Day 3 in Beijing: The Great Wall

We hit the wall

Today is the Big Day when we climb the Great Wall of China.  Everyone knows about it, but only a few can say they've been! Our driver takes us to Jinshanling, which is about 2 hours drive and not the closest point of access from Beijing, but it does the job because we shake off the crowds.  I hadn't really thought it through, but obviously the wall is built on top of large hills and mountains in order to offer the best vantage point as a border control.  It is possible (for young fit people, and Louise) to walk up to the wall from ground level, but we decide to take the easier and more entertaining option of the cable car, which is just perfect for Poshpackers.  Even in the early morning the cable cars are like saunas and then it is a strenuous scramble to finally get on the wall.    Everything about China comes in large improbabilities and the wall is perhaps the finest example: it is 5000 miles long, bits of it were built as early as 7th century BC, the day we climbed it the temperature was 34°C, the woman selling postcards from one of the turrets popped home for lunch (without using the cable car).  'Our' part of the wall was built to keep the Mongols out of China and even though it is beautifully maintained, the steps are steep and uneven.  I manage 2 turrets before stopping to admire the view and watch the others snake off into the distance.  Alone on the Great Wall,  I'm inspired to do a selfie!  I sit in the shade of a turret beneath an opening through which a gentle breeze helps to cool me down.  I contemplate where I am, feel uplifted by the wonders that mankind have produced and elated to experience this particular one.    

Back in Beijing, Sean drops us at a restaurant that specialises in Peking Duck.  Surely it must be authentic as we are only Westerners in the restaurant.  We are invited to see rows of ducks roasting over the open coal-fired ovens in the kitchen.  The chef, in full whites, comes to carve at the table: skin, meat and ducks head which is ceremoniously presented to Rich and Ian, and they respectfully eat.  Using my chopsticks I place breast meat, hoisin sauce and cucumber into a pancake, wrap it up and transfer to my mouth without dropping it all in my lap.  Delicious.

Sadly, we then have a crisis.  No flipping taxi will take us back to the Hutongs and we end up walking.  It's still very hot, the pavements are uber crowded and it takes 2 hours 10 minutes.  Thank the lord for Louise's map and Richard's gentle encouragement, because I am shattered and can do no more than put one foot in front of the other.  I guess adventure holidays have their ups and downs (and swollen ankles). 

Wonder Wall

International explorers Ian and Richard

Louise treks off into the distance

Not a bad selfie?

         




My wall moment
 

Mmm Ducks head - crispy and creamy

Peking Duck done properly

Day 2 in Beijing: Ian is lost in the Hutongs

Ian's favourite pose - he loves it

I slept like a baby, which is useful because the schedule today looks full-on.  Our guide (Sean, real name Shaolin, but all our guides chose a Western name) is picking us up from the hotel and we are ready early.  Eager beavers.  Ian decides to take his camera for a short stroll around the block but 30 minutes later he is nowhere to be seen.  Horrors! The traffic is diabolical and doesn't stop for pedestrians - suppose he has been knocked down.  Does kidnapping happen in China, as it does in South America?  Louise goes off in one direction and Richard in the other, searching the maze of narrow alleyways.  I go upstairs to try calling him on my phone.  Richard catches sight of him anxious and sweating and the panic is over.  Once we have calmed down we think it's rather 'poshpacking' to have lost Ian in the Hutongs.

Dancing in the park

Tai-Chi (with sword)

Tea Ceremony

First stop is the Temple of Heaven, set in a large park and originally for the exclusive use of the Emperor, of course, but now open to the public and free for senior citizens.  Our stroll through the pretty park was my highlight of the day because it is a beautiful morning and I can see the local people enjoying communal exercise such as dancing and Tai-chi. At the end of our stroll is the temple itself, which is splendidly Chinese, but the temperature is rising and I'm more impressed by the air-conditioned Qing Shan Ju Tea House.  We are offered a selection of teas to taste and I buy some Oolong to take home and hope for all the promised health benefits.  Back in the car and we are taken to a pleasant restaurant for lunch but once again the menu is difficult to fathom, even with Sean's help.  I try to order chicken and noodles but he is perplexed. Why?  I end up with pepper beef and rice, which is fine.  The meal for 4, with drinks, is £9.  
After lunch we 'did' Tiananmen Square (think massive, then double the size) and the Forbidden City (closed to the world for 500 years, and Louise's favourite of the day).  Unfortunately once again I am struggling with the heat, my arthritic hip and the crowds of people, so I can't concentrate on the wonders before me and ridiculously pleased to see our minibus.  Sean now recommends a show, and sells it to us on the grounds that it is choreographed by the guy who did the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic games.  Its a winner and turns out to be the men's favourite item of the day.  What an amazing spectacle: part ballet, part gymnastics, part theatre - the costumes were stunning, the set included hats with live peacocks and a full flood with real water.  Don't ask me how, I've never seen the like.  For pure visual impact, I guess it could be compared to the Lion King.  There is a wonderful bit with trampolines and another with a bendy girl that you just can't take your eyes off.  A feast for the eyes.  Back at the hotel (taking 1.5 hours - Beijing traffic is truly awful), we watch the Shadow Puppets.  So sweet.  Dinner is wine and peanuts. Flop into bed.     



