Adventures in China

I was in Beijing six times for a total of 12 days. Beijing is a very big, very modern city. This also means it is fairly western, so you will see pinyin (roman letters) on signs and a lot of people speak English. It is in many ways an International city. This is especially important if you've been out in the rural areas for a while and really want to eat food that is not Chinese and are tired of being stared at all the time. Beijing is, however, also very expensive (in Chinese terms).

This was my first view of Beijing, from my first hotel in China. I stayed in a smaller hotel that was nestled in the city. Larger 5 star hotels that are geared at tourists generally are next to a large road and don't have view's of regular Chinese life.

This was the other view from that hotel. People were living in this building. Most were nicely dressed, like this man with his child. There are no windows on this building and the amount of trash surrounding it suggests it is not currently under construction.

If you are leaving Beijing by train, be sure to know which of the 4 train stations you are leaving by. This is the very nice new West train station. There is a very nice foreigner and soft sleeper waiting room where they will tell you when to get on the train.

While some people are disappointed by the forbidden city, the vast majority of people are impressed with the great wall. The open sections are pretty crowded, even in the winter, so be prepared. I found it really interesting, though it is impossible to visualize the extent of the entire wall by just seeing one section.

This is a view from the top of that section of great wall. The great wall is pretty far outside the city, but you can still see a great deal of smog in the area. Beijing is trying very hard to clean the air, and it is getting better, but expect it to be smoggy. Sometimes, you can't see farther than a few blocks.

Even at the larger attractions, there are places to get away from the crowds. This temple was nestled in the great wall. There were a few Chinese people there to pray and no foreigners. Take a minute to peak around corners and you may find something wonderful.

If you travel to the great wall, you will probably stop at one of the Ming tombs. These are far more popular with the Chinese tourists than either the great wall or the forbidden city. They are not very flashy sites, but try to learn something about how they built the tombs, and you'll probably be impressed.

Perhaps the largest attraction in Beijing is the forbidden city. This is the main gate to the city, where you buy tickets. Not the two booths before it where you buy tickets to the preceding gates. If you like ornate throne rooms, this is your place. Unfortunately, there isn't much explanation of everyday palace life.

Yet another throne room in the forbidden city.

Another large attraction is the Summer Palace. It is very nicely landscaped and has a lot of neat artwork (besides throne rooms) like this dragon at the front entrance.

This is the temple of heaven, which I liked a lot. It manages to keep a solemn aura despite all the tourists swarming over it.