Beijing in a Blur

Four days. That is what we estimated we would need to truly enjoy China's capital city. The Forbidden City, Tienanmen Square, The Great Wall of China, and Mao's corpse...at LEAST four days.

Well...we are going to try to do it in two. After three hours and eight train station/ticket agent desks we found out that the trains to Ulaan Bataar only leave on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays. The former is too early, the latter is too late, which means the middle is juuuussssst right. What does that mean?

Well, we did the Forbidden City and the Square yesterday and, somehow, was able to buy our train tickets to Mongolia, see the corpse, and visit the Great Wall of China. Kyle and I joked that if we were able to do all these things in less than 48 hours it would be a miracle. Well, based on the following photos, we made the miracle happen.






Final thoughts on Beijing...I don't have much to say. It isn't a bad place. It definitely has more character than Shanghai, but still maintains the cosmopolitan feel of a capital city. Add a dash of its Imperial past, a spoonful of its communist present, and a helping of the West, and you have what the world is about to be exposed to in August.

That's Beijing!

Let's see...what else...ahhh, Xi'an. Right...that ended well. The Terracotta Army was fascinating, highlighted by the 70's era film showed just prior to entering the statue pits. The fight scenes from the film were phenomenal...which is what you get when there are 1.2 billion potential actors to choose from.



In terms of China, that is about it. I suppose our story in China deserves an epilogue of some sort...so here goes: since arriving in Hong Kong I have traveled nearly 3,000 miles by train. That is clear across the United States. Really though that is just the start. Kyle and I purchased a Eastern Europe Lonely Planet today. We marveled at the fact that in a little over a month, assuming all goes well, we will be cruising the streets of Eastern, and, likely, Western Europe. That is a LOOONNNGGG way from China. But it is exciting to think of what lies ahead.

Anyhow, back to China. I have enjoyed it here. I have find myself giddy on a daily basis thinking of what I am presently experiencing and what I have before me. It is a great day when one wakes up knowing that the next few hours will consist of the best of Beijing and the Great Wall of China. Even the train rides have been wonderful. Watching the countryside roll by really is a great way to travel. Have the spaces been cramped? Sure. Have the miles gotten long? A bit...but it is ok. I just laugh when I think about how wonderful this opportunity to travel through this part of the world at this moment in time. There is a lot I will miss about China. The obvious being dumplings and steamed buns. However, I will also miss the genuine smiles and the juxtaposition between the country's rich history and its current aspirations. Are there things I won't miss? Yes. Surging crowds. There are times when it has been more than evident that there are 1.2 billion people in this country. I also won't miss the coughing, hacking, or spitting. If you know what I am talking about you can sympathize.

A few final notes:
1.) A quick story: I am trying to collect all of my train tickets from Hong Kong to Europe. Everything was going great until yesterday morning when the guard demanded to see my ticket on the way out of Beijing. One should note that hoards of Chinese and westerners were pouring from the exits, so her singling me out was a surprise. What was even a greater surprise was that, despite my pleas, she took my ticket, tore it up, smiled, and then motioned for me to swiftly move along. For that, I would say Communism won the battle. However, judging by the number of McDonalds', Starbucks, and KFCs there are in this country, I would say Capitalism is winning the war.

2.) The translation errors between Chinese and English are hilarious. The phrase 'lost in translation' aptly applies to China. I could have taken dozens of photos of all the misspellings and weird translations I have come across over the past couple weeks...but I didn't. I figure my Mandarin isn't much better.

3.) In nine hours I will board a train to Mongolia. Crazy. I have been a lot of places, but Mongolia is waaayyyy out there. It will take us more than a day on the train to reach Ulaan Bataar...but once we are there, it is going to be amazing.

Stay tuned and look for more jumping photos throughout the journey.