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Beijing, China
As soon as I got off of the train, I was met by my Beijing guide Lisa. Lisa, a beautiful 26 year old, is originally from Inner Mongolia and has been a tour guide in Beijing for two years.
We walked out of the very busy Beijing train station to await our driver. As we stepped outside, I could immediately feeling the cold, brisk air of Beijing. There was still snow on the ground and a moderate wind causing the wind chill to sting my face. It was indeed bone chilling.
After waiting for about 20 minutes, our driver arrived. His name was Mr. Guo. Mr. Guo was super cool. He spoke very little English, but always had a smile on his face.
As we pulled out into Beijing traffic, something dawned on me…there were no stop signs, anywhere. In fact, after reflecting on my stay in China, I realized that I have not seen a single stop sign at all in this county. Maybe that is why the traffic here is so f***ed up. Nevertheless, the traffic in Beijing seemed a lot more tame than any where else in the I’ve been.
TIANANMEN SQUARE.
Before we went to the hotel to check in, we took a tour of Tiananmen Square, the largest city square in the world. It is probably best known for being ground zero for student protests in 1989 where the Chinese Army used massive force to put down the civil disobedience. Several protesters were killed.
Today, aside from the bitter cold, the weather was sunny and clear. It was absolutely spectacular. The cold air did however necessitate the need for me to purchase some knock-off Addias fleece gloves from a street vendor for 20 yuan.
Once I was gloved up, Lisa and took a leisurely stroll through this massive square. There was a definite military and police presence to protect this famous area.
THE FORBIDDEN CITY.
Directly across the street from Tiananmen Square is the entrance to the Forbidden City. A large picture of the late Chairman Mao Zedong. Hung over this entrance. Chairman Mao was the leader of the People’s Republic of China from 1949 when the communists took over China until his death in 1976. The Forbidden City was where the Emperor during the dynasty days would come to spend his daily life. It is a massive area that was closed to the common people back in the day.
As you enter the Forbidden City, there are six main structures within the compound. The first one you encounter is the Hall of Supreme Harmony. From there (in order) are the Hall of Middle Harmony, the Hall of Preserving Harmony, the Palace of Heavenly Purity, the Palace of Union and Peace, and the Palace of Earthly Tranquility.
The entire compound is huge and very luxurious. At the opposite end of the Forbidden City is the Imperial Garden, which is the home of some cypress tress that are over 400 years old.
A NEW HOTEL.
After visiting the Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City, Mr. Guo drove us over to my hotel, the Oriental Bay International Hotel. This hotel is very nice and, according to Lisa, is one of the best hotels in all of Beijing. I walked up to my room, dropped my bags on the floor and passed out for a couple of hours, since I had not slept on the train.
A PIZZA CRAVING STYMIED BY A LANGUAGE BARRIER.
As soon as I woke up, I had a craving for a pizza. Since I arrived in China, all that I’ve had to eat was Chinese food and therefore needed of change of cruising. I attempted to do a Google search on “Pizza in Beijing” but only found websites in Chinese.
Undaunted, I decided to go downstairs and enlist the aid of the concierge to help me find a decent pizza place in town. I walked up to the gentleman at the concierge desk and asked him were I could get a good pizza. Unfortunately, the man at the desk spoke zero English, and there was no one on the hotel floor to assist me with translating my request. After a good 30 minutes of trying to communicate my request, all I got from the guy at the desk were several nods and a smile. Finally, realizing my level of frustration was beginning to rise exponentially, I abandoned by quest for a pizza. Depressed and sad, I slowly made my way back to my room where I ordered the only viable option for dinner that night: Fried rice from room service…so sad….
from: http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/fmvela/1/1264221471/tpod.html
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