Happy news again today - M is back with S! Feel like today is going to be a good day. Going to see Mao and the Forbidden City, then maybe the 768 District. Then a kung fu show before dinner.
After the pub yesterday, due to some crossed wires and a complete lack of knowledge about where the night market was, I ended up walking for a few hours by myself. Sobered me up.
Was approached by a random Chinese girl, who was hinting that I should come visit her gallery. She was actually very friendly, and put me on the right track to the night market.
Met Scott and Ali there, and Dom and Kelly. Tried some small scorpion, and silkworm. Then a big scorpion.
The girls got a bit lost, but we found them, and watched some cultish line dancing in the square.
Was approached by what I thought originally was a friendly tourist, but I think may have been a pimp feeling me out. He didn't offer the sell.
Out to the Olympic stadia then - big disappointment. Not lit up at all. Saw some kids roller-blading though, kinda cool.
Had to finish this morning's entry somewhat prematurely due to the arrival of others for breakfast. The small scorpion was quite crunchy and tasty, but the larger one was not quite as edible. The silkworm was not quite revolting, but not far off. The smell of the uncooked food was slightly nauseous at times, raw seafood mixed with rotting waste.
Chinese people have in general, been extremely friendly. Outside the Summer Palace, someone pointed us in the direction we needed, before we 'd even tried to ask for directions. They wave happily, and smilel often. We've also suffered the phenomenon of having our photos taken as whiteys, both 'subtly' and with asking permission. I encountered it first at the Temple of Heaven, but the girls were very popular in the evening at Tienanmen Square. Today, one man quite blatantly pointed at Brigitte's legs. It's outrageous!
This morning we visited Mao's mausoleum. The security checks were rigorous, though nobody actually checked our IDs. The girls weren't allowed in with their open-toed sandals, so we swapped shoes and took turns.
The contrast with Lenin was most obvious in the amount of people in the tomb. Before, it was just myself and Nicci. This time there was a constant stream of visitors, many carrying roses. A lot o f Chinese obviously still hold Mao in great regard, perhaps because many still remember him. The actual corpse appeared far more waxen than Lenin's. Wonder if they use the same technique...
After that we moved on to the Forbidden City. Yet another monumental Beijing landmark. As Kim put it, it's relentless. Everything in Beijing is huge - the city centre is the size of Dublin between the canals, while the Forbidden city is the size of Dublin centre. It's magnificent, but I think by that point we were suffering monument fatigue.
A Chinese family sat next to us while we took a break - cute, until we saw the baby's bottomless trousers in action. Practical, but not pleasant.
Exiting the far side of the city, though we could follow the river south, but the bank is the HQ of the Communist Party. We were moved on from standing too close to it on a bridge. Lot of security in the area, but one friendly Chinese man explained it to us.
Found another park - another oasis of bliss, though everywhere is invaded by the smog. That one feature is all that prevents me from putting Beijing on some list of top cities. Smoking in the bars and spitting are the other negatives. I guess the core problem is the sheer number of people, which leads to a huge number of cars and traffic. The hot, still climate doesn't help either.
Dinner in the hostel before heading to the Kung Fu show. Spectacular really, but I couldn't enjoy it fully due to bladder issues. Keep feeling a need to relieve myself, but not able to. Not sure if it's due to under-hydrating, or if I've picked up some infection.
My legs are in bits with bites, scrapes and cuts. Right calf has a huge knot, and my right sock is bloodstained. Sore throat persists, and chafing downstairs is not pleasant (due to the heat). Got some Vaseline though, and some Chinese medication for my throat. Foul-tasting stuff.
Our Vodkatrain group is breaking up gradually. First we lost Andy, like a thief in the night. Half of Team Swiss was suffering with food poisoning when we said goodbye. Jake slipping through the cracks. First full goodbye was to Seb & Nicci today, which wasn't too bad, I know I'll see them in AS at Christmas. Not looking forward to parting with the Motley sisters tomorrow.
First definite Irish accent I've heard the whole trip. 01.45 27/9/2011. Surprised it took this long.
Two copies of 'On Change' from the Harvard Business Review on the bookshelf here. Random.
