THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA

There are a number of different sections of the Great Wall that you can get to from Beijing. Some are way more crowded and touristy than others, but luckily the portion I hiked was pretty empty. I only did an out-and-back four-hour hike, but was tempted to keep going as I looked ahead and watched the wall snake through the mountains. The Wall must have sucked to build, but it sure is awesome to hike.

SNACK TIME!

One night I stumbled across an evening snack market just off of a big shopping street.  There were tons of food stands and a large variety of tasty looking treats, as well as some not so tasty looking treats.  I had just eaten, so unfortunately I was too full to try out the scorpions (that were still moving) or the various bug kebabs.  Maybe next time.  Or maybe never!

THE FORBIDDEN CITY

I went to the Forbidden City on my second day in Beijing. It's immense - a little city built for royalty, surrounded by a moat and huge brick walls. For 500 years it was the exclusive home to the ruling emperors of China, now it's a massive museum and UNESCO World Heritage Site. Walking in through the south gate you enter into courtyard after sweeping courtyard, each divided by a great hall of some sort. I lost track of how many halls and courtyards I walked through, four maybe? Once you get towards the north end of the palace it transforms into a labyrinth, the halls and courtyards shrink and multiply, and doorways and walkways snake around revealing little gardens and shrines. Relics and artwork can be found on display inside numerous buildings and people stroll the grounds taking in the history, culture, and architecture. Good thing it's not forbidden anymore, it's not something you want to miss if you visit Beijing.

TIANANMEN SQUARE

I was in New York City last week, and now I'm in Beijing. From one global city to another, a western metropolis and an eastern metropolis, both giving off a pulse that affects the entire planet! I'm staying on the outskirts of the Forbidden City, which is basically smack-dab in the middle of Beijing. Tiananmen Square sits just south of that, and is surrounded by staunch government buildings and scattered with noble monuments. With all of this nationalism and history located at the heart of Beijing, it's like the center of the Chinese universe. The whole area is quite an expanse, and I spent most of my first day exploring by foot. My hostel is just north of the Forbidden City, and after heading south around the outer walls I wound up in Tiananmen Square. Entry into the square requires a security check and a bag scan, and every lamp post is wrapped with cameras pointing in all directions (you can see one in the picture on the right). There are no places to sit, so people just kind of float around snapping photos and looking at things. The smog was heavy that day, and the late afternoon sun blanketed Tiananmen Square in a warm haze. Despite the fact that it was a cold winter's day in the middle of the week, the square was crawling with people, giving life to the stolid concrete prairie. It's a huge attraction, and people flock to Tiananmen Square in Beijing just as they do to Times Square in New York City, although I couldn't think of a more opposite space, both squares resting at the heart of their respective countries, one built around the ideals of Communism and the other representing the epitome of capitalism.

KINGDOM OF DUMPLING

There's a delicious restaurant in San Francisco called the Kingdom of Dumpling.  It must be named after the little alleyway in Beijing where I had my first meal in China.  I'd skipped breakfast that morning, and hadn't eaten dinner the night before having slept through the last meal on my flight over, so I was ready to eat!  I found this little kingdom of dumpling in a tiny alleyway just south of Tiananmen Square. I've realized that sometimes it's hard to get off the beaten bath in Beijing, because even the smallest alleyways can be bustling and full of life. I was pulled into this little restaurant by a young lady sitting outside after she caught me drooling over the dumpling making display going on in the window facing the alley. The Chinese menu didn't do me any good, but I guess they realized I wanted some dumplings, so before long they brought me out a steaming hot plate of deliciousness!  There must have been over thirty dumplings on that plate.  I mixed some vinegar and chili oil together on a little platter to dip the dumplings in, ordered a large Tsingtao, and went to town!  It was an awesome first meal in China.

CHINA

The last post on this blog dates back to late 2010.  It's been a while!  In a day or two I'll be in China, so I guess that's a good reason to start this thing up again. A few weeks ago I decided to take a job teaching English at a technical college in a city called Baotou.  It was kind of on a whim, and very much last minute, so I rushed off to New York City to take care of business at the Chinese Consulate.  Getting a work visa for China is kind of a drag, and the consulate in New York is a total shit show.  On top of that, the school in China couldn't seem to get me the proper paperwork.  We were in a crunch for time, so it was decided I'd enter the country on a tourist visa, and then figure out the work visa once I got there.  But a few days ago, less than a week before I was set to fly out, they reneged on the job offer.  I had already purchased a one-way ticket to China and was about to pick up my visa that afternoon.  I'd spent a lot of time and money preparing for this trip, but I guess for them, having to worry about getting me a work visa once I got there was too much of a hassle.  My sorrow lasted for about half a day, and then I realized that having a one-way ticket to China and absolutely nothing planned was awesome.  A blank slate!  I have no idea what I'm going to do when I get there, or for how long I will stay.  I may or may not have obligations in the fall, depending on whether I get into grad school, but until then I've got some adventures to go on!