A bus drops us off and picks us up at the sights, our tour guide herds our group (which we have learned is 20 families with at least 60 people), and we eat at buffets. The first day was filled with sights from Tian' an Men Square (a.k.a. Tiananmen), the Forbidden City, and the Summer Palace.
Tian' an Men Square was the first stop. As a very large square, Tian' an Men can hold a lot of people. And that's a good thing, for we learned that this weekend, May 1st, is one of the two Chinese national Labor Day holidays (other being October 1st). Most office workers in China have the day off, so people from all parts of the country are travelling. Beijing is the policital and cultural center of China, so of course a lot of them come here. Tian' an Men is the first stop for many, for the flow of pedestrian traffic is somewhat directed by the police one-way through this area at the center of Beijing.
The first thing we get once we step off of the bus at Tian' an Men is "want to buy a rolex?" It would only be the first time of many. As we're instructed by the tour guide, we shouldn't even make eye contact with street vendors, and certainly don't say "no thank you." That would only start the negotiation process... People are walking around selling everything from watches, to hats, Communist books, flags, etc. We have resisted so far, but these folks are persistent.
The only way for us to follow our tour guide Rosa, is to look for the blue "America World" flag she is holding. It sounds like a good idea for the tour guide to have something as unique as a flag, but apparently this is not unique here. All of the tour guides have flags and some even have bullhorns or a mic and speakers. Some other flags are blue, red, with writing and streamers. In the U.S., it's popular for tour groups or family reunions to wear T-Shirts all of the same color. The identifying group clothing here is Hats. All kinds of hats from groups all wearing visors or ball caps...all except our group, which is why we got separated the at Tain' an Men square and had to ask a group of Chinese kids passing by if we could borrow their phone to call our tour guide for a meeting place.
The Forbidden City was beautiful. Aside from the pushy crowds, we did get to enjoy the beauty of the buildings. The toilets in the Forbidden City should be just that...Forbidden! YUCK!! Our group of American women went in to this tent like structure marked "TOILETS" and saw about 15-20 holes in the ground and people squatting everywhere...no doors, no toilet paper. That is when you just hold it and wish you had a Depends on. Needless to say, we just walked out until we found a hole in a private stall :) It gives you a new appreciation for American bathrooms and is good practice for camping!
The bus ride from the Forbidden City over to the Summer Palace was pretty much like an amusement park roller coaster. We sat near the front of the bus, so we were able to look out at the oncoming traffic. Whether our bus driver was trying to have fun with us, or just get us to our next drop off point quickly, we dodged countless pedestrians, headon cars, bikes, and pretty much everything else. After a while, Becky's right foot was so tired from trying to apply the brakes for the driver, that she had to look away. At the Summer Palace, which had a very nice lake and beautiful grounds, we had a nice boat ride and some great pictures.
Our last stop of the day was over to the Olympic Park where the Birds Nest stadium and Water Cube aquatics area are. It is an amazing site! The architecture is unbelievable. We took lots of pictures and Paul had to take a few extra with some Chinese people who kept jumping in while he was trying to pose!
The Scenery was beautiful! We have lots of pictures to share (still trying to post them)!
Today, we are going to a church service for 'foreigners' and then will be going to the Great Wall!
Paul & Becky
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