China_beijing

We did, however, get to experience the Chinese "sleeper bus" from the Mongolian
border to Beijing. That was truly unique, I have to admit. By this time I was
confident that we had ridden every type of bus ever made at some point during
our travels but China really through me a curve ball. It wasn't uncomfortable
per say, just different. It certainly wasn't the sleeper bus I had envisioned
when we purchased the tickets in Ulan Bataar. You know, over sized seats that
fully recline with foot rests (think first class airline travel). The bus I had
in my imagination I had actually ridden in Chile and it was quite nice.
Instead, the Chinese version was a double decker size bus with no second deck.
Just one large open space with about 30 bunks, all sized for your average
Chinese. (They moved me to the back where an extra long bunk was free to

accommodate all 5' 10" of me.) Once you got used to laying down (you couldn't sit up fully) and we got
off the bumpy dirt road, it wasn't all that bad. I actually slept better there than I did the night
before on the train.

Having just a few days in Beijing, we figured we had just enough time to revisit some of the highlights,
eat some good Chinese food, buy some fake goods and reflect on how a city has changed in 4 years.

The major sites of Beijing produced mixed reactions from us but our stay in the capital city was made
truly worth while by the location of our hotel, in an old neighborhood (called "hutong" in Chinese)
about a 20 min walk from Tienamen Square. It truly made you forget about the modern booming city with
the towering cranes of highrise construction surrounding it. The best part of our stay was getting lost
in the narrow maze of streets that few tourists ventured down. Back here was Beijing; this was the heart
of the city. Bicycles still dominated with the occasional car only serving to block off the entire width
of the street and inconveniencing all. Everyone sat outside on the street until late into the night as
their homes were simply too hot to set foot in. Kids running around, old men playing checkers, people
cutting hair, anything and everything being sold by passing bicyclists. The restaurants served you right
on the street and usually better food than you would ever get in a tourist restaurant. (Although very
late one night I did see a man roasting a dog on a spit with what looked to be a giant blow torch) That
aside, I could have spent our entire time there just finding more of these neighborhoods to explore.

While it is places like The Wall that remind you why you set out on such an adventure, it is the back
alley neighborhoods void of foreigners and tourists that make you glad you did.

Eric and Katrina

closed off to the public. Combined with the insane crowds of domestic tourists
from a country of over a billion people during peak tourist season, made these
attractions a little less magical than we remembered. When you share your
country with a billion people, I suppose being pushy and rude is a way of life.
You just don't get anywhere unless you push. But I swear, if one more umbrella
poked me in the face I was going to loose it. It really wasn't worth it. We
both chose to hold on to our memories from 4 years back when at times these
sites appeared deserted and vowed never to return again during the summer
months. Although, we did make one interesting new discovery: Starbucks has now
graced the Forbidden City with its presence. If anyone can afford a $6 cup of
coffee I am sure it would have been the emperor.