Day 5 – Is that a hackey sack in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?

I’m rather exhilarated as I write this.  I feel almost as though I am going on vacation all over again tomorrow!!  Is that because I just came back from a good run?  A run that I didn’t expect to fit in today?  Maaaybeee…….. More likely it’s that I am going on vacation all over again tomorrow.  I’m going to Shanghai tomorrow!! J

In some ways, today was a good day to prepare me to leave Beijing.  I don’t want to suggest I was disappointed with today – I am, after all, on vacation in Beijing! I just found today to be a little under-whelming in some ways, and I am really sick of the endless traffic jams in this sprawling, core-less city. 

Case in point: I’ve been confused by the apparent lack of nightlife in Beijing.  Not only around my hotel, but anywhere we’ve been – no bars, no clubs; not even karaoke!  As I had a few minutes this afternoon, I wandered into a Starbucks to take advantage of some free Wi-Fi, and looked up “Beijing night life” on Google.  Found it!  Multiple websites recommending I check out this one neighbourhood.  I looked on Google maps and saw this neighbourhood was 19km from my hotel.  That’s a hike, but cabs are pretty cheap here, and that’s what – a 20 minute cab ride?  Guess again, Matt.  With traffic, that’s an hour!!  Guess I won’t discover Beijing clubs on this trip.  Oh well, Shanghai is supposed to be the more fashionable city, right?

We got an early start this morning in order to fit in a Tai Chi lesson.  As lessons go….it was pretty poor.  With no introduction or explanation, the instructor led us through the series of 24(?) movements in a normal (or just her own…I’m not clear on that) Tai Chi routine.  Then Tony, our guide, showed us “fast Tai Chi”.  He seemed to be pretty good at it (and I’m glad he didn’t expect us to mimic him!), and then…that was it.  I don’t really feel that was much of a lesson.

The lesson was in the park surrounding the Temple of Heaven.  This temple is pretty spectacular!  The guidebooks tell you it was built in 1490…..though they neglect to highlight it was destroyed and rebuilt a few times…right up to 1751.  Following traditional Chinese mythology, the temple is round, representing the roundness of heaven.  The square, which represents the earth, is, well, square. (And I thought the Europeans were weird for thinking the earth is flat!) The interior of the temple is supported by 28 pillars – four representing the four seasons make up the innermost circle of supports.  The next circle consists of 12 pillars, representing the twelve months of the year.  Finally, the outermost circle of twelve pillars represents the 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac.  By the way, I’m a cock.  I guess some of you already know that…..

First glimpse of heaven!

White pedestal to represent the clouds upon which heaven sits.  Blue tiles and paint to represent the sky. Gold pinnacle because gold is the colour of the gods. Red walls because red is a good luck colour for the Chinese.  Intentionally or not, the pinnacle acts as a lightning rod.  Must be pretty spectacular to see the temple of heaven making such an obvious connection with the heavens like that!

Large pyres for burning offerings at the Temple of Heaven.

Back to the park within which sits the temple. (I feel like this is that rhyme – “The House that Jack Built”.)  We weren’t the only ones doing Tai Chi. In fact, the whole park seems to be a gathering place for people doing Tai Chi, badminton, and A LOT of hackey sack.  When I write “people”, I should write “retirees”…or to further emphasize my point: “old people”!  I have never seen so many people who look to be in their sixties or over playing hackey sack with a deftness that….I was going to write “I couldn’t muster”, but I have such poor hand-eye coordination, that’s insulting to them.  They were agile, in any case!  Perhaps a ball of rice is the secret to graceful aging?

After the temple, we were off to visit Pearl Outlet.  Another sales pitch.  I’m starting to feel this trip is a bit like one of those “free” trips to learn about timeshares.  At least this is the last of these. (By the way, one of my fellow travelers explained that he had heard the Chinese government offsets the operating expenses of tour companies that include these visits in their trips.  So it’s not the direct kick-back I surmised about yesterday, but close.)  To make things worse, we spent over 45 minutes driving through traffic to get there.  Anyway, this was another lucrative excursion for the store, though I happily refrained from contributing to it.  I was more excited about our next stop: “old Beijing”.

