Beijing’s Forbidden City and The Great Wall
It was so hard to sleep ... I was way too excited about the day I had ahead of me! At 7:10am, I was the first of 6 people on the tour to be picked up. "Do you always travel alone?" the guide asked. He didn't ask the other solo female traveler.
We started at massive Tian'anmen Square - it holds one million people. The first thing I noticed was the long lines of people snaking around the edges. I was pretty sure we weren't waiting in that line because we didn't have time. Our guide told us they are there to wait 1-1/2 hours to visit Chairman Mao's mausoleum.
At the end of Tian'anmen Square is the Gate of Heavenly Peace - the entrance to the Forbidden City. Centered with a picture of Chairman Mao, it has two slogans: Long Live the People of the Republic of China, and Long Live the Great Unity of the World's Peoples. Surely you recognize it as one of the most famous buildings in China; when there's breaking news, this is where they film from. I'm sure you know it for another reason, as do I, but you won't hear that story on your tour. The historical event they are proud to discuss is the Founding Ceremony of the People's Republic of China in 1949 - not the massacre from 1989.
The monumental gate has five entrances. The center of course was for the emperor. We entered through the one for maids and eunuchs.
The Forbidden City – once served as the imperial palace for 24 emperors during the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368 - 1911). With its gargantuan Hall of Supreme Harmony (brought to the world in the film "The Last Emperor") and 180 acres of courtyards, palaces, and majestic golden-capped pavilions – it was designed to shock and awe. Standing inside, it was hard to tell where it ended.
The Golden Water Bridge in front of the Meridian Gate is regarded as the most beautiful bridge in the Forbidden City due to its elegant architecture.
A bathroom break is not an experience I am looking forward to repeating anytime soon. Outside, believe it or not, everything feels so calm and organized, but behind the door with the stick figure of a woman ... watch out: All hell breaks loose - it's a chaotic frenzy. There's a lot of pushing and shoving going on. First we figured out that the line forms individually in front of each stall door, and then we realized that only about 25% of the stalls were western toilets. And, if you don't like to drip dry, be sure to BYO toilet paper because China is a TP-free country! When the guide offered up a restroom break again, we quickly replied, "nope, we're good."
As we finished our tour of the Imperial Palace, was I imagining it or did my guide look straight at me when he said to stay close as we leave or you will get lost in the crowds. My new friends assured me the comment was no doubt for me, repeating the guide's statement, "Where is Blondie at?"
So cute - The guy bought us flags to take a picture with him - for his mother.
The Great Wall has stood for centuries as one of mankind's most enduring wonders. It took more than 1700 years to build and spans more than half the circumference of the world... no wonder it's one of the 7 Wonders of the World!
Fun Fact: The Great Wall is actually not visible from space - a myth Ripley started before space travel was even possible.
Bonita saved my visit to the Great Wall; she saved me from leaving China with regret. When I signed up for the 2-day tour with Trippest, the tour director assured me I could see the most beautiful section between towers 14 and 23 (of the Mutianyu section). But when we got there, my guide Niko said we had to stay together as a group and HE wanted to do the chair lift ... the most crowded section ... not the cable car - in 2 hours. Once at the top, he let us split up but soon it became clear to me, climbing up and down the snaking wall, I could not make it to towers 14-23. Together Bonita and I dreamed up our own adventure to go as far as we could instead of doubling back to the chair lift; to gain time on the wall we bought a ticket down on the cable car. It was the best $15 I have ever spent. The wall past the cable car was empty, and it was brilliantly lit up by the sun's "golden hour." I was so happy. My adventure on the wall was everything I hoped and more!
On the 2-hour drive in traffic back to Beijing, Niko saved his best surprise for last. He stopped the van at a bathroom with no western toilets - just traditional holes in the ground. Yay.
"Is it safe here?" "Oh yes always. Trust me." Surely Niko knows, as do the hotel employees, so out I went at night for 3 hours of fun! I wandered over to the hutong area, afraid it was going to be closed on a Sunday night. Nope, it was full of people enjoying themselves just as much as me! I had such a good time seeing and trying new things. This is the great stuff that makes travel so addicting!
It takes a lot to top the great day I had, but the amazing people of the world I met today ... they sure do come in a close second! And that's what I get for traveling alone!
Greg update: He arrived safely to "dirty, smoggy" Bangalore "with construction everywhere." He said from the airport, "I couldn't believe the roads we were driving on."
