Beijing - Over and Out

Day 3 in Beijing began as the others, breakfast down in the lobby buffet. In other words; we had flashbacks to the Chateau Regency days, meaning that it was not really all that good. The coffee was okay and the food was okay but it wasn’t super. All things considered, it wasn’t very good and more was expected from us at a Marriott property but it’s a lesson learned. Today we had planned on heading “downtown” to the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. After our day adventure to the Great Wall, we figured this was the next item to check off of the list of things to see or do in Beijing. I have to note that many combine trips to the Great Wall in with a visit to the Summer Palace and other areas but we didn’t go that route. For us it was all about the Great Wall and for us, it was the right choice. We could’ve busted our butts to see everything but we wouldn’t have enjoyed anything so we decided to just see what we could see and spend the time to enjoy it as opposed to rushing through everything and seeing glimpses of things (like the company outing, it was good but we missed out on a lot).

Today we decided to take the Subway system rather than go the taxi route again. Getting to the Subway took only about 10 minutes and it wasn’t too difficult to figure out how to get the tokens to get a ride. It was 2 RMB for a ticket to go anywhere in the city that the Subway stops so it was extremely cheap to ride. We were about to find out the downside to cheap transportation. We were one of the last stops on the line and had to go only one stop to change trains, how bad could it be right?!?! The first train came up and it was jam packed, and I mean packed! There was no room to get on the train so we stood and figured the next train would be better (how could it be worse) but we were completely wrong. We had decided we were getting on the next train so when it pulled up and was packed again, we were stunned but split into teams and hopped on the train, two at one door and two at the other. We were barely able to step on and get in enough to clear the doors when they closed but we made it. Then it was a mad rush to the connection train. This was the first stop on the line so the train came up empty and the dash was on to get a spot. It was a lot of scrambling to get on to the train, a lot of dashing and bumping but we made it on and were able to secure a spot for the 5 stops to the Forbidden City. The train was jam packed but it continued to make stops and pick up more people. When you thought there wasn’t any space, they found more space. We were squeezed like tuna in a can (where was Charlie?). We survived but anyone with a claustrophobic bone in their body would’ve had a real problem with the Subway. It was almost laughable how many people were on the train and how the numbers continued to increase no matter how little room remained on the train. It was a day that made you thankful for deodorant (at least for those that know how to use it). It was a different way to get where we were going and took less time than a taxi ride so we sucked it up and just made sure to get off at the right stop, Tiananmen Square.

We got up to the street and there, we could see the entrance to the Forbidden City with the large Mao painting hanging straight ahead. Unfortunately, Tiananmen Square was across the 16 lanes of traffic to our left so we saw it from across the road and that’s as close as we were going to get. We could’ve played Frogger and tried to make it across but I don’t think we stood a chance (like Frogger with a broken leg, plus there was a fence blocking our way). So we headed to the Forbidden City and tried to figure out exactly where the entrance was. We knew that Mao’s tomb was nearby so we were confused as to which way to go, where to buy tickets, etc. Tammy spotted two Westerners and went over to ask which direction we should go (of course, her kids stands to the side and say “Mom talks to everyone”). They indicated that we should follow all of the Lemmings under the portrait of Mao and go into the Forbidden City. So off we went into the masses of people and headed into the area to find the tickets to get into the Forbidden City.

Again, no signs or anything to indicate where to go or how to get the tickets so we stop at one of the first ticket people and get into line to get tickets. Once we had the tickets, it was on to another section/area to go into the Forbidden City. After standing in line and moving towards the entrance, we found out we had the wrong ticket (very nice!). So we had to head out of the line (the walk of shame) and get into another line to buy tickets (the right ones we hoped). So after another 20 minutes, we had the right ticket and were able to get through the line again and into the Forbidden City.

Did I mention it was crowded, if not I will say it again, it was crowded. There were a lot of people milling about, tour groups, etc. all around this area. We weren’t in Suzhou anymore. The people in Beijing seemed to us to be a lot ruder than the other Chinese we had met in other areas of China. They would bump you without a second thought, push, shove and just plain be rude in just about every way possible. Whether it was just the local Beijing residents or the Chinese tourists it was tough to tell but either way, you never got the warm, friendly feeling from anyone. It was a test of patience to try not to just lean back and give them a friendly American shove to let them know you have had enough but we sucked it up. Perhaps it would be no different if we went to a big city in the US like New York City or LA but it seemed very strange to us because we were accustomed to some differences in mannerisms between the Chinese and Westerners but this was a different ball game.

