The Wall, The Square and a Rabbit: Things to do in Beijing

You know that sense of satisfactory achievement you get; that euphoria you feel when you accomplish a long-held goal, that's the feeling I got, and much more, when I took a trip to Beijing. Anyone who ever held a conversation with me about traveling the world can attest to how much I'd talked about visiting the Great Wall of China, among other significant places. It was the sole purpose of my trip to Beijing, though the city more than surpassed my expectations. My hope is that this post might give you the extra encouragement you need to explore the world beyond you...as best you can.

After my girl Lolade and I split up at the airport, she remained in Thailand, flying to Chiang Mai and Phuket, before heading to Singapore. I continued my trip solo to Beijing. If you've been following my travel posts, you'd know this is the third country I've visited completely solo (Austria & Hungary being the other two.) I traveled to South Africa on my own in 2013, but that was different. I traveled for work so I had contacts once I arrived. Plus I had some friends living in Johannesburg who made my stay a little more homely. Moreover, I had made a prior visit to Cape Town, Johannesburg and Pretoria with a group to cover the 2010 World Cup so overall I was more comfortable. 

Why am I saying all this? Because I think it's important to note that you don't have to wait until your spouse's/boyfriend's/girlfriend's/best friend's schedule aligns with yours to take that trip of a lifetime. Not saying you shouldn't make plans to travel with someone special. I secretly wish I have someone with me anytime I'm taking in some breathtaking view or sight. But if you ever have the opportunity, a solo trip is worth it. You learn a lot about yourself. I know I have.
 

After an eight-hour flight, which included a delayed stopover in Hong Kong, I arrived in Beijing sometime after 1 a.m. I had no problem clearing immigration quickly, but getting a taxi proved to be a much longer wait. Through my research I knew to avoid private taxis, who stalk foreigners so closely like leeches, but I still wasn't prepared for the magnitude. Or maybe I was just too tired to want to be bothered at all. Being the obvious tourist I was hounded endlessly, even while queuing patiently for a local taxi. If you find yourself in this position, my advice is to stick to the local metered taxis no matter the pressure or language barrier. Private taxis have been known to charge an exorbitant amount that could be as much as quadruple the price of a metered one. Some reports have complained of being dropped off and abandoned at the wrong locations. The queue to get into a metered taxi was rather long, but there was something to be said about how even locals queued patiently without budging. It gave me a sense of security seeing so many people waiting in line. It was well organized and didn't take more than 30 minutes (sorry I'd lost all sense of time at that point, so it could've be more or less.) 

More than a few reviews for my hotel, the Penta Hotel Beijing, cited the difficulty drivers had in finding it, but my taxi driver had no issues. I'd printed my address in Mandarin as well, which is very much recommended, but I didn't even need it. The security personnel manning the queue glanced briefly at my phone, spoke Mandarin for about 5 seconds to my driver, who nodded, and we were off. I was very relieved as I didn't want to spend any more time driving around at 2 a.m. My metered rate came to about 103 RMB (about $16), which fell on the low side of the 100-120 RMB range mentioned in reviews. It actually included a five-minute period of traffic build-up by a highway construction. My hotel was quite spacious, nice and clean, though reviews on the poor free internet are accurate. You can spend 130 RMB on a three-day upgrade for faster service. I opted to use my T-mobile Hotspot hooked up to my laptop, which was exponentially faster.

Since my main reason for visiting China was to climb the wall, I thought I could do it first and get it out of the way. But going to sleep after 3 a.m. didn't put me in the kind of mood for the recommended 7 a.m. start for a trip to Mutianyu (the portion of the Wall I chose to climb.) Change of plans. I canceled my trip, which I booked through the hotel, but since I couldn't fall back asleep immediately, I surfed Trip Advisor to see if I could get a better deal than what my hotel offered. I'm so glad I did, but I'll delve into that later. After some much needed sleep, I was ready to start my day with a trip to the Forbidden City, more formerly known as the Imperial Palace, and Tiananmen Square.

My brunch of champions, courtesy of Pizza Hut. Got me going.

