Two Days on the Train

We awoke at 6 am so that we could shower and eat breakfast and get our things together, in order to leave for the station by 7:00 am.  Our train was scheduled to leave at 8:48 am, so we gave ourselves plenty of time to spare.  We finished breakfast, and grabbed a cab back to the train station.  This would be the third time we had been at the Xian Railway Station.   We arrived via cab around 7:30 and entered the crowded station.  We found our way upstairs only after asking a local for directions.  The sign above the room read Tibet waiting area and there was a line that seemed to be moving very slowly.  We looked around and deciphered that we had to show our Tibet Travel passes, and our Passports.  The man who was taking them was handwriting each into a log; he asked us to sign and date.  Upon entering the waiting room we noticed a mural on the back wall, which displayed several recognizable characters.  Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Astro Boy (John told us about this one), Donald Duck, and several other characters.  We also seemed to be the only Westerners in the entire room, so we found a spot in the back corner and waited.  Our train was scheduled to depart from Xian at 8:48 am, and the time was 8:30, we were a bit worried because the Chinese always seem to run on time and we did not feel like being left in the Xian train station.  We attempted to walk through the gate but were stopped just on the other side.  When we returned to our seats we noticed a pair of westerners carrying backpacks and approaching our seats.  They sat down in front of us and unloaded their things.  We also noticed two adorable little Chinese boys who were displaying teamwork at it’s finest as they pushed a wooden table from one spot to the next to the next. 

After another five minutes we decided we should try again to enter the gate and assess the situation.  We were again flatly refused, so we returned to our seats a bit confused and worried.  I finally mustered up the courage to introduce myself to the fellow westerners.  I found out that their names were Dan and Susie; they were traveling from London and were on a yearlong trip around the world.  They also did not speak Chinese but reassured me that the train was scheduled to depart upon arrival from Beijing.   After another five minutes or so, everyone in the room stood up, lined up and began entering the gate.  We boarded the train, we were in car number 6, and Dan and Susie were in car 5.  We quickly learned that it is always a great idea to board a train from its originating point and not along the route.  We opened our train cabin door and it was a wreck; sheets, pillows, and bedding strewn about and disheveled.  We found one of the train employees and did our best to point and display that we needed new sheets.  It must have worked because a few minutes later he returned with all new sheets. We would have to deal with the pillows, and bedding. 

We were relieved to find that we would be the only three travelers in our cabin and as the train pulled out of the station our 36-hour jaunt to Lhasa began.  For the first several hours the landscape was tiered hills, and a lot of greenery.  It was nice to see the sun and the mountains.  Time actually was passing fairly quickly.  David and John slept most of the first day, while I talked with Susie and Dan about their travels, and listened to music.  John, David and I attempted to play cards but instead decided to eat lunch.  We ordered the chicken and vegetables, and rice, and two Budweiser’s.   Soup came with the lunch and was fairly bland.  John and I tried to sauce it up a bit and attempted to decipher which container held the Soy Sauce and which held the Vinegar.   I asked the waitress and she replied “You Try “ and pointed to my spoon.  So I tried the first one, pouring a bit into my spoon and it was definitely vinegar. I passed this to John and then put some of the soy sauce into my soup.  Soon after our chicken and rice came out to us and we were all munching away.  After lunch we decided we were too tired to play cards and instead fell into our “MSG Coma’s”.  John by this point had dubbed our train the Ether train because he seemed to be sleeping the entire time. 

Over the course of our 36 hours we passed the time with a combination of sleeping, writing our blogs’ for later posting, reading (I am reading The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, David is reading A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, and John finished The Boy in the Striped Pajamas) talking, sharing stories about each other, watching movies, playing Snood and Tetris, talking to Susie and Dan, and also using the restrooms on the train.  The later proved to be a bit more challenging at times because the toilets would not always flush.  I was able to finally see “Sex in the City” the movie thanks to a pirated version purchased in Beijing by David.  My review from the train……”I loved it, I actually cried at the end”  I also watched Varsity Blues on the train.  In addition I was able to upload and edit all of my pictures for later use.    36 hours on a train does not necessarily go by quickly, but it does give you a chance to decompress and be alone with your thoughts.  It is an illusion of sorts that you are on an adventure, traveling as they have for years and years, while avoiding the luxuries of planes.  It also allows you unique experiences such as landscape and scenery of China.  Afterall, this is the highest train in the world. 