Beer is 10RMB here. Insane. About €1.20. For 640ml.
http://domcheeseman.blogspot.ie/2011/10/day-117-beijing.html
***
After the pub yesterday, due to some crossed wires and a complete lack of knowledge about where the night market was, I ended up walking for a few hours by myself. Sobered me up.
Was approached by a random Chinese girl, who was hinting that I should come visit her gallery. She was actually very friendly, and put me on the right track to the night market.
Met Scott and Ali there, and Dom and Kelly. Tried some small scorpion, and silkworm. Then a big scorpion.
The girls got a bit lost, but we found them, and watched some cultish line dancing in the square.
Was approached by what I thought originally was a friendly tourist, but I think may have been a pimp feeling me out. He didn't offer the sell.
Out to the Olympic stadia then - big disappointment. Not lit up at all. Saw some kids roller-blading though, kinda cool.
***
Had to finish this morning's entry somewhat prematurely due to the arrival of others for breakfast. The small scorpion was quite crunchy and tasty, but the larger one was not quite as edible. The silkworm was not quite revolting, but not far off. The smell of the uncooked food was slightly nauseous at times, raw seafood mixed with rotting waste.
***
Chinese people have in general, been extremely friendly. Outside the Summer Palace, someone pointed us in the direction we needed, before we 'd even tried to ask for directions. They wave happily, and smilel often. We've also suffered the phenomenon of having our photos taken as whiteys, both 'subtly' and with asking permission. I encountered it first at the Temple of Heaven, but the girls were very popular in the evening at Tienanmen Square. Today, one man quite blatantly pointed at Brigitte's legs. It's outrageous!
***
This morning we visited Mao's mausoleum. The security checks were rigorous, though nobody actually checked our IDs. The girls weren't allowed in with their open-toed sandals, so we swapped shoes and took turns.
The contrast with Lenin was most obvious in the amount of people in the tomb. Before, it was just myself and Nicci. This time there was a constant stream of visitors, many carrying roses. A lot o f Chinese obviously still hold Mao in great regard, perhaps because many still remember him. The actual corpse appeared far more waxen than Lenin's. Wonder if they use the same technique...
After that we moved on to the Forbidden City. Yet another monumental Beijing landmark. As Kim put it, it's relentless. Everything in Beijing is huge - the city centre is the size of Dublin between the canals, while the Forbidden city is the size of Dublin centre. It's magnificent, but I think by that point we were suffering monument fatigue.
A Chinese family sat next to us while we took a break - cute, until we saw the baby's bottomless trousers in action. Practical, but not pleasant.
Exiting the far side of the city, though we could follow the river south, but the bank is the HQ of the Communist Party. We were moved on from standing too close to it on a bridge. Lot of security in the area, but one friendly Chinese man explained it to us.
Found another park - another oasis of bliss, though everywhere is invaded by the smog. That one feature is all that prevents me from putting Beijing on some list of top cities. Smoking in the bars and spitting are the other negatives. I guess the core problem is the sheer number of people, which leads to a huge number of cars and traffic. The hot, still climate doesn't help either.
***
My legs are in bits with bites, scrapes and cuts. Right calf has a huge knot, and my right sock is bloodstained. Sore throat persists, and chafing downstairs is not pleasant (due to the heat). Got some Vaseline though, and some Chinese medication for my throat. Foul-tasting stuff.
***
Our Vodkatrain group is breaking up gradually. First we lost Andy, like a thief in the night. Half of Team Swiss was suffering with food poisoning when we said goodbye. Jake slipping through the cracks. First full goodbye was to Seb & Nicci today, which wasn't too bad, I know I'll see them in AS at Christmas. Not looking forward to parting with the Motley sisters tomorrow.
***
First definite Irish accent I've heard the whole trip. 01.45 27/9/2011. Surprised it took this long.
***
Two copies of 'On Change' from the Harvard Business Review on the bookshelf here. Random.
***
Beer is 10RMB here. Insane. About €1.20. For 640ml.
***
http://domcheeseman.blogspot.ie/2011/10/day-117-beijing.html
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