It was so much better than my trip to the temples in Bangkok. Even if I hadn't rented the audio guide  for 40 RMB (about $6), I would still have left with a better experience because of its organization. Plus, for 60 RMB ($10), I had a spectacular time. Once you go through the initial entrance at the Gate of Heavenly Peace, which lies in front of the square, be prepared for a two-hour journey whisking through temple after temple. It is definitely a miniature city. One of my highlights was the Lovers Tree, a Pine and Cypress tree, more than 300 years old, which, over time, became intertwined like two lovers holding hands.  It sits in the garden of the Imperial Palace and signifies tranquility and a harmonious marriage. It is a popular tourist stop for tourists who hope to receive some of its aura. Another breathtaking spot worthy of amazing photos is the Hall of Supreme Harmony, though you can probably get tons of memorable photos from any section within the walls of this city's massive compound.

Touring the Imperial Palace

Lovers Tree evokes tranquility

I walked the 2500m from the north entrance of the City to the square, where I took some more pictures and video of the Monument to People's Heroes, situated at the south end of the square, and the changing of the guards. To the north of the square is the entrance to the Imperial Palace. The National Museum of China and the Great Hall of the People (meeting place of the Congress,) complete the east and west ends of the square.

The Great Hall of the People

National Museum of China

I should point out that every subway station and significant site has a metal detector and bag scanner, which only adds to the build up of human traffic around tourist spots. So if you can, start your day early when you're likely to meet less people. Being a black girl, it didn't matter much because I was constantly hounded for pictures by curious locals who were fascinated by the black girl in their midst. It was quite strange and amusing at first, but eventually became annoying. It was strange getting so much unwanted attention just because of the color of my skin. By the end of my trip, I must have posed for at least 25 pictures with strangers, and had another score or more taken of me without any discretion. At least no one touched my Afrocentric (read natural) hair, which I've heard is not uncommon. So if you decide to visit as a black tourist, be prepared for your celebrity experience.

Changing of the guards

I took the train back to the hotel to rest for a bit. Then I went back out to the Wangfujing Shopping Street Mall, allegedly one of the biggest street shopping destinations in Beijing. Its looks similar to Times Square as you approach, complete with several high-end stores. Until you make the turn into the food vendors and street vendors. I scoured the street vendors and bought some things to remind me of my trip. While tons of people sampled unique street foods like fried scorpion, I took pictures. I didn't dare try anything there, not even the roasted corn I spotted on a grill, which I happen to love. I spotted a restaurant called The Rice Kitchen as I walked back to the subway, and figured it looked safe enough to try authentic Chinese food. If you know me, you know I won't go near any Chinese joint in the U.S. I don't mind Chinese food, I just don't like the versions served in other parts of the world. Lol. My sizzling scallion lamb with rice and egg was great.

Alas, the day arrived. Off to the Great Wall! I was up an hour and a half before my alarm. After canceling my hotel-booked trip yesterday, I scoured Trip Advisor to see if I could find a cheaper rate, and found Simon. For 600 RMB ($96) he drove me to the Mutianyu section of the wall, which is about an hour and a half to two hours outside Beijing. For an additional 50 RMB ($8) he included a stop at the Summer Palace.

The towers in this graphic appear much closer than the real thing

 
Once we got to the wall, I paid 58 RMB for the entry and shuttle fee for the site, though Simon had a special permit allowing him park closer to the entrance (a good deal, especially as I drove past the long lines queuing for the return shuttle. I essentially paid the fee to him.) At 9:30 a.m., I started my climb from Tower 6 after getting dropped off by a sky lift. It's definitely worth coming early to avoid the mass crowd that I ran into while descending from the top. Just like when I went sky diving, I think the climb is better done with someone to take it all in with. But I still loved every minute of the experience.

The steepest climb on the Wall

I had to take a few more pictures with curious tourists, not as much as the previous day, however. But I got an unexpected surprise when I recognized a friend from South Korea, who I had met while taking selfies in front of the Forbidden City. Jordan saw me taking selfies at the square and offered to take pictures of me if I returned the gesture. I was definitely shocked to spot him, before he saw me I might add, while on my way down. I still can't believe how I recognized him among the sea of faces. Here's a video of our encounter, with me sweaty-faced and all.

It took me two hours to make my ascent to the top and another hour to come down (mostly due to the increased traffic from thousands of visitors.) Warning to potential climbers, it isn't the easiest climb, and it only gets tougher and steeper the higher you climb. You should also try to visit the restroom before you start as there are no bathrooms along the path. I ignored Simon's advice...and let's just say it was my first stop when I reached ground level.

