Sun 29/06/08 23:22
I had a little bit of a problem sleeping last night so as a result I didn’t get up until about 9. Getting up late kind of puts a rush on everything else that I had planned, but at least I didn’t wake up later. I started at the Oriental Plaza. It’s about a 30 minute walk to get there, and I was there yesterday so I didn’t get lost… which probably would have made it about an hour walk like it did yesterday. The best way to describe the Oriental Plaza is it is a mix between Piccadilly Circus and Times Square. Since I wrote that I realize that that may not be the best example… probably the best way to describe it, is that it’s a gathering place. There are shops everywhere and thousands of people just milling around. Large screens show news and advertisements, and off to one side there is what can best be described as an old style market selling food and souvenirs. When I was there yesterday I must have walked right past it because I didn’t have a clue it was there. Anyway, I walked in and just like yesterday, I hear “hello.” If you remember I got the feeling that it was something like a test word to see if you speak English. It must be the case. It was so much fun though, the vendors get really aggressive, they will grab your arm and not let you go. For the most part it wasn’t that difficult to break some of their holds, but there was this one girl that had my arm in a death grip… I was trying to break free and I looked up and there were about five people all watching. I guess since I was a non-Asian it allows them a little more leeway than they would have for others, at least the surprise on the people’s faces that were watching would suggest that. Like I said though it was a lot of fun.
After the Oriental Plaza I headed to Tiananmen Square.
The best way to explain what Tiananmen Square to anyone not familiar with it, it is probably best known as the place where the lone student defied military tanks back in the late eighties. I remember watching the events unfold and always wanted to see what it was like. First some history about why it was built, according to what I’ve read Chairman Mao wanted someplace where he could address up to 1 million people, so he had the square built.
When I got there it was packed with people, nowhere close to a million people, but lots nevertheless. At the head of the square is an old gate to the city. The gate is very large… I’ll add pics when I can. Then comes the square, flanked on both sides by political buildings, the Communist Party building and the cultural center. These buildings the best I can figure out are similar to our Congress, very large and regal. With the constant haze that is in Beijing, it makes everything look like it’s further into the distance (atmospheric perspective) making it look like they are larger than they are. It’s almost like looking at mountains in the distance even though the buildings are really no more than a few hundred yards away. Finally at the far end is the tomb of Mao Cedong, and if you go even further The Forbidden City is next.
Tomorrow I change hotels in preparation for joining the tour to Mongolia. Before we leave though we go to the Great Wall.
A little side note though. I was just walking around and ran into a guy from Norway who was lost. I kind of felt for him since just yesterday I was in the same boat… now that I’m a seasoned Beijing-ite I can take pity on people that were in the same place as I was. Anyway, he was telling me that a friend of his had basically the same thing as I did with the tea incident. I guess it’s a lure to get you into a tea house that charges over $100 per cup of tea. Don’t know if it’s true, but maybe I dodged a big one yesterday.