I was psyched!  This is one of the things I had wanted to see – the old alleyways, or “hutongs”, built hundreds of years ago, many of which have been demolished in the last twenty years.  The remaining enclaves have largely been protected, and as such have begun to gentrify.  I’m thinking on my next trip to Beijing, I may spend a night or two in one of the hotels right in the hutongs to get a real feel for them.  After more time in traffic, we were off and walking down a narrow street.  We were invited in to dine with a Chinese family in their house, and had traditional family cooking.  Best meal I’ve had on this trip! (That isn’t necessarily saying much, as the food has generally been disappointing so far, but this meal was legitimately great!) Roasted garlicky eggplant was my favourite, but the other dishes – ginger bamboo, crispy dough of some sort, even potatoes with chicken and garlic beans with some meat were all really tasty!  We ate in the courtyard, which is how the family would do it in nice weather – only retreating inside from rain or cold.  It was magical – we were right in the middle of a city of twenty million people, and yet it was quiet and peaceful, the air smelled cleaner, and – looking up – I gazed through vines on a trellis, and the branches of a tree that our retired hostess’ grandparents had planted when they first got the place.  I could even lose myself to the sounds of birds singing.

Despite the repeated question from one of my Aussie counterparts on this tour, these are NOT canaries!

The rickshaw tour of the hutongs afterward was not exactly as I envisioned it.  Hard to lose oneself to the intrigue of a rickshaw ride through the old city with the endless squeaking of the grimy bike pulling the rickshaw, and a very unhealthy looking man riding said bike. Still, I got what I was looking for – a view into the traditional Beijing lifestyle.  Very cool!

Vendors flock to wherever tourists go, so it was no surprise that we were once again accosted by street vendors selling Rolex watches, Gucci handbags, scarves, etc. It’s actually a little sad to see how hard they will work for the equivalent of $4. I’m not particular good at bargaining. (I would put it this way: I am very good when I don’t really care whether I get the product for which I am bargaining.  This allows me to walk away with full confidence at any time. I’m rather poor at bargaining when I want the product.  Invariably, it’s the cheap stuff that I don’t really care about, so I’m good when I can save a dollar, but not so good when I might have saved twenty.)  However, I know that it is a game.  It’s a game to the vendor to see how much they can get out of the seller, and so it should be a game to the seller to see how good the deal can get.  Which is precisely why I don’t understand one woman on my tour who seems legitimately (and loudly) offended that the prices keep changing through bargaining.  Perplexing.  She seems to be buying more than just about anyone else on the tour, so maybe she’s feeling a pinch in her wallet?

I joined this optional tour this afternoon for the lunch and hutongs.  Unfortunately, that meant I was stuck going to two flea markets with the crowd as well.  Prior to arriving, Tony warned us that the markets were rife with pickpockets, and reminded us that this is a knock-off market.  “They will tell you they have the iPhone 8!” (For my mother and any other Luddites reading this, the newest iPhone is the iPhone 5.) The flea markets occasioned about another 2 hours overall in the bus, in traffic.  Sigh.  Lots of people bought lots of “designer” stuff.  I went and got a 30-minute foot massage for $10, including a whopping 32% tip! (For the record, it was a REAL foot massage – no knock-offs there.) Then I had a Chinese tea in Starbucks. Not exactly the same as the tea ceremony yesterday.

Dinner tonight was a product of the grocery store near my hotel.  Riddle me this: I bought a package of cookies, which has an outer wrapping, an inner tray, and individual packaging for each cookie; likewise, the bag of cashews I bought included an inner tray, as I suppose the bag isn’t enough packaging for the nuts?  However, the meat counter is just hunks of fresh or frozen meat.  No packaging.  Nothing to prevent someone from touching one and then taking another.  Nothing to prevent the spoiling of one to impact the lifespan and safety of another. Nothing to prevent flies from landing on them…. I’ll trust that the people who are preparing the meat I’m eating these days are cooking it enough to keep it safe.

Which brings me full circle: I am back in my room now, and I will shortly start packing for departure tomorrow.  5am wake-up call!  Bullet train tomorrow!  Despite the name “bullet”, it still takes 5 hours to get to Shanghai.  Maybe these trains aren’t as fast as I thought?  Maybe China really is that big…

Oh, and a couple more amusing anecdotes from today:

1.  Are Canadians really the only culture that knows about the rest of the world?

One of the Aussie couples on this trip struck up conversation with me today, asking where I live.  I told them Toronto (Charles and Vincee from Montreal actually know Ajax, but for the rest, it’s “Toronto”).

