Sighseeing in Beijing
Finally, the date that I have to leave China is coming closer, and so is arrival in Beijing.
After a short train trip and a Didi ride, we arrive at our hotel. Our rooms are on different floors, which is a bit inconvenient, especially since Dave is not feeling too flash. The problem is quickly solved, when we are given two keys for each room, so I can bring him food and he doesn’t have to leave the room.
While Dave is taking a rest, I go and explore the area around our hotel. It’s absolutely true what everybody says. In Beijing you feel like you’re in a city within a city. It’s huge! There are skyscrapers around us, but when I walk around the block, it sometimes feels like I am in a small town, where everybody seems to know each other.
The Great Wall
The next day, we have a private trip booked with an English-speaking guide. Hong Yin picks us up at our hotel and drives us to the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall. Hong Yin is a man in his early fifties, who offers his services during the weekends or whenever he can combine it with his work.
He is very friendly, but it’s soon clear that he isn’t a professional guide. When we ask him questions about the buildings we pass, he cannot tell us much. We arrive early and are the first group of people to take a shuttle bus to the cable car. I am glad, that I chose this part of the Great Wall, as the accessibility provided by the cable car is very helpful for Dave!
Mutianyu Great Wall
Unfortunately the weather isn’t great, since it is very cloudy. I do like the mystical atmosphere though. But of course, to see the Great Wall in all its splendour, we do need a bit of sunshine. Dave finds a good spot to sit on the wall and waves Hong Yin and me off. We take the West route and try to get to the last tower, Tower 23.
The higher we get, the better the view, because the weather is slowly clearing up and we are, at some point, walking above the clouds. I feel happy and light!
I don’t know, if it is because I am finally surrounded by mountains again, or because of the fact that I am walking along the Great Wall, which feels super special! It doesn’t matter. I enjoy feeling happy, cheerful, grateful and alive!
Poor Hong Yin isn’t very fit and finds it hard to keep up with me. At moments, I feel like the guide, as I am constantly making sure he is doing fine and making little breaks, so he can catch his breath. My years of experience in hospitality are hard to hide!
Eventually, we reach Tower 23. We enjoy the view and watch people posing and taking pictures. It strikes me how travelling has changed. It crosses my mind that we always used to take pictures of interesting places. But we took them to make memories, not to show off. What I observe right here, right now, is photography on a whole different level!
When we get back to Tower 19, we find Dave again. He is tired and happy to go down by the cable car again. Hong Yin accompanies him, while I opt for a bit more. I take the East route passing Tower 5 and walk from here all the way down.
I am very glad we started our day early. The crowd is impressive now, and at some towers it is hard to get through. The early bird gets the worm – that’s for sure!
The Forbidden City
Since Dave is really feeling a bit under the weather, I join our booked guided tour of the Forbidden City, by myself. I leave early so I have some time to stroll around this area of Bejing! There is so much to see everywhere.
At the given time, I meet Jun – my guide for today. It turns out that we are a small group of different nationalities: a Spanish family of three, a senior Australian man, a young girl from Belarus and a middle-aged man from Scotland.
Jun is fantastic and more than I had hoped for. She is witty, kind and her knowledge is incredible. She chooses the pace professionally, to make it work for all of us, especially since the Spanish family travels with a buggy for their 4-year-old son, Carlos.
Most of the buildings look alike. Therefore I am even more pleased to have Jun. She explains that boys working for the emperor were castrated, so they would not be able to interfere with the woman in the palace or become distracted. They were called “eunuchs“.
Other interesting facts were, that a peach symbolises longevity. Yellow was a colour, reserved for the emperor. If common people were to wear a yellow dress, they could be executed!
When we reach the end, we wander around some ancient trees. Jun explains, that trees can sometimes be tagged in China. A blue tag means the tree is 60 – 100 years old, a green tag 100 – 300 years and a red tag indicates that the tree is over 300 years old! Very interesting indeed.
Peking Duck
After visiting the Forbidden City, I quickly pop into the Museum of Women and Children. It is a very interesting place to visit. There is a lot of history but also fun facts, such as women holding a certificate saying “Excellent mother-in-law” and “Best daughter-in-law”!
Then I head back to the hotel to check on Dave. Since we got back from the Great Wall he hasn’t left his room and has mostly lived on soups and other healthy and hearty food I brought him.
I am glad to find out, that he is doing better. Taking some rest has done him good. Since I am tired from all the walking I’ve done all day, we decide to go for the special “Duck Discovery Set Meal” in our hotel. The restaurant must be really good, as there is a queue of people – mainly non-residents – waiting every day to get a seat.
We order the set meal and are impressed by the variety of plates we get served. Tasting the famous “Peking Duck” for the first time in my life in Bejing (Peking) is pretty special and perfect to celebrate our last night in China.