We started at massive Tian'anmen Square - it holds one million people. The first thing I noticed was the long lines of people snaking around the edges. I was pretty sure we weren't waiting in that line because we didn't have time. Our guide told us they are there to wait 1-1/2 hours to visit Chairman Mao's mausoleum.
At the end of Tian'anmen Square is the Gate of Heavenly Peace - the entrance to the Forbidden City. Centered with a picture of Chairman Mao, it has two slogans: Long Live the People of the Republic of China, and Long Live the Great Unity of the World's Peoples. Surely you recognize it as one of the most famous buildings in China; when there's breaking news, this is where they film from. I'm sure you know it for another reason, as do I, but you won't hear that story on your tour. The historical event they are proud to discuss is the Founding Ceremony of the People's Republic of China in 1949 - not the massacre from 1989.
Tian'anmen Square's Gate of Heavenly Peace
The monumental gate has five entrances. The center of course was for the emperor. We entered through the one for maids and eunuchs.
The Forbidden City – once served as the imperial palace for 24 emperors during the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368 - 1911). With its gargantuan Hall of Supreme Harmony (brought to the world in the film "The Last Emperor") and 180 acres of courtyards, palaces, and majestic golden-capped pavilions – it was designed to shock and awe. Standing inside, it was hard to tell where it ended.
The grounds are so vast they make the huge Hall of Supreme Harmony look small
A bathroom break is not an experience I am looking forward to repeating anytime soon. Outside, believe it or not, everything feels so calm and organized, but behind the door with the stick figure of a woman ... watch out: All hell breaks loose - it's a chaotic frenzy. There's a lot of pushing and shoving going on. First we figured out that the line forms individually in front of each stall door, and then we realized that only about 25% of the stalls were western toilets. And, if you don't like to drip dry, be sure to BYO toilet paper because China is a TP-free country! When the guide offered up a restroom break again, we quickly replied, "nope, we're good."
As we finished our tour of the Imperial Palace, was I imagining it or did my guide look straight at me when he said to stay close as we leave or you will get lost in the crowds. My new friends assured me the comment was no doubt for me, repeating the guide's statement, "Where is Blondie at?"
The Great Wall has stood for centuries as one of mankind's most enduring wonders. It took more than 1700 years to build and spans more than half the circumference of the world... no wonder it's one of the 7 Wonders of the World!
Fun Fact: The Great Wall is actually not visible from space - a myth Ripley started before space travel was even possible.
Bonita saved my visit to the Great Wall; she saved me from leaving China with regret. When I signed up for the 2-day tour with Trippest, the tour director assured me I could see the most beautiful section between towers 14 and 23 (of the Mutianyu section). But when we got there, my guide Niko said we had to stay together as a group and HE wanted to do the chair lift ... the most crowded section ... not the cable car - in 2 hours. Once at the top, he let us split up but soon it became clear to me, climbing up and down the snaking wall, I could not make it to towers 14-23. Together Bonita and I dreamed up our own adventure to go as far as we could instead of doubling back to the chair lift; to gain time on the wall we bought a ticket down on the cable car. It was the best $15 I have ever spent. The wall past the cable car was empty, and it was brilliantly lit up by the sun's "golden hour." I was so happy. My adventure on the wall was everything I hoped and more!
Super excited to be walking on this Wonder of the World
Mutianyu Great Wall is 1 1/2 hours from Beijing. The wall follows the mountain crests for as far as you can see.
On the 2-hour drive in traffic back to Beijing, Niko saved his best surprise for last. He stopped the van at a bathroom with no western toilets - just traditional holes in the ground. Yay.
"Is it safe here?" "Oh yes always. Trust me." Surely Niko knows, as do the hotel employees, so out I went at night for 3 hours of fun! I wandered over to the hutong area, afraid it was going to be closed on a Sunday night. Nope, it was full of people enjoying themselves just as much as me! I had such a good time seeing and trying new things. This is the great stuff that makes travel so addicting!
The hutongs provide a glimpse of the real life in the capital city as it has been for generations.
View from Yinding Bridge
It takes a lot to top the great day I had, but the amazing people of the world I met today ... they sure do come in a close second! And that's what I get for traveling alone!
Greg update: He arrived safely to "dirty, smoggy" Bangalore "with construction everywhere." He said from the airport, "I couldn't believe the roads we were driving on."
View of Bangalore from Greg's hotel room
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