Aussies: Oh!  We’ve been to Canada.  We loved it.

Me: Where did you go?

Aussies: We were on a tour that went all over.  and the Inner Passage.  Canada’s beautiful!

Me: Yeah…I don’t really know that area very well, but I’ve spent a bit of time in Vancouver and Whistler, and they certainly are beautiful.

Aussies: We went to Whistler too.  All over Canada! I love the mountains.  Our biggest mountains would just be hills compared to yours.

Me: Well, I guess our biggest desert would be nothing compared to the Outback.

Aussies: Right!  Think about it – over three quarters of Australia is desert, and Australia is bigger than Canada!

Me: Um……………….yeah….it’s a big desert…….

2. I’m not a doctor, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night!

Actually, I didn’t.  I stayed at the Hilton Doubletree again.  However, I learned why so many people wanted to know what I thought of the TCM session yesterday.  I’ve been asked many times on this trip what I do for a living.  Each time, I reply that I’m a project manager for the Ontario Medical Association.  People remember parts of it.  (We’re on a tour together, but that doesn’t mean we care about each other.  I stopped asking people’s names by day #2, and now I don’t have a clue what the names are of one of the couples with whom I chat the most. Seems awkward to ask for their names now…)  At lunch today, someone turned to me and said: “So you’re a doctor, eh?”  Um…no.  I work for doctors.  I’m not medical.  Most of the table seemed surprised. 

Day 4 – You’re not a great man until you've climbed the Great Wall!

At least, that’s what the Chinese say.  More accurately, that’s what my guide, Tony, claims the Chinese say.  As I didn't splurge on the bamboo plaque certifying that I am a great man for climbing the wall, you’ll have to take my word for it.  Besides, we all know the truth... I don’t need some plaque telling me I am great. ;)  It is INCREDIBLE!!!! (The Wall, not the plaque.) The Great Wall got my heart racing, and it wasn't just the stairs!

Lovers “lock up” their love to one another then throw the keys into the valley below.  Environmentally sound?  No.  Romantic?  Yes. J

At its peak, the length of the wall was over 10 000km.  Over 6000km remain today….so, Randy, your measly 42km doesn’t impress me!  In all seriousness, having tackled the portion I did today, I have new respect for the Great Wall marathon.  1600 rough hewn steps to climb the section where I was, some of which are so worn away by years (centuries) of feet and weather as to be rounded and even more treacherous.  At one point, to climb up a watch tower, I was literally using all fours to prevent myself from…..experiencing Chinese healthcare. (More on that later!)  The rugged mountain landscapes and the ancient stonework are awe inspiring, and I was giddy with excitement as we arrived today.  As soon as I knew the allotted time and meeting place – and tolerated a perfunctory group photo – I was bounding up the stairs!  Not really surprisingly, I was moving faster than anyone else in my tour (a broad spectrum ranging from retirees to young folks, some of whom are runners, but none of whom seem to have my affinity for running up hills!); I didn’t mind that I haven’t made particularly close friends in this group, and so didn’t feel compelled to wait for anyone.  As a result, I covered easily twice as much ground as the most adventurous of the rest of them, and saw some pretty incredible things along the way: ancient cannons, assorted buildings along the wall, and a “Chinese toilet”. (I did not take a photo of the latter.  To give you context, our guide explained that to use a Chinese toilet, you have to first watch a Chinese movie: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.  The “crouching” part is easy enough to imagine – it is a hole in the floor.  The hidden dragon?  Maybe that’s the putrid smell, or the smears of waste surrounding the hole….  I understood why our guide also explained that you don’t need eyes to find a Chinese public toilet.  Just follow your nose. Ugh!)

(Not a Chinese toilet)

(I actually climbed 1600 stairs twice – once from each side of the peak tower.)

(I didn’t actually climb these stairs – this was the view across the valley.  With more time, I could have followed the top of the wall to here and beyond.)