Day 1 in Beijing: Shadow Art

I get a kick just writing that 'I am in Beijing'.  First impressions: it's big, busy and greener that I imagined. Our guide tells me that they have been planting lots of trees to counteract the sandstorms from the Gobi desert.  Beijing has a population of 19.6 million, compared to about 8 million for Greater London, so if you imagine the streets of London packed out with nearly 2 and a half times more people, you begin to get something of the crowded feeling.  Our first hotel is a gem in the Hutong district, not really part of the tourist area but oozing the charms of old China.  The streets are so narrow that our driver only just manages to get the minibus to the hotel doors, and it's easy to see that real life is going on around us.  Open front doors (like we used to have in the olden days), allow us to peak into the tiny homes.  Washing, bikes, and all sorts of personal possessions are piled high in the road, like virtual sheds.  Much of the people's lives are played out in the streets. 

The Hutongs, Beijing (Ian's photo)



Our Hotel

Our small hotel (20 bedrooms I'd guess), strangely called the Shichahai Shadow Art Performance Hotel, manages to mix the traditional with modern, up-market design.  The décor is magazine standard, the air-con and luxurious walk-in shower a welcome indulgence, the shadow art puppet show a delightful accompaniment to our stay.


Backstage puppetry for the children

 

Day 1 is an excursion to the Summer Palace, which used to be the official summer retreat for the imperial families.  The 700 metre long corridor is effectively a prom along the lakeside and the ride on a dragon boat on Lake Kunming is a welcome relax in the breeze.  It is a promising start to our holiday and submerges us immediately in the hot hustle of life in China.  There are hoards of people, but very few Westerners and we are amused to find the we are the novelty.  Ian, being over 6 foot and head and shoulders above the local population, is asked to pose in Chinese family photos!   

 

The 700 metre corridor is no longer a peaceful retreat!  

Wonderfully Chinese! Just what the tourist doctor ordered

There is no restaurant at our hotel and by evening we are completely dead beat and our taste for adventure has temporarily vanished.  The hotel offers to order a take-away - result!  Despite the staff's good English we can't quite communicate what we want and so the meal is a complete surprise, but tasty and £5 for all 4 of us!  Then we blow £20 on a bottle of wine...............

 

 

Travelogue: Visit to China

As Gran-in-Waiting I neglected my domestic duties for a fortnight at the end of August to sneak off to China!  I had hoped to post up my travelogue whilst actually travelling but I hadn't accounted for the whims of the Chinese Government who do not allow access to blogs, Facebook, Google and other western propaganda.  So here it is, somewhat after the event, and hopefully improved with the benefit of hindsight.  I completed a handwritten journal whilst travelling, as I do for all of my exotic trips, and much of what is coming up is lifted straight from the notes I made at the time. 

Poshpackers in China

Richard and I were travelling with our very good friends Louise and Ian, using a tour operator called Audley Travel, who looked after us so well that I hope to be using their services again.  We took a Poshpacking approach: enjoying a pre-booked schedule that was tailored to suit our preferences, staying in carefully selected boutique hotels and accompanied by our own guide and driver most of the time.

Our first stop was Beijing, flying time 11 hours, but culturally a world away.  China is a place like no other that I have ever visited, and that's exactly why I love travelling. We spent 3 days in Beijing, taking our first sightseeing within hours of arriving at the airport and our feet didn't touch the ground for the next fortnight.  It was exhausting and exhilarating, and I'm looking forward to writing all about it.  I just hope that Baby Smith holds on until I've finished my holiday memoirs. 

You can see my full set of photos at https://www.flickr.com/photos/126770896@N02/    

Baby Smith wants out

You will see from the video clip above how things are progressing with my grandbaby.  Just over 2 weeks to go until Shelley's due date, so it could happen any minute now. 

Liz handing out the Baby Photo competition

We held a Baby Shower.  Shelley had reservations about this because it is such an American idea, and I'm not sure we really knew what we were doing.  Comments such as 'Do I buy Shelley or the baby a present?' and 'Oh, I didn't realise you could buy Baby Shower cards' confirmed our novice status.  One thing we did know was that this was an all-girl occasion, when we could indulge in tea, cakes and baby-themed games.

Liz was the organiser, and everything ran so smoothly that she made it look easy, which of course it wasn't.  We had to guess the baby in the photo, identify the baby food with blind tastings, and guess the baby items hidden in the socks on the washing line.  Afternoon tea included Bucks Fizz and Baby Cupcakes.  Shelley received wonderfully generous presents - Baby Smith is spoilt already.  It was a delightful afternoon and there was such a warm feeling of friendliness in the room that I'm sure Shelley now knows how many of us she can rely on in the busy days ahead.

From left: Carole, Donna, Lily, Danielle, Amanda, Kim and Shelley




      

From left: Donna, Lily, Alison, Julie, Danielle,        Two fat ladies!!!
Becky, Sue, Kim