Asia Trip: Days 3 & 4

12/07/08
We woke up shortly after nine and left the hotel an hour later ready to conquer the Forbidden City and the Temple of Heaven. As our hotel was nearby, the walk to Tiananmen Square took little time and Beijing looked very appealing as we walked through a park in the sunshine. Lots of locals were sitting on benches chatting. It was very different to dull, humid atmosphere of the previous day.

The square was packed with people, most piling into the Forbidden City through its large 'Gate of Heavenly Peace'. But as soon as we paid 60 Yuan after going through the Duan Gate we left much of the crowd behind.

We spent a good few hours meandering through the ancient courtyards and passageways of the Imperial Palace, getting the odd glimpse of what the interiors would have been like. It was all very impressive but it was around midday, the sun was at it hottest and we were feeling it.

Our route through the palace ended in the Imperial Garden where we got drinks and sat in the shade to cool off. It would have been a very tranquil place in the days of the emperors, mainly because there would've been no tourists ambling around it!

Seeing the main pavilion of Jingshan Park in the top of a hill to the north we left the Forbidden City (though we could have spend several more hours exploring the maze of buildings and courtyards inside its walls.) Jingshan Park was an ideal place to rest in as there was plenty of leafy shade. I was glad to leave the majority of people behind as it made the park even more peaceful, and there were mainly local people playing cards. Climbing up the steps to the pavilions was hot work but it was well worth it. The panoramic views of the city were great.

It was late afternoon by the time we were leaving the park and we realised that the Temple of Heaven would have to wait til another day. Walking along the road outside Jingshan we hoped we come across a rickshaw driver as we had earlier in the afternoon. Finally one approached us and offered us a tour of the hutong (old style back streets) and after a bit of bartering we were trundling through the small alleyways.

The driver told us a few things about the hutong in heavy-accented English and at one point we were offered some tea at a locals' home. We took it as a friendly gesture and assumed it was included in the price of the tour so we accepted, at least because it would be an interesting experience. After being directed into a room we sat down and were presented with a pot of tea and some kind of seeds to eat. The tea was fine but the seeds were like chewing splinters! Tasty! Leaving the room we were shown a sign saying we had to pay 20 Yuan each. It being a small amount we paid and got back on the rickshaw, though the occupants of the house had not been been very welcoming, or paid us much attention at all. Oh well, we tried it.

A short while later, the rickety ride came to a halt by a main road signifying the end of the tour. Paying 140 Yuan and walking down the road we felt quite ripped off, we would have been better doing it by ourselves on bikes!

Returning to the hotel in a taxi we chilled out for a while before heading off to Beijing Xijian(Beijing West Station) to get train tickets to Xi'an after the hotel's tour company had been unsucessful. At the station we joined the "English speaking counter" and after all the Chinese people in front of us were done we managed to get a couple of tickets. The trains for the 14th and 15th were both fully booked so we had to get tickets for one on the 16th instead, not minding too much as it gave us an extra couple of days to explore Beijing.

That night we had planned to eat at either one of the only vegetarian restaurants, or a well known Peking duck place but after some confusion we discovered that the road they were both on (Qianmen) was closed. We went to the first restaurant we saw, which happened to be Japanese and ate very cheaply.

The walk back to the hotel was slightly longer than desired due to missing a turning and when we got in we arranged a couple of things at reception, checked our emails and went to bed - pretty tired from the day's walking in the heat.


13/07/08
We had rearranged our Great Wall tour the previous night so we could visit the art and craft/flea market Panjiayuan this morning, as it is best visited at the weekends. We caught a taxi there and started wandering along the rows of stalls sussing out what was there. It was a big place with lots of vendors; selling everything from fake watches to Tibetan chests. The majority of the things looked old (a lot probably faked to look so) and the range was staggering. Lots of tourists were making their way about, hunting for treasures whilst a lot of the stallholders looked quite bored in the heat.

Bartering was to be expected but we both struggled a bit as some vendors seemed to start their prices a great deal higher than others; it's hard to barter for something that you expect to be 50 Yuan when the guy quotes 600!


We spent several hours looking around and seeking the best prices, coming away with a variety of items. In hindsight we paid far too much for some things but we have learnt from the experience! In reality I only spent about 30 quid with lunch so its not like it was a ridiculous amount anyway! I look forward to more markets, especially in Tibet and Kathmandu.

Hailing a cab at around 3 I saw a terracotta warrior on the back of a cart as we headed for the Temple of Heaven. Arriving only to realise we were severly low on cash and after paying the park entrance fee (15 Yuan) we could not access the temple without a further 20 Yuan. We wandered through the park around the outside of the temple walls and then got a taxi back to Days Inn (with some difficulty.)

Lunch had been quite substantial so neither of us were particulary hungry so we decided to stay in the hotel rather than going out again. After watching Gladiator I couldn't resist the urge for some night photography and headed out to get some pictures of the local area.

On my way to Tian'anmen Square 3 girls called me over and started asking the basic questions, "where you from?" etc. They invited me for a drink and, after some thought, I cautiously followed. They pointed out a tea shop just round the corner and we were guided into a small room with a large table and lots of chairs. A couple of Tsingtao beers were ordered and some Sprite. I had a beer while they mixed the other the can with the Sprite, telling me they would get drunk easily on straight beer. Whilst we were chatting (about very little) the waitress brought in two plates of snacks with watermelon and some weird crisps, and poured us all green tea. As we started on the tea I learnt that they were recently graduated students ftom Xi'an University and were in Beijing to volunteer at the Olympics. Most of the time was spent by them asking me various questions about my family and English life. Their English was good and they were amusing company.

Various glances at the menu on the wall got me quite worried as the tea kept being poured. Some things (written in Chinese) seemed quite expensive. At around 10 I insisted I should be getting back to the hotel, giving the excuse that I wouldn't be able to get in to the room much later as I didn't have a key. The bill was called for and as they explained what each of the things on it were they also, to my relief, agreed to split it - it was over 700 Yuan!!
The pot of team that seemed to refill itself, had cost a small fortune (in China) of 360 Yuan. Apparently it was very good tea! Hmmm...

Ending up paying just under half of the bill i said goodbye and took a shortcut back to Days Inn through a hutong. I had quite clearly been ripped off but it seemed like the whole experience was more for their entertainment and curiosity more than anything. I could well have declined from the start but I believe it was an opportunity worth taking.
My wallet significantly lighter and back at the hotel I told Fran about my random evening which she found quite amusing. All in all the day was interesting, though i shouldn't have spent quite as much money!