To the north of the Wall is Inner Mongolia.  That is, the Mongolia that is actually part of China today.  Consequently, the current wall divides China from…China.  Watch towers are built every 200m along the wall.  Back in the day, an archer could fire about 100m.  Coincidence?  I think not…

Looking out in either direction as I stood on the wall, I saw an endless expanse of mountains and forests.  I can’t imagine how bleak, hostile, and terrifying it would have been to be stationed at one of these forts, let alone “commuting” to one’s assigned tower on those steep stairs in heavy armour. (Which probably only felt heavy until the enemy came into view, at which point it wouldn’t feel robust enough!)

On the way down from the peak, I came upon a kindly retired Aussie on my tour who was ambling down the steep stairs.  At first I slowed just to chat – he is friendly, and I was impressed at a man his age tackling the full climb!  He had been to the wall some thirty years ago, and pointed out that the “endless forests” are planted in rows.  They weren’t there when he was last here. As we proceeded down, I started to realize I couldn’t in good faith leave Kevin and go on ahead…occasionally he’d stumble on a step (he always caught himself, but I was afraid he might not).  I did insist that “we” stop to catch “our” breath a couple of times.  Of course, I think he was getting a real kick out of the fact that halfway down, we were passing people less than half his age on their way up who were being defeated by the climb. J

I should clarify that we didn’t start the day with the Wall.  We started with a quick stop at the Beijing Olympic Park.  Oh, so cool!!

Um… “Mara hon”?

After Olympic Park we visited a jade factory.  While this was, in some ways, another shameless effort to encourage us to buy things (I’m inclined to think there is a kick-back arrangement with the tour company with all these stores), it was reasonably interesting.  I thoroughly enjoyed watching the carvers do their work…..without masks, gloves, glasses, or any apparent safety equipment!  Ignoring WSIB concerns…

…there were some incredible pieces, each carved from a single (yes, multicolour in some cases) hunk of stone. (The price tag on the boat, which was about 6 feet tall, converts to about $65 000 CDN.)

Did I mention that craftsman does this work 14 hours per day?  By the way, that’s a good segue for one of the many jokes our guide foisted upon us, when legitimately warning us about street vendors.  Lots of street vendors try to sell Rolex watches.  Tony explained that a $5 Rolex watch works for 5 days…and keeps 26 hours per day.  That’s why Chinese people are such hard workers – because the managers all have 26 hour per day Rolex watches!  Tony also told us that while a shirt from the stores will last a good long while, a shirt from a street vendor will last for three generations!!  First, you wear it.  Then you wash it, and it shrinks, so you give it to your child.  Then you wash it again, it shrinks again, and you give it to a baby.  Three generations!

After the Wall we stopped at the China Academy of Chinese Medicine.  Conceived by General Mao to serve the highest ranking Party officials, this academy retains the top status of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) training facilities in China.  I believe in TCM.  I think that western medicine has some major gaps and the holistic approach of TCM addresses health in a sensible and intelligent manner.  However, this little session did more to make TCM seem like – in the words of one of my fellow travelers – “a complete con”.  Five TCM physicians (with both MD training and 7 years in TCM training) circulated among the group of us for anyone who was interested in an assessment.  I was curious. (I recognize that communicating through an interpreter in a crowd of people is clearly going to impede the proper engagement, but a 20 second assessment and diagnosis doesn’t lend much credibility under any circumstances.)

TCM Doc: (Taking pulse of my left wrist à right wrist reveals other things) How old are you?

Me: 32

TCM Doc: Stick out your tongue. (I do, and he makes a face of disgust) Your body is having trouble detoxifying.  Do you ever have flatulence?

Me: Um…sometimes.

TCM Doc: Do you have trouble sleeping sometimes, and other times sleep comes easily?

Me: Um…yes…That’s a pretty open ended question.

TCM Doc: You have an imbalance between your liver and kidneys.  This can lead to cancer.  I suggest you focus on detoxifying your body and you will sleep better.

Me: How would I do that?

TCM Doc: I can give you medicine.

Me: What medicine?

TCM Doc: It’s all natural.  It’s ok.

Me: I’m not comfortable taking something if I don’t know what it is…

TCM Doc: I can write you a prescription?

Me: Um….no thank-you.

