Enter The Dragon

HOW MANY PICTURES OF A RED WALL GOLD ROOF BUILDING CAN YOU HAVE? 

NOT ENOUGH AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED

Day 2

Well today was our first full day in Beijing, and too be honest it was probably one of my favorite so far.  We woke up bright and early, and after a delicious breakfast of east meets west cuisine (waffles, noodles, pottato wedges and kiwi juice) we imediately set sail for our first destination of the day, Tiananmen square.

Built by the Ming Dynasty in 1417, Tieneman Square acts as the front door to the Forbidden City.  It is also were large ceremonies and gatherings are held for the people (like when a new emperor is named).  My best description of what it's like to walk through Tiananmen Square today is that it is like walking through a concert parking lot that takes place next to a historic monument.  Vendors come up to you every six feet trying to sell you a t-shirt or postcards out of their backpack, and if you stop too long to look at something they swarm at you like a grist of bees.  But I will say, if I learned anything from watching these vendors haggle prices, I learned the greatest scam in the world. When you pay for something to them it is in Yuan,  and when they give you change for what you bought it is conterfeit yuan.  But to a tourist the money looks exactly the same, so you don't even question it. Unfortunately a few members of our group fell victim to this, as our tour guide warned us before it was too late.

From their we went to the Forbidden City and walked through a palace that seemed like it was one hundred quare miles.  The most interesting thing I found about the palace was that it was entirely made of wood.  Mid way through our tour, I realized that no matter where on the premise I stood, every picture I took of the buildings looked exactly the same.  But then again you can never have too many picture of a red walls gold roof building.

After the forbidden city we went to a pearl factory, where we learned all about pearl jewlery.  After not buying any thing there for friends and family (wink wink), I then had a fascinating conversation with their employees about their love of Yao Ming, Yi Jialian, Kobe Bryant, and all things NBA in general. Nothing against the emperor, but this probably was my favorite part of the day.

From there we visited the summer palace, which is home to the worlds longest corridor.  Not really sure what the purpose of a corridor, but I'm guessing its to make your guests walk in a straight line for a long distance while staring at the same pattern on the ceiling.  It was very breezy in the corridor, when compared with the rest of the premise, so I guess in the summer the palace would be a very relaxing place for an emperor (but to be fair It seems like the emperor's entire life is one big vacation. Also on the premise was the "Marble Boat". Now I know what your thinking: A marble boat, how does it float?. Well in fact, it doesn't. It is actually just a statue in the shape of a boat in the water.  But Tour Guide Daniel pointed it out, so I figured it was worth mentioning. 

After the summer palace we took a quick detour to the olympic venues The Bird's Nest and The Water Cube. I spent most of my time filming my section of the class travel film, so I did not get to explore too much, but it was still amazing to look at.  I learned that for a small fee you can actually swim in the Water Cube, "Just like Michael Phelps!" (the locals say that frequently when trying to hype up an activity or tourist attraction.    Hopefully well have enough time later in the trip to be like Mike, but alas not today.

Shortly following the olympic plaza, we went out to dinner and then took our chances at Beijing night life.  The area we went to reminded me of Myrtle Beach in it's set up, but what was really unique about it was it's variety.  Most places had live music, that was either American songs, or Chinese songs, or American songs sung in Chinese.  My personal favorite was the chinese dance version of "The Sound of Silence".  It really made you want to hit the dance floor, while also contemplate the societal view of a lack of communication.

And lastly, to get back from the club area we were at we had to ride in a taxi.  And quite honestly, I don't think you can truly value your life until you ride in a Beijing taxi. It's like they beleive that cars were in the city first, and that pedestrians and bicyclists are invading their habitat.  I haven't seen any accidents in the city yet, so I guess their must be some sort of organized chaos to it that I don't see.  I'm sure it won't be my last cab ride ever, but while in that car I frequently wondered if it would be my last day alive. 

Well that was it for today. Up tomorrow: the Great Wall, a Rickshaw Ride, and a lovely Tea Party.

wǎn ān,

Kevin

_________________________________________________________________

AFTER SEEING THIS SIGN, WE NEW WE WERE IN THE WRONG PLACE AND IMEDIATELY LEFT