China Tour

Yes, these are the same clothes we wore at the Great Wall.

I feet like the Great Wall deserved it's own post, but it's not the only thing we see that day.  I book a tour through our hotel so we have a driver and an English speaking guide ("Sharon").  It's a wonderful combination because Sharon can talk without having to concentrate on driving in the dense traffic.  She's full of knowledge and information and does a good job educating us about China and what we see.

very detailed work

Our first stop is to a jade shop.  One of the reasons I want a private tour is so we don't have to go to the shops where you feel pressured to buy something.  But Sharon assures me there's no obigation to buy, so I don't try to convince our group not to go.  It turns out to be very interesting - and it's a good bathroom stop, too! 

He must have very good eyesight!

We're first given a little educational tour, before we're let loose in the shop.  They have some employees working in the front section.  The process of carving the jade reminds me a bit of how they cut Waterford crystal.

I did not get to buy this!

And yes, we all end up buying a few pieces.

a small part of the giant jade shop

Emperor Chengzu

Next we go to the Ming Tombs.  The thirteen emperors of the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644) are buried here. (There was lots of drama among the emperors - Sharon tells us several good stories.)  Every aspect of the location and construction follows feng shui - in fact, it took years of searching before they found the perfect location to place the tombs.   It's only reasonable to visit one tomb, because they're spread out in the valley.  We go to Changling, the mausoleum of Emperor Chengzu and Empress Xu.  We don't go underground, but we get to explore a large part of the buildings.  One is used as an exhibition hall, with artifacts, statues and a little gift shop.  Hmmm....is the jade less expensive here?  I'm sure the quality isn't as good as it was at our jade shop (at least, that's what I tell myself).

Carved stone ramp...and some people who jumped in my photo.

The Ling'en Gate is in front of the Ling'en Hall

Sharon has us follow a traditional Chinese belief.  On our way to the tomb we don't go through the Ling'en Gate (Gate of Eminent Favor).  Because we go to the "afterlife" section of the grounds, on our way back we are to cross through the arch (being careful not to step on the door sill as a sign of respect) and call out in Chinese, "I'll be back!"  This way the spirits are not tempted to follow after us.

Having a guide is the best way to see the Ming Tombs, otherwise you don't know the history and you just feel like you're looking at architecture similar to the Forbidden City, so it wouldn't be worth the distance traveled.

After the Ming Tombs we visit the Great Wall, which I wrote about in the previous entry.  Sharon escorts us up there and gives us some history and background before leaving us to explore on our own.  Eventually we're to meet Sharon at Subway, and while we're waiting we eat lunch.  I enjoy the translation on the Lay's potato chips bag.

I assume it says "numb" because your lips are numb from the spice?  I don't know if these would be popular in the US.

What shape is this supposed to be?

As we drive back to Beijing, Steve sees a familiar sight - it's the IBM building.  You can see the letters in the upper right hand corner.  We also get to experience the Beijing traffic.  Even though they limit the cars, it's horrible.  (Each license plate ends in 0 - 9, and two of the numbers cannot drive on the road each day.  For example, license plates ending in 0 and 5 can't drive on Monday.)  No one pays any attention to basic rules of the road.  Cars, and big buses, cut into different lanes indiscriminately.  I edge closer to the center of our van because I don't want to sit by the door - it's too close to the other vehicles.

It's eight lanes like this - and there's only markings for five lanes on the road.

Hey, I think I see Michael Phelps!

Our next stop is one I've been looking forward to - the Bird's Nest!  I thought we would just hop out of the car and take a few photos, but it's in a huge complex, so we actually have to walk for quite a bit to get to it.  Sharon makes sure we're in the best spot for photos.















After going back to the hotel, we're a little tired, so we end up eating across the street at a Chinese restaurant (is there another kind in China?).  We order a bunch of dishes to share, but we overdid it a bit!  Too bad we can't take home the leftovers - we'll probably be hungry again in a couple of hours.

Yep - still the same clothes!