At which point the TCM Doc turned to my neighbor to ask if he wanted an assessment.  He declined.  I later learned that other folks amongst my group were paying around 450 USD for the medicine prescribed on the spot.  One fellow was asked for 3700 USD, and when he balked at that, the TCM Doc reduced the duration of the treatment (so it cost around 450 USD – the apparent going rate), but asked that his new patient email if he wants to continue.  All in all, though, it was still worth going.  I got a 40-minute Chinese reflexology session out of it! (Not as good as Mr. Yeung at Kelly’s, as my reflexologist was a bored-looking student, but still good.)

Finally, the famed Peking Duck for dinner!  It wasn’t great, but according to one of my tour-mates, it wasn’t very good Peking Duck. 

My day concluded with the usual excursion to Starbucks for internet access (it’s rather expensive in my room), where one of the Partners (I am currently reading How Starbucks Saved My Life, so I know the lingo) asked if I would come back often.  She wanted me to help her learn English.  Sadly, I explained I am leaving Beijing the day after tomorrow.  If I were staying here for the rest of my trip, I would have great fun teaching her English and learning some Chinese along the way!  The difference between being a pure tourist (waltzing through the key attractions and moving on) and actually staying in one place to soak up the culture….too bad. On that note, I am very much looking forward to the “real” (old) Beijing tomorrow!

P.S. On the bus back from the Great Wall, I pulled out a bottle of fruit juice, opened it up, and……..weird.  It didn’t taste bad, but there was certainly an unexpected flavor in there.  What could be so different about Chinese fruit juice?  As I couldn’t exactly read the ingredients, I peered at the images on the label: assorted berries, an apple….normal things in a dark red fruit juice. Sip……weird, there it is again!  Is that….tomato???? (Yes, that’s “to-mah-to”.)  So that isn’t an apple on the label.  I suppose it is a fruit.

P.P.S. Still on the bus near the Great Wall…. I recall some years ago, I laughed at a motorcyclist I saw somewhere in the U.S., riding on a highway without a helmet?  I found it so funny that I shared the photo.  Really, what could be more ridiculous?

Looks like the kid might be wearing a helmet, at least. 

Forbidden!

I suppose given how wiped I was by the time I went to bed last night, it’s no wonder that I decided against getting up at 6:15 this morning to run.  Right now, instead of going for a run, I’m confined to my hotel room while I wait for a tailor who will make me clothes in 2 days.  I know…first world problems.

Yesterday, one of the SNA (my tour company) staff – Tony – met us at the airport.  He explained the large group had been divided into four and, though he knew the other three tour guides, he didn’t know who my group’s guide would be.  He also recommended that we put passports in the in-room safes, as we would not need them.  This morning, as I waited in the lobby (after a quick visit to Starbucks to ensure it wasn’t something with the hotel internet that prevents me from accessing my blog….and it’s not, it appears to be China, as I get the same error when trying to access Facebook), one of the other SNA staff told me that Tony would be my group’s guide.  Oookaaay…….Not exactly building confidence in this tour company!  Thankfully, it all made sense when a second guide named Tony showed up….but then he explained he needed our passports….. I was none too pleased when I saw he was putting them in a plastic bag to take away……I was preparing to argue this, and asked him why he needed our passports. (I believe rule #1 in a foreign country is that you don’t give your passport away!)  His response?  “To get your ticket for the bullet train.”  We’re taking the bullet train to Shanghai??  Awesome!!!!  I was easily swayed, and handed over my passport with no qualms.

Because this is my first full day here, I’m so entranced by the exotic look of the Chinese characters on signs and buildings.  For all I know, this reads “tourists are gullible”, but I like the look of it:

Onward to Tiananmen Square! Tiananmen Square is so-named after Tiananmen Gate, which translates as “the gate of heavenly peace”.  Ironic, given the notoriety of Tiananmen…  The square is massive!  Commenting on the size of the square, my tour guide quipped: “Tiananmen used to hold 1.1 million Chinese.  Since KFC and McDonald’s have arrived, now it only holds 700 000…” Not unlike in Washington DC, Tiananmen Square provides the primary axis for General Mao’s mausoleum,

Congress (to the right – we witnessed a 20-shot salute to the Russian Prime Minister) and the people’s monument (to the left - dedicated to the Chinese who lost their lives in support of the PRC),

two minor gates to the city,

and, of course, Tiananmen Gate – the entrance to the Forbidden City!

