Sara's travelogue Beijing (cont)

Sara's travelogue Beijing (cont)
Mar 22, 2006 04:04
NIHAOCHINA Points: Join Date: Mar 30, 2004 Status: offline	Leaving today for Xi'an, just spending some time at the hostel before I head to the airport. I still don't understand why my bag is so full when I think about all the stuff I bought out with me - though Dad did pack the bag so more was forced in than what I could have done. Today I threw out my hairdrier (god knows why I bought it I haven't used it) and my Lonely Planet book - minus the sections I need and it's still so full. Been less hectic since last time I emailed, I slowed down a bit and stopped try to do so much in a day as there was no need because I was here for so long. Went to Lama Temple and the Confucian Temple and Imperial College one day, it was quite nice, but I'm a bit templed-out. The next day I went to see Mao, which I rated quite highly. I don't agree with a lot of what he did but what he did was so large scale it was pretty impressive. Anyway, he's looking good for someone who has been dead for 30 years. Unfortuneatly you can't get very close to him and have a really good look, and he looked a little orange due to some bad lighting. Then I went to the Natural History Museum, which was very weird. Lots of pictures of naked westerners from the 70's, women with Farrah Fawcett hair and men with handle-bar moustaches. The day after that was my big walk to the wall. I walked from Jinshanling to Simatai, it's about 10km and took us 4 1/2 hours, you pass 28 towers. The wall and towers are falling down in parts. It was absolutly amazing , the best thing I've done so far. The first third was ok because you just started and your walking up to the wall along a valley, the second third nearly killed me as it was the highest part and the steepest - about a 70 degree incline on steeps that were falling apart (or not even there). It also started to snow at this stage. Then the last third was pretty much down hill. I took over 50 photos. The next day I didn't plan to do much as I didn't think I'd be able to move, but I was actually fine so I went to Tiananmen Square again to take photos because it was really sunny and then went to the main Museum. On Sunday I was going to go to a big weekend market but then discovered part way there how far away it actually was, so I found a cafe and had lunch, then went for a walk instead. On Monday I headed off to the Pearl Market, and within a minute I see Heidi with her mum and sister! So we spent a few hours shopping in the market, then had lunch and went to the Temple of Heaven together, took lots of photos with Heidi and Glen. Yesterday I went to Liulichang, which is an area which sells 'antiques' I bought a few small picutes of old Chinese cigarette ads, which were RMB$2 each. Then at night I went to a food market and tried slik worm on a stick - it doesn't taste good!! They look like brown huhu grubs, I little crunchy on the outside and mushy in the middle (sorry Linda). I ate 2 and threw the rest away.

Mar 22, 2006 04:04

NIHAOCHINA
Points:
Join Date: Mar 30, 2004
Status: offline

Leaving today for Xi'an, just spending some time at the hostel before I head to the airport. I still don't understand why my bag is so full when I think about all the stuff I bought out with me - though Dad did pack the bag so more was forced in than what I could have done. Today I threw out my hairdrier (god knows why I bought it I haven't used it) and my Lonely Planet book - minus the sections I need and it's still so full.

Been less hectic since last time I emailed, I slowed down a bit and stopped try to do so much in a day as there was no need because I was here for so long.

Went to Lama Temple and the Confucian Temple and Imperial College one day, it was quite nice, but I'm a bit templed-out.

The next day I went to see Mao, which I rated quite highly. I don't agree with a lot of what he did but what he did was so large scale it was pretty impressive. Anyway, he's looking good for someone who has been dead for 30 years. Unfortuneatly you can't get very close to him and have a really good look, and he looked a little orange due to some bad lighting. Then I went to the Natural History Museum, which was very weird. Lots of pictures of naked westerners from the 70's, women with Farrah Fawcett hair and men with handle-bar moustaches.

The day after that was my big walk to the wall. I walked from Jinshanling to Simatai, it's about 10km and took us 4 1/2 hours, you pass 28 towers. The wall and towers are falling down in parts. It was absolutly amazing , the best thing I've done so far. The first third was ok because you just started and your walking up to the wall along a valley, the second third nearly killed me as it was the highest part and the steepest - about a 70 degree incline on steeps that were falling apart (or not even there). It also started to snow at this stage. Then the last third was pretty much down hill. I took over 50 photos.

The next day I didn't plan to do much as I didn't think I'd be able to move, but I was actually fine so I went to Tiananmen Square again to take photos because it was really sunny and then went to the main Museum.

On Sunday I was going to go to a big weekend market but then discovered part way there how far away it actually was, so I found a cafe and had lunch, then went for a walk instead.

On Monday I headed off to the Pearl Market, and within a minute I see Heidi with her mum and sister! So we spent a few hours shopping in the market, then had lunch and went to the Temple of Heaven together, took lots of photos with Heidi and Glen.

Yesterday I went to Liulichang, which is an area which sells 'antiques' I bought a few small picutes of old Chinese cigarette ads, which were RMB$2 each. Then at night I went to a food market and tried slik worm on a stick - it doesn't taste good!! They look like brown huhu grubs, I little crunchy on the outside and mushy in the middle (sorry Linda). I ate 2 and threw the rest away.

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