Day 2

  Just got back from the Great Wall of China and I'm exhausted.  It was absolutely gorgeous.  By far the best weather thus far so I guess I lucked out.  I just tried to take a nap before checking out the Sanlitun bar street for my last night in Beijing, but for some reason can't sleep. 

 Anyways, for those not familiar with China, here's a map.  The two cities are about 650 miles apart.

Remember that any of these photos can be clicked for a higher resolution.

And here's the districts of Beijing. (5 and 6 are supposed to be switched).  The first day I went to the central business district, or section 4.  The second day I checked out the Olympic Park to the North, and the Summer Palace which is the lake on the top left.

So I headed out on the subway again to see what was built for the 2008 Olympics.

It even had it's own subway line...

Easy to figure out.

I can't even explain what it felt like to walk out of the subway being surrounded by these mega-structures.. so I'll let the pictures do the talking.  With the heavy smog and the time around noon, it was probably the worst conditions possible for photography.  But I made the best of it.

Remember that any of these photos can be clicked for a higher resolution.

China National Convention Center

Bird's nest.  The walkway that surrounded all of the buildings reminded me of "War of the Worlds" with the lights.

National Indoor Stadium

Bird's Nest

Guy selling kites with the Olympic Tower in background.

Water Cube

So after being overwhelmed with these structures I went to see some more historical places.  The subway got me kind of close, but I still had a 45-minute walk from the station.




Passed by the gate of the old summer palace celebrating 90 years of something.

Nike or "Li-Ning?"

Turned down a random alley to go exploring.

Great food

"The Summer Palace in northwest suburban Beijing is the largest and most complete imperial garden existing in China.  It was first built in the 12th century as an imperial palace.  Rennovation and extension in the following several hundred years till the end of the 19th century led it into the scale we see today, and was officially names Summer Palace." -china.org

Unfortunately the place was packed, even with the poor weather.  After being convinced by a girl that I needed a tour guide, I ended up having a personal one while I explored.  (It was very cheap).

The "Long Corridor".  Thousands of these beams are complete with a unique artwork on each.

Gate of Dispelling Clouds with the Tower of the Fragrance of the Buddha in background.  (The main attraction)

Second Palace Gate

Going up with the tour guide

Hall of Dispelling Clouds.  9 Dragons on each corner of the rooftops means Emperors only.

An excellent view on a clear day.

Clear and Peaceful Boat.  (Made out of marble)

Went on the boat ride to the South Island.  Tower of the Fragrance of Buddha atop Longevity Hill in the background.   Kunming Lake takes up 4/5's of the area.

Hall of Embracing the Universe on South Lake Island.

Count em... The Seventeen-Arch Bridge.

Last but not least, my background picture, the Xiuyi Bridge.

Remember that any of these photos can be clicked for a higher resolution.

I ended up taking too long here and missed going to Fragrance Hill and the Botanical gardens.  I saved that for the next day.  This post was originally supposed to be for both days, but I need to go...

So until next time

Zaijian

Tea and Water

  For those of you who don't know, I took off to study abroad in Shanghai, China at the Tongji University.  I am currently exploring Beijing for a week before my program starts.  I'm having a blast so far.  It was a little rough the first two days trying to get around.  I actually don't think I spoke at all besides to the hotel concierge each morning.  The only other place I've traveled in the last several years is Mexico.  It seems there's a point to speak in English there because they might be able to pick up on some similar words.  This is not the same case in China obviously.  Actually not speaking for two days while being surrounded by millions of people is an experience.  I've learned to ask the concierge to write out a few Chinese characters of the places I want to go that day.  I then can stop anyone in the street and ask them to point me in the right direction.

  Anyways.. I've been waking up early, walking around all day, and trying not to get lost.  This leaves me exhausted every time I get back to my hotel at nightfall.  I wanted to write a lot about what I've seen and experienced so far... but I need to get up in 7 hours to head to the Great Wall, so I'll keep it to pictures with some captions.


  My trip began with spending 2 nights and a day on my parents new Catalina 320 "Antares."


Inside the cabin

Berkley loves the boat

Skipper John

After leaving Sunday night out of Vancouver, Canada I arrived in Hong Kong to transfer planes.

After only 3 minutes in China, as I flew over the city at sunset, I realized I would have to make a second trip to these islands.  I only had a single-entry visa, which would not allow me into the mainland and Hong Kong.


I was very lucky to have a window seat on the side of the city at sunset.  (Huge plane)  (Thanks mom)

After staying awake for 24 hours, I finally arrived at my hotel in Beijing without my bag.

I experienced zero jet lag thanks to my strategy; however, my bag didn't arrive in the morning like Air China told me it would... It reached at least 100 degrees that day and there was a warning for very poor air quality.  I was forced to head out in the same jeans and white-T that I'd been wearing for 2 days... Luckily, I was traveling alone.  I took the subway to the Central Business District on the east side of the city.  There was a very distinct smell of pollution, cigarettes, and trash in this area.. Like I said, the first day was a little rough.




Very nice subway system.  Most of the lines are new. The city only had two in 2005, and now have 6.  They are planning on having 19 lines by 2015.  The machines have an english option and one-way tickets are only two Yuan, or about 31 cents.

Using the AC to their advantage..

The new CCTV Building.  It was supposed to be finished in 2010.  For some reason it had a giant wall surrounding it and I couldn't get close. 

A Beijing intersection.

"The Place"

Sanlitun Shopping Center

Panjiayuan Market, or at least a small part of it. 

Hospital?

I took a ride on a Rickshaw to Ritan Park and to the Temple of wisdom Attained.  Unfortunately my first friend eventually hustled me. 

Mobbin'

Ritan park was one of my favorite spots that I've visited.  It was a great break.  I felt like I could actually breathe and didn't have to constantly clear my throat because of the pollution.

Cards in the park.

Xiao Wang Fu in Ritan Park was a recommended restaurant in my guidebook so I checked it out. 

Delicious shredded pork.

Temple of Wisdom attained.  No photography allowed inside any temples in the city. 

Afterwards I made it back to the subway and headed home.  When I got back to my hotel my bag thankfully came.  I need to go to bed so I'll cover the rest tomorrow hopefully.



Here's a link to the short I made of the storm yesterday.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOGWrABTT0A&hd=1




Oh yeah and this post is called Tea and Water because that's all I've drank so far.  Tea is really growing on me.

Later