 

Traditional Chinese theology believes that the highest god lives in a nine-tiered palace in heaven.  As the direct line from that god, the Chinese Emperor built his palace with nine gates.  The three aforementioned, and the remainder as part of the Forbidden City behind Tiananmen Gate.  Each gate is prefaced by an expansive courtyard; as the culture of the time was centered on being outside, most of the daily activities of the Forbidden City were in these courtyards.  Buildings were minimal, and even the Emperor’s residence (including space for his multitude of concubines) was startlingly sparse and spartan, when compared to palaces in Europe. (Versailles is younger than the Forbidden City, but while it makes good use of outdoor space, there is no comparison with respect to the interior.)  In Europe, Quebec, and elsewhere, large squares are full of cafes and vendors.  As the entire place is considered a museum, the Forbidden City is lacking in all of that.  Both peaceful, in the way it has preserved the place from being overrun, and yet seemingly empty. (I think the hawkers are trying to make up for this lack, based on the swarms of them just outside the gates.  Among those hawkers are beggars, too – many missing limbs, and some grotesquely mutilated from injury…)

I don’t know if this is traditional to Chinese architecture, but there’s a consistency throughout the Forbidden City buildings and walls: roofs and upper parts of the walls are very ornate, and yet the walls themselves are largely just a simple red (the colour associated with happiness).

The Emperor’s private garden is tucked in behind his residence – a beautiful and peaceful place.  Trees in this garden with green plaques are over 100 years old.  Trees with red plaques are over 200 years old.  There are a lot of plaques!

Finally, beyond the outer wall, there is a moat – 50m wide and 3m deep.  The excavated earth was piled on the far bank, and created a very large hill.  The last Emperor hanged himself on this hill.

The Forbidden City and Tiananmen Gate represent the PRC – its history of totalitarian rule under the emperors, and its evolution to……totalitarian rule?  Oh, sorry, now we call that Communism. ;)  As such, it continues to be a preferred location for political statements.  Numerous copper and iron vats filled with water were positioned throughout the Forbidden City in case of fire. (The buildings are all made of wood, in homage to the fact that, as living humans, we should live in buildings made of a living material such as wood rather than stone.) While these are no longer filled with water for fighting fires, there are security officers stationed with fire extinguishers just outside Tiananmen Gate.  Their chief concern isn’t random….apparently Tibetan monks have a habit of self-immolating right in front of the gate.  Perhaps that’s where some of the brutal injuries among the beggars outside the Forbidden City originate.

On a lighter note, you might be noticing an apparent haze in all of my photos.  No, my camera isn’t malfunctioning (or dirty), and no, it wasn’t a foggy day. That is pollution!! Every day in Beijing.  Sigh….this is how the sun looked around 3pm:

So I guess my camera probably is pretty dirty, actually!

We spent the afternoon visiting “the most famous silk factory in China..to experience the making of silk products…”  Actually, it was a store.  They provided a very detailed “tour” of how silk is produced, but they were most interested in getting us to buy silk products.  Um…….Not sure whether to say I got suckered, or I capitalized on a good bargain.  In any case, I bought some. The day concluded with a traditional tea ceremony (the final 10 minutes was also focused on sales…I bought some…).

Tiring day!  Probably tiring to read, too, as I look over how much I have written. 

Day 1-2 : That's a LONG trip!

Let's start with a little explanation here.  I did not update my blog during my trip.  Turns out that sticky Chinese internet control really does work, and I was unable to access my blog while I was there.  So...now it's 3 weeks later, and I'm finally getting around to it.  I don't know how I will ever forgive myself. :)

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It occurred to me as I walked back to my hotel after dinner tonight that I got up at 4:15am Sunday morning EST.  It’s now…around 9:30am on Monday morning, EST, and my only “sleep” has been a bit of napping on the plane.  No wonder I felt a little drunk as I walked to dinner!

That was a long trip!! 5 hours to Vancouver, a brief stopover, and then 11 hours from Vancouver to Beijing.  Can you guess what I was craving most when I finally got to my hotel??