Once inside the massive gates to the Forbidden City, we took a sharp right turn to avoid the center walkway through the city to keep away from the crowds as much as possible. It was very strange to think that we were walking on stones from the times of the Emperors of China where the “common people” weren’t allowed to walk for many generations. It was massive inside the walls of the city, once inside you felt disconnected from Beijing (you were basically in the center of one of the largest cities in the world). The layout of the FC was very spread out and it was difficult to know where to go or what you wanted to see. There was the section where the Emperor’s concubines lived and only the eunuchs could go. Any man passing through the gates would be killed by the guards (but if the guards were men, how were they allowed to be inside the walls?). There was the Emperor’s private area, the area for the Empress, etc. It was interesting to see the various parts of this city (and how big each area was) within a city but to be honest; it wasn’t really as powerful to us as we were expecting. Yes, it held a lot of the history of China and there was a lot to see but after about half of the Forbidden City (FC), we were ready to move on. It began to be too much, a lot of the buildings begun to look the same and you weren’t allowed into many of the different halls so you could walk around and look into the hall from the outside but that was all. That was a shame but I understood why this was done. If you opened the halls there would be many that would feel “obligated” to sit on the chairs or on the thrones to get a photo taken like they were the Emperor or whatever. We saw some of these areas but didn’t really feel like being entangled in the masses trying to take a peek into the halls and being pushed around while trying to take a photo. We stayed further away and took our photos from a distance. Although this wasn’t really the peak season to visit Beijing, I’m sure the crowds were about the same throughout the year. There were a lot of interesting things to see but it seemed there was always that disconnect. There were also many other areas within the FC that are recommended to see but some required you to pay more to see those areas. Sorry folks, you already took my money for a ticket to see something (I still don’t know what) that I didn’t see and you aren’t getting any more from me. Although these areas may have been huge draws, we decided against paying more to see them. Perhaps it was the crowds as well. It was kind of stressful to get to the FC on the subway and then the added tension added when trying to find the right ticket area and we were a little burned out by the time we actually got into the FC. So for us at this time, it just wasn’t all we were expecting and somehow it was a letdown. If you have the opportunity to see the FC, I would definitely say go but perhaps go with a local guide; that might provide more insight into the area which would give a better feel. Plus, it takes away some of the stress of figuring out where to go and what to buy. We understand the history of this city and the attraction but we came and we saw and we were ready to move on. There was a nice garden in the back that under normal circumstances would be a place where you would catch your breath and perhaps regain the energy to look further but it was just as crowded as anywhere else and it didn’t have the calming effect for us so we were very happy to see the exit sign and head out of the FC. Sorry, this probably sounds extremely foolish or arrogant but as much as we wanted to enjoy the walk through the FC, we didn’t think it was all that and a bag of chips. For us, the Great Wall was more powerful. It’s one man’s opinion (but it’s my blog and therefore it’s my opinion that matters).

After we headed out, we pointed ourselves in the direction of Beihai Park. This is one of the largest gardens in China. The park was designed in part to showcase different garden structures that can be found in different regions of China. The park was a little outside of the crowds and therefore was much more relaxing and just better for us. We were tired after the walk on the wall the day before and all of the stress involved in getting to the FC and then walking through so we didn’t spend as much time here as we might otherwise. It wasn’t too long of a walk from the FC to the park and along the way you passed by one of the Hutongs. The Hutongs have become transformed from basically a “low rent district” (kind of harsh but that is what it would be back home) to a fashionable thing where you can still get a sense of what it was like to live in Beijing before the decision was made to open the borders of China to the outside world. Many of the Hutongs were demolished and still many more are on the block to be demolished as the city continues to modernize. This isn’t unique to Beijing; Shanghai is doing the same thing as they transform the city. Some Hutongs will remain but only a few and those few will be there as historical “relics”. Anyhow, inside of the park there was some kind of celebration happening in here because they had a bunch of people in costume dancing. They continued to dance and dance as the locals watched. They were dressed in what I would say were more Western China costumes and seemed to have a good time. We watched for several minutes and then moved around more to see more of the park. It had already been a long day and we were done after about an hour and turned to head out of the park. This is another one of the Top 10 sites to see in Beijing so we experienced some of it but didn’t see it all. I am certain that in the Spring/Summer, this park would be a very beautiful place. In November, a lot more brown and less greenery. This was more relaxing but we wanted to head back to the hotel to catch our breath before dinner.

We decided to forgo the Beijing Duck and just go somewhere to eat where we could get a decent meal. We went to The Blue Frog at The Villages to get something to eat. The Villages is another Western area for shopping and eating and contains one of the few Apple stores in Beijing. We’ve eaten at The Blue Frog in Shanghai and since we knew the menu, it wouldn’t be a problem to eat here in Beijing. The broken record comment of the day, traffic sucked!!!! We left early to avoid the traffic but we ran headlong into it again. The taxi driver tried to take a back way to get to the area but we got to the road and needed to take a left but traffic just wasn’t moving. Seriously, we waited for a long time and the traffic didn’t move so he gave us the motion that he was turning around to go another way and we agreed. We got on to the highway and were moving well until….BAM! Dead stop. We were near the front of the stopped traffic so we could see there was nothing ahead of us but there were cops stopping traffic. Why? Well, we’ve seen it in Suzhou so we knew that a local politician would be driving by soon and they held traffic for this important person to have free access to get where they were going. It seems very strange in a country where everyone is “equal” that the politicians would get special treatment but it’s no different than home. There are different rules depending on who you are (so there are classes everywhere like it or not). The taxi driver was frustrated but seemed to take it in stride. The funny thing we saw was a woman walking up through the traffic to get to the front. You could see her passing by and the driver started to laugh (and so did we). She got up to the policeman and started to give him what for and he simply waved his hand at her indicating to get back to her car. She tried to give him more grief but he never even looked at her and gave her the wave. We could only imagine that she was giving him the “Do you know who I am?” and he didn’t care. He had a job to do and was going to do it. We laughed some more and within 4 minutes traffic was moving again. The driver did what he could to get us around. He also talked to us and asked where we were from and how long we were in China, etc. He was the only driver to speak with us at all. He actually thought I was French because of my hat (I assume, can you imagine that French. Not only are the French insulted, I was insulted so no one was happy). Anyhow, we got to The Village after about 1 hour and had some dinner. They had a nice area outside to pick up a taxi to get back and we hopped in the line and were able to get a cab quickly to go home. Finally, a system worked and we were ready to go back, pack and get back to friendly Suzhou.

The next morning, we packed, checked out and made it to the airport with plenty of time to get on our flight back home. We enjoyed Beijing in some respects but the traffic and how rude the people were really soured the experience for us. The Great Wall was absolutely fantastic and was well worth all of the aggravation. If we went back to Beijing again, we would want to go to another section of the wall and continue that journey. We don’t know that new will have the opportunity to go back but we are happy that we took the time just to see a glimpse of what Beijing has to offer.