Around Midnight all three of us had fallen asleep for the night.  It was sometime around 2 or 3 that I awoke to a bright light.  I looked out the window and focused my eyes and was greeted by one of the most spectacular nighttime skies I had ever seen.  You could see Orion clearly along with millions of other stars.  I poked David but he was already awake taking in the same scene.  I just watched the stars for some time as the train chugged along through the night.  Sometime over the next hour I fell back asleep and remained sleeping until I was awoken by the intense sunshine coming through our train cabin window.  We were in the mountains, clear blue skies and bright sunshine all around us. We began to notice little mountain villages along the way as well as the occasional inhabitant of the town who would wave to the train as it passed by.  We also noticed heards of sheep, cattle, and horses as well as yak lying in the river streams.  The scenery was beautiful, lush green hills with snowcapped mountains peering over the top.  WE all agreed that the train had definitely been the way to go. 

 The rest of the trip has been essentially the same and as I am writing this I have about an hour until we reach our destination of Lhasa.  We will be meeting up with two women, Fran and Mirjam, who worked with David during the games in Beijing, and doing our tour of Lhasa over the next five days.  We are all extremely excited to be in Lhasa, and I look forward to sharing my experiences with all of you.  David and I realized that this was Labor Day weekend in the states, so I would like to extend to everyone a safe and joyful holiday weekend.  Normally for me it would feature bar-b-que and something outdoors to mark the changing of the seasons.  I wish you all the best, from Lhasa, Tibet, China.

A Day in Xian

We arrived in Xian and were greeted by a persistent rain.  The air was much cooler than it had been in Beijing, and noticeably cleaner.  Our tour guide Kellie greeted us outside the station with a sign that read, “David Daldwin”.  She introduced herself to us, and we told her that we needed to first purchase tickets to Lhasa, for tomorrow morning.  She led us to the station, which was an absolute madhouse and we took our places in line.  It was not until then that Kellie reminded us that we would need our Tibet Tourist Permit in order to purchase the tickets.  David had been working with the Tibetan Tour Company and had them shipped to our hotel in Xian.  We called the hotel and much to our dismay the permits had yet to arrive.  We decided it best to begin our tour of Xian with Kellie, and to have her check back with the hotel.  We loaded our things into the van that had been assigned to us for the day, a nice, fairly new VW van and headed off to our first stop.  During the course of our transportation we learned that Kellie had been a tour guide for two years.  She first took us to a “Terra Cotta Warrior” factory.  They showed us the procedure for making a terra cotta warrior.  In reality it was yet another ploy from the tourist agencies, trying to get the westerners to purchase items.  I am assuming she most likely made a commission off of any sale, or for even bringing us there.  Nevertheless, it was still interesting to see the Chinese craftsmen hard at work.  We left without buying anything and continued on to our next destination, the famous “Terra Cotta Warriors”.

The drive through the rain took about an hour, and we made small talk along the way.  Once we arrived we were handed three umbrellas from the driver, thank goodness he had them because at this point it was essentially a torrential downpour.  Kellie led us onward and purchased the tickets we needed.   We were instructed of the order of events for the day; first we would eat lunch, then we would see pit number three, then two then one.  We had actually requested this order because we were all so hungry and we were instructed that going from the smallest pit to the largest would be the most impressive way to see the warriors.  

Our lunch was the typical Chinese lunch buffet, complete with noodles, soup, rice, chicken with vegetables, dumplings, cucumbers, and a few other select items.  We found the food to be tasty, but at that point I think we would have eaten just about anything in front of us.  We managed to stuff ourselves and decided we were ready to begin exploring the Terra Cotta Warriors.   Kellie led us to Pit # 3, the smallest of the pits. 