Happily, the trip was pretty much uneventful.  I breezed through customs and security at Pearson. (I guess before 6am on a Sunday morning isn’t exactly prime time…though it looked as though the crowd closed in behind me.  Seems we know who is the big-time trend setter at YYZ!!)  The last couple of times I have flown, I have been singled out for random additional inspection; either testing for bomb residue, or searching my luggage (including both on one trip…).  In the same vein, security asked me today as I boarded for China whether I had announced to customs my intention to move more than $10 000.00 across the border.  I guess my look of confusion wasn’t clear, as when I replied no, the agent asked me whether I should.  I laughed and told him that I don’t earn enough to have those kinds of problems.

I settled into my seat for the flight to Beijing, and then the guy in the row behind me sat down.  He STANK of B.O.  An 11 hour flight and I felt like I was in a hockey bag…Not an auspicious start. Conveniently, a flight attendant came by and asked if my neighbor and I would mind switching with another couple.  Something about space in the overhead compartments….I didn’t question it as it moved me away from that odour.  The real story came from the guy sitting behind me in my new seat – I’ll call him guy #1 for sake of ease.  Apparently, guy #1 put his luggage in the overhead compartment.  The guy who switched with me (guy #2) then came along and started bashing the luggage that was already in there to try to fit his in.  G#1 said something along the lines of “Please sir, if you would be so kind, might you consider a lighter touch with the coveted belongings of others?” (recall that G#1 is my source for this story).  G#2 responded “I’m going to kick your ass as soon as we get off this plane.  Your wife is a freak, too.” (That response has been corroborated by other passengers.)  In any case, the crew wanted to separate those two guys.  Worked for me.  G#1 had no noticeable body odour.  Conveniently enough, G#1 and his very non-freakish wife are on the same tour as me.

When I was in Chicago last week-end, I spent one night in what was by far the nicest five-star hotel I’ve experienced – the Chicago Langham hotel. (Thank-you, Hotwire, that I don’t pay 5-star prices but still get to enjoy those luxuries.)  I spent the rest of my nights in Chicago in a Hilton Doubletree. (Also a very nice hotel for anyone looking for lodging in Chicago.)  Wouldn’t you know, the first hotel I saw today in Beijing?  The Langham!  We aren’t staying there…this tour isn’t quite that posh…but we are staying in the Hilton Doubletree! J  I even got my cookie upon check-in.

I got a good run in on the treadmill here (I’m rather pleased with myself that I managed that after all that travel), and then wandered the neighbourhood around my hotel, as I am inclined to do in strange cities. (If I were not so sleep-deprived, I’d still be out wandering!)  I don’t know how close we are to the core of downtown, but so far it’s not exactly what I expected.  Lots of beautiful parks and green spaces on the outskirts of the city, and a surprising lack of congestion in and around this neighbourhood.  Don’t get me wrong – lots of people (and I was out starting around 8pm on a Monday night…not exactly rush-hour commute), but not the dense humanity I was expecting. Strangely, if I ignore the characters on a lot of the signs, there’s a very familiar feeling here.  I suppose that’s partly because my hotel looks out on a row consisting of McDonald’s, KFC, and Pizza Hut.  Sigh…. At least my room is on the back side of the hotel – a nice view:

Dinner tonight was just the way I wanted it: I was the only person in the whole restaurant who spoke English! On the down side, this meant I ordered way too much food, and I didn’t really like half of it.  The spicy ginger garlic tofu was very tasty, until the chilies had me begging for mercy.  Good thing to note, my waitress tried to refuse my tip, looking very stern at me when I refused to take it back.  Given that my entire meal including tip cost less than $20, I wasn’t backing down.  Her manager or someone spoke up as we were debating who would keep the 20 yuan (100 yuan = <$20, including the service fee where I changed my money), and then the waitress laughed and thanked me. She had already laughed at me several time as I ordered…she probably thinks I’m a bit odd, to say the least….

I also came upon……it’s hard to describe.  Picture 150 older folks doing really low-energy line dancing in a public square.  That sort of sums it up… If there was someone leading the group, I couldn’t spot her/him, yet they were all doing the same routine and moving in concert.  As I am told, Chinese people tend not to smile in public, so that explains why most of the dancers looked to be pretty unimpressed with what they were doing.  As my guide explained later, this is aerobics for seniors, though he assured me “it’s also to have fun!”  Weird.

Tomorrow I am going to the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square!  The camera is charging as I type.