (you must carry them with you at all times here), so we decided a nap was more appealing than trying to get in today. After re-grouping we went out again tonight for dinner. Jesse fell asleep waiting for his food, and we had fun balancing stuff on his head while he slept.

Tomorrow we will be more adventurous!

MONDAY (‘tomorrow’)
Slowly getting our Beijing feet- although a lot gets lost in translation. For example, if a strange man missing teeth who looks a bit creepy walks up and says something about ‘lovely boys’ and tries to grab-hug your child, are you over-reacting when the first thing you do is yell ‘HEY! NO!’ and he walks off looking embarrassed? We all get stared at a bit, which is surprising as Beijing is a pretty major world capital and I wasn’t expecting to be a novelty here at all. It was lovely to get asked to pose for photos with a stranger, but quite a few people (not so subtly) sneak photos of us, which can make you feel like a bit of a freak-show. Boys have mixed feelings about it. Sunnies and a hat may be the go for tomoz..

We made it into Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City, although it was Monday (things close on Mondays), so we only got into the outer walls of the FC, and we were not able to see the embalmed body of Chairman Mao. We will save those adventures.

FRIDAY
At last, we have gotten our Beijing vibe on! Took awhile to get in the rhythm. Spent Tuesday at Panjiayuan markets hesitantly practicing our bargaining skills. Zach got an awesome ‘antique’ chess set and Jesse found a few gems as well. Jesse is my shopping buddy, so we carried on to the Silk Market while Buz and Zach retreated to the hotel room. China makes the most awesome embroidered cloth shoes which I have fallen in love with. Unfortunately every shopkeeper takes one look at my size 9’s and says ‘no’ or directs me to the men’s section.

Wednesday was declared a ‘rest day’ by the troops, who needed a bit of time to process all the delights of Beijing. Fair enough. China is an interesting place. You name it, it’s different. Our hotel overlooks a primary school, and we listen to a military-like flag raising ceremony each morning at 7:45 and enjoy spying on the school kids doing exercises. The boys have realised the Australian school day is not so bad, after all. CCTV cameras and police everywhere. Ordering food at a restaurant is a lucky dip. Jesse ordered a ‘burger’ and got shredded unspecified meat and cabbage with sesame sauce on a bun. Cookies are filled with lychee and rose jam. Menus need to be scanned for duck gizzards and the like. Crossing the street is an art form. Mostly you need to hold your breath, cross your fingers, and walk close to a group of locals. We have mastered the train system, but still working on our boarding/disembarking skills as you have to be prepared to push and get right up close to your fellow human. And of course, there’s the Great Firewall of China (no google, Facebook, unauthorised web searches, or interactive video games) so we all had a bit of withdrawal.

So, with renewed vigour and better-rested, we got up bright and early Thursday morning to catch the train to the Great Wall. We sardined ourselves in during morning rush hour to arrive at Xizhimen (Beijing north subway station) only to realise the trains to the Great Wall were recently switched! Lonely Planet guidebook fail! (But because you can’t Google here or speak Mandarin, how can you otherwise know?) Undeterred, we switched plans to see the Forbidden City instead (it was closed Monday). Completed in 1420, the 600 year-old city-within-a city housed a fair handful of emperors. Luckily, it wasn’t destroyed under Mao, so you can walk through and marvel away at what it would have been like to be one of the few, privileged royalty of the time.... or the flip-side. We sat on a bench while Buz read the history highlights to us from the Lonely Planet. It was at this time we (I!) got approached by an entire tour group to pose for photos with them. I enjoyed my 15 minutes of fame immensely.

Today we got a private driver to the Great Wall at Badaling. AWESOME. And not just because there were more photo opportunities with locals. Today is when I started to realise how amazing China actually is. And I’ve started to like it. Efficient. The crowds flowed up the cable car (because if you can’t hustle and jump on those speedy cars in time, tough luck). Little, stooped old ladies hiked up those super-steep steps. Families managed to coax their kids up while looking after the elderly, all without disrupting the shoulder-to-shoulder traffic. There is a flow to the pace here and a group mentality that seems to work. Hard to explain as it’s late and I’m sleepy. Buz noted there could never be a Great Wall in Australia because it wouldn’t meet OH&S standards. The other thing I liked about today was being in a private car driving through Beijing you could spy on life in everyday Beijing neighbourhoods. A man on a motorbike flirting with a blushing lady at the bus stop, a man sitting on a bus smiling/laughing to himself, a street worker washing himself off, partially dressed, after a long day’s’ work... that sort of thing.Read more