Passed by these college graduates on my way down. Cool idea

I was so tired when I finally completed my trip that I had to nap in the car while Simon drove to the Summer Palace. However, it wasn't enough to get me fired up about touring the palace grounds. I think the nonstop pace I had been operating on since Bangkok, the various time changes I had undergone, and the toll the climb had put on my body had caught up to me. I wasn't too eager to explore many of the palace's attractions. Instead I started out at the north gate entrance and followed the long corridor (the main path around the palace,) stopping to take pictures at places that caught my eye; particularly a scenic spot by the water. I When I exited, I knew I wouldn't be making it to the Temple of Heavenly peace even though I still had plenty of time.

Simon dropped me off at a popular food street to get a taste of spicy Chinese food. I think it was Gui Jie (Ghost Street,) known for its brightly lit streets and spicy servings, but the truth is I could hardly remember. I wandered around for a bit before settling at a random restaurant. I ordered the Chengdu spicy rabbit, because I wanted to try something I'd never had (like I did with ostrich in South Africa). But I really didn't enjoy it. For one, I was served several pieces of a rabbit's head so it was very bony, with very little meat on it. And, while I like a little spice, the whole meal was made up of lots of pepper, all cut up and mixed with oil, pieces of rabbits heads and something else that looked like garlic and tasted like potatoes. Let's just say I wouldn't recommend it.

Chengdu spicy rabbit was all pepper, no meat

I caught the subway back to my hotel still hungry, and hung around the hotel lobby until my flight back home since it was starting to rain. I ordered something from the noodle bar at the hotel, which didn't taste great. Not even the spring rolls I ordered after to get rid of my hunger was nice. So I gave up and passed the time watching movies and surfing the internet until my 2 a.m. flight.

There was so much I didn't get to do since I only had two days to explore the city. So I wouldn't mind coming back in the future. But if you ask me what the highlight of my trip was, or what one thing I would recommend you must do if you find yourself in Beijing, it'll definitely be to climb the Great Wall!

Bangkok, Thailand in the Spring

My last few trips were to European countries, and on one of those trips to Istanbul, Turkey, I had the opportunity to cross over by ferry to Asia. I was with my travel buddy Lolade and we both agreed that we needed to take a proper trip to Asia. She was supposed to be on my trip to Vienna and Budapest, but couldn't make it at the last minute. So when she called me on one December day to discuss going to Asia, I was game.

We both agreed on Bangkok, but had different opinions on what second country to make a stop at, so we decided we would split after Bangkok. I also couldn't take a two-week long vacation like she could so it made sense to enjoy Bangkok and then split up.

I took off on a Korean Air flight from Houston to Korea's Incheon Airport where, 13 hours later, I met up with Lolade who flew in from Atlanta. Ever since I read a magazine article about how blacks in America are not keen on traveling, I have become somewhat obsessed with identifying as many black people as I can on international flights. There were none on my flight. Lolade said she had several on her flight, so I'm glad there's proof out there that black people travel. It wasn't long before we were cracking up endlessly as we waited for our connecting flight, drawing the attention of two Canadian men also traveling to Bangkok. I love traveling with Lolade cos she's very outgoing in striking up convos with strangers while I'd be planted on my seat if I was solo.

Meeting up with Lolade at Incheon Airport

We arrived in Thailand close to midnight and had a smooth entry save for the small hiccup with having to go back to Health Control because African passports need to be stamped with a satisfactory bill of health. We got to our hotel, the U Sukhumvit Hotel, after midnight and immediately hit the streets for some street food since restaurants were closed. We came during the Songkran Festival so there were still a few people with water guns spraying passers-by. But more on that later. Our hotel room looked really luxurious, particularly the bathroom with its overhead showers and a special feature affixed to the toilet that is clearly designated for one thing.

After filling our bellies with the hotel's buffet breakfast, the next morning, we hopped into a cab headed to the Grand Palace. Thailand is so affordable relative to the dollar so we wanted to avoid the heat (the humidity was on another level,) and the celebratory drench of water on us had we chosen to take a tuk tuk or some other mode of transportation. The cab was a much-needed luxury. As for the palace, I wish I could tell you amazing things about this tourist attraction like I've done at other locations, but my travel buddy and I were extremely confused by this site. For 500 baht, we got a confused, disorganized and boisterous spot that left us underwhelmed. I'm used to historic and religious tourist sites being treated as sacred places relatively void of commercialism. But not this Palace. Beautiful as the structures and statues were, it was noisy, chaotic, and with no clear direction on where to go. In fact, all of the places we toured had huge commercial action within the walls of the structure.

We left and caught a tuk tuk to the Wat Pho, wherein lies the Temple of the Reclining Buddha. Most, if not all temples in Bangkok pay homage to some kind of Buddha, but this one was different in its posture. Featuring a 43m long Buddha, coated in gold leaf and laying on its side, this was a break from the traditional Buddha postures.

The reclining Buddha, coated in gold, lies 43m long

 It was a short walk around the temple. And for 100 baht it was nice. The other temples and attractions around it were not appealing. The grounds were noisy, with a lot of commercial activity going on. I wasn't too pleased with this site.

Tourist praying in front of a Buddha

While people sell food and souvenirs nearby

We also indulged in a traditional Thai massage, which the massage school on its grounds are famous for. For 260 baht, you get a 30 min massage that's well worth it, especially after all the walking we had been doing. Just thinking about how seemingly every bone was cracked in my body is bringing back gleeful memories. Finally we took a short ferry for 3 baht to Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn, which was closed at the time so we were able to get in for free and just walk the grounds, which didn't have much to see at that point.

We were quite tired when we got back, so we opted to eat dinner at the rooftop of the hotel where I had the lamb confit while chatting with three male traveling buddies from California. Another convo initiated by Lolade. We closed the night out with a swim in the rooftop pool, which stays open until 11pm.

Lamb confit

I love swimming underwater

The next day we booked a private trip to the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market through our hotel and were chauffeured the 90 minute drive to this popular tourist destination by Few Sirpong, who was also our tour guide. The concept of the floating market is so cool that even if you don't buy a thing, it's still worth the tour. There was so much traffic on the waterway, and we supposedly had a slow day thanks to the period being the New Year. We didn't buy anything on the advice of our driver who suggested getting it cheaper in Bangkok (where he says majority of the wares are brought from.) We also took a walking tour of the area then had an arranged lunch at a market food stall, which was part of our package. We concluded our trip with a ride atop an elephant. It wasn't as exciting as I expected, and before it was over we were feeling sorry for the elephants and our presumed exploitation of them. They all generally looked unkempt and worn out. Their stalls also looked dirty and my expectation of playing with an exotic looking elephant was a distant figment of my imagination. Lolade, on the other hand, actually got to play with elephants at one of her other stops.

Few Sirpong, our private tour driver

Enjoying lunch at the floating market

Riding an elephant

We had some time to spare before Few took us to our evening's entertainment, which was the perfect time to participate in the Songkran festival at Si Lom. This is a national festival that involves soaking each other in water. April is the hottest month in Thailand, so this festival was introduced to help people keep cool for about three days by soaking up in cold water. So if you are caught walking the streets, it is assumed you are fair game. Even people riding in bikes and tuk tuks weren't exempt. It was a lot of crazy fun getting soaked to our skins, but in light of the current drought in California, I couldn't help but wonder how much water is wasted during this period. In any case, here's how crazy the atmosphere was. It was absolutely fun even as we cringed when we were doused with ice cold water.

The packed train steps headed down to Si Lom for Songkran

My partner in crime getting a rare break from being soaked

Go ahead, lay it on me! This area was packed with thousands of people.

Later that evening, Few drove us to the Asiatique Riverfront Bazaar for a Lady Boy (aka drag queen) show at the Calypso restaurant, which included a reenactment performance of Lady Gaga's ode to Julie Andrews and Sound of Music at this year's Oscar's.

If you know anything about Thailand, it is probably how skilled they are in transforming transsexual men into beautiful women. Lolade and I kept trying to figure out who was possibly a woman, who was masquerading as a man masquerading as a transsexual get it?) They were that convincing. We stayed at the riverfront to partake in some retail therapy and have dinner at the Crostini Italian Restaurant, and didn't get back to our hotel until well after midnight.

Some of the show's performers taking pictures for a "tip"

Our last day in Bangkok, and we finally got to sleep in for a little bit. We scheduled a massage (another popular indulgence in these parts.) I rode a bike, Lolade walked. It was amazing!

Once again, we stopped by our hotel's rooftop for lunch, drinks and to lounge before our last event in the city. We were picked up for our dinner aboard the White Orchid River Cruise, which we boarded at the River City Mall.

Had a fun and amazing time aboard the White Orchid River Cruise

It was the perfect way to end our trip. Buffet was to die for and we met so many people from various parts of the world.  The entire experience was absolutely worth every penny we spent. We closed the night joining the cruise singer in a collection of songs. Sadly, the next day Lolade departed for Chiang Mai, then Phuket and eventually to Singapore. While I boarded my flight headed to Beijing, which you can read about in my next post.