The building was wide open and we stood above the excavated pits peering down upon the ancient warriors. The lights were dimmed giving the terra cotta a distinct golden hue. Some of them were in tact after repair and others were in pieces lying in the dirt and rubble.  They were still so life-like, seemingly alert and ready to defend the tomb.  Some of them looked like fallen soldiers, leaning to one side or another.

We learned that the emperor’s of China were buried with their soldiers when they died.  Sometimes, the soldiers would be buried alive if the emperor died prior to the soldiers’ death.  This was an act of protection for the emperor’s tomb.  In the case of the Terra Cotta Warriors, the Emperor used a combination of living soldiers and terra cotta constructed warriors.  We continued on to Pit # 2, which was a bit larger and contained a few different figures, along with Terra Cotta horses.

Pit # 1 however was the most impressive of them all.  The warriors had been excavated in pieces and put back together, fully intact, and placed in their original positions.  It looked like a little army gathering to march forward and serve and protect.   Parts of Pit #2 and Pit # 1 were still being excavated and preserved, and there were additional pits that were not open to the public.  We left the warriors feeling satisfied with our trip.  I think the consensus was that we were very happy to have visited. 

  When we arrived we decided we all needed jackets in order to stay warm and protect us from the rain.  We searched through our luggage, found the jackets and put them on.  Even with the jackets it was still a bit miserable outside.  Kellie led us upstairs to a museum where we learned all about Feng Shui.  We were taught that upon receiving a Feng Shui dragon you must rub the ears, then the beard, then the wings, then the feet, and finally the butt for good luck.  We also learned that businesses would prosper if they were located within a Feng Shui building, protected from the wind and guarded by water.   Of course after learning all about Feng Shui they “released” us to look around and wander amongst the Feng Shui items for sale.   We milled about but purchased nothing, and then made our way back outside into the pouring rain.  By this time the wind had also picked up, so our stay on top of the City Wall was very short lived.

We decided it would be best to head for the Wild Goose Pagoda, a Buddhist temple in Xian.  The drive took about 20 minutes and after a long night on the train and a day of touring in the rain we all lounged and relaxed. 

We arrived at the Wild Goose Pagoda after sitting in a bit of traffic.  It was approximately 4:30 in the afternoon, and still raining.   We walked to the entrance and continued on through the temple.  Compared to a few of the temples I saw in Beijing, I was fairly unimpressed. This temple was much more modern than the others.  But the detail and architecture was still very impressive, as were some of the jade carvings on the walls of the temples.  We left the temple feeling satisfied and ready to put on dry socks, take a shower and attempt to do the unimaginable; buy tickets to Lhasa on the train. 

Our tour dropped us off at Xian City Hotel, not the nicest accommodations in the world, but it served its purpose of a shower and a dry clean bed.  We had a bedroom with two double beds, and a roll away bed and we paid 115 RMB each, approximately 15 dollars each for our room.  We also had a package waiting for us at the hotel, which contained our Tibet Travel Permits.

Equipped with the permits in hand, we hopped into a cab and headed to the train station.  The train station of course was crowded as usual.  We found our place in line once again and were asked to show our passports and desired destination.  The officer recorded all of this information by hand and we were directed towards the first line available.  Everyone had told us that train tickets to Lhasa would ne nearly impossible to acquire in Xian.  Because in China they only allow you to purchase tickets four days in advance it complicates things.  It must have been our lucky day because within 15 minutes we left the station tickets in hand, headed for dinner.  What a day it had been, and tomorrow signaled yet another adventure, a 36 hour train to Lhasa. 

 

 

THe Beginning of an Adventure

Darkness fell over Beijing and three travelers embarked upon an adventure through Asia.  It was a cool night for the Beijing summer and the city was recovering post Olympic games.   It had been a show for the ages and as the travelers gathered their things they knew the time had come to move on to other adventures, leaving behind the city that had been their home for over a month.  They met at China Peoples Palace Hotel, what had become the headquarters for the JetSet bowling league, and grabbed a cab towards the Beijing West Railway Station, not knowing what the coming days would bring.  Even though they had worked together for a month they had very little knowledge of one another.  Two of them, John and David had worked together previously in Torrino, Italy. David and Ethan knew each other briefly from living in Chicago and having some mutual friends.  But this would be the most time they had ever spent together one on one. 

Small talk ensued as they rode towards the station.  Talk of their upcoming trip, their past 40 days in Beijing, and company gossip helped to calm any nerves they faced.  John was an experienced traveler having spent almost ¾ of the year on the road for work.  David was moderately experienced, and the third, Ethan, had little to no international experience.  None of them spoke Chinese at any recognizable level.  They had found the language barrier to be more difficult than expected but due to Chinese hosts, and a moderately westernized Beijing it had not been difficult to this point. 

The cab pulled into the station and it seemed that half of Beijing was attempting to take a train that night.  They unloaded their things from the cab, hoisted their luggage onto to their backs and took their places in line.  It was like hearding cattle through a gate, one at a time.  The line took about fifteen minutes to get inside and once inside it seemed to be sheer madness, with no rhyme or reason.  There were people everywhere, hustling to their appropriate gates, with what seemed to be no regard for those around them.  Pushing, shoving their way through the masses.  It smelled of hay and a lack of personal hygiene.  They found their way to a information desk, presented their tickets and hoped that the person would point them in the correct direction.  Train Z19 to Xian. ”Go to the wait room,” she said, and directed them across the large, open room.  They entered under a sign that read “Wait Room” and were greeted by a room filled with Chinese families and a few Westerners.  They found two seats in the back corner of the room and attempted to figure out the process to board.  After setting their things down, two of them headed for the restroom, which also appeared to be the smoking lounge.  David lined up at the urinal and Ethan found a stall.  The stall had no toilet, just a hole in the ground, with running water.  Ethan was relieved that he only had to pee because squatting above the hole seemed so awkward and unfamiliar to him.  Ethan exited and washed his hands at the sink as David was drying his.  They both exited and walked towards the counter of one of the small shops in the wait room.  David looked around for some chocolate while Ethan simply milled.  After a few minutes Ethan decided he wanted some ice cream.  He stood above the refrigerator examining the packages of the different ice cream bars.  Doing his best to decipher the true contents of the package he decided upon a chocolate coated bar, with a purple ice cream inside.  He paid the 5 RMB for the bar and walked back to his friends.  They were ready to board the train, so they slugged their things onto their backs and walked towards the gate.  John led the way, followed by David and then Ethan.  Ethan had opened the ice cream bar and was busy attempting to eat quickly, while walking through the gate.  They speculated upon the purple ice cream’s true flavor.  “Blueberry, perhaps?”  Whatever it was, it did not matter; it simply became another non-descript yet edible item of food. 

They found the appropriate gate after being pointed in the right direction and walked down the stairs towards the train.  They were in the last car of the train, and in sleeper beds in separate rooms.  They had purchased three top bunk tickets, and each room was equipped with two top bunks and two bottom bunks.  David was the lucky one who was relegated to staying with the neighbors.  He would spend the night with an Asian couple and their adorable little girl, who appeared to be around 5 or 6 years old.  Ethan and John would spend their next 13 hours with two men from Xian, who had been in Beijing on business.

They two men were very friendly and spoke a bit of English, probably a little more than the Chinese that Ethan and John were able to speak, but not much.  From the limited amount of conversation the four had they were able to talk about where they were from, what they did for work, and how long they had been in Beijing and Xian.  They also recommended trying some sort of sheep meat for a meal in Xian. 

John and Ethan found the beds to be comfortable enough to make due, and luckily had tired themselves enough from the flurry of activity the day before that they were able to sleep, somewhat through the night. 

The train rocked back and forth, and there was at some point of the night an incessant high pitched, banging noise that seemed to come from directly above their sleeper.  

Sometime around 7 am Ethan and John were awoken by the sound of the conductor, who asked them to “please awake so as to have an enjoyable day in Xian.”  The train was not even set to arrive until 8:24 am, so it seemed a bit odd to them that they needed to be awake an hour and a half prior to the train arrival.  They both drifted off to sleep once again, only to be reawaken by someone banging on their door.  They opened it a bit curiously and at the door stood one of the train workers’ who entered the cabin, reached down to the floor and pulled the plastic bag from the trashