Beijing

Due to a series of travel arrangement snafus, the unexpected last stop in the Saramistbixian Silk Road tour was a 20 hour lay-over in Beijing (and the name of this blog should probably be changed to “saramistbiJING” as a result). Even after staying awake for more than 30 hours straight (ended up round 48, mebbe? and without a shower — we smelled GOOD!) all the drama and fatigue did nothing to dampen the thrill of being in China’s exploding capital city. When we arrived, we didn’t know it would mark the end of the journey; but we were determined to maximize our stay there, and we did. The Today Show’s Matt Lauer has nothing on the thrive team when it comes to getting maximum tourism highlights into a single day…

One of the team’s friends in Beijing was gracious enough to meet us when we got into Beijing, at 2 am, and allow us to store our luggage at his apartment. James, a native of the OC, had been in China for more than a year, and was a project manager on a construction site, an eyewitness to the business and construction boom. He took us to a Chinese restaurant (go figure) in the clubbing district where we wolfed down delicious noodles and shaved ice (mountainous dessert concoctions slathered with different kinds of beans — wish I had a photo, but at that point, was so exhausted all I could do was handle chopsticks.)

We took cabs to see the dawn flag-raising at Tianeman Square. A huge crowd gathered; music played; and in two minutes the flag was up and it was over. Anti-climactic, really — but amazing to be where we were. There is so much construction and activity going on in this crowded, crazy metropolis — almost thought that not just the flag would be raised, but that the cranes over the Forbidden City would be replaced with glass skyscraper concoctions by sunrise. And, due to preparations for the Olympics and concerns about smog, they’re seeding the clouds most nights — so it rains, and clears the streets. The morning we were there, there was a light grey fog, and the streets were slick…and by sunrise, the streets were jammed with activity, with people walking their dogs (and their birds, in cages swinging wildly from side to side) and doing morning exercises. Busy, busy place.

We tried to hijack a minibus to take us to the Great Wall; after much entertaining conversation and negotiation with the driver waiting for his charges (that most of us didn’t understand) we hopped in his bus and got dropped off in front of the dinosaur at the natural history museum, to wait. We waited for a new driver, stretched out on the sidewalk, as most folks started their day (and stared at us westerners as they drove/walked/ran/biked by). The van finally arrived, and we went out to the Great Wall, which was, well — great.

Then, we napped on the way back to Beijing, and took a rickshaw ride through the old neighborhoods, stopping at a steamed buns and dumplings restaurant (kinda like a mcdonald’s or del taco). After an amusing ride, and a short walk and busride in Beijing traffic, we made our way to the Forbidden City. Which was huge.

And after a few hours wandering through the Forbidden City and marveling at the dynasties, the story of Pu-Yi, the Last Emperor (who abdicated at 3), we barely made it back to the airport, to catch our flight to Xi’an…which turned out to actually be to Xianfang…but which turned back to Beijing because of bad weather…which made us turn around and come back to LA. Long story, but with a happy ending.

~ by mimi on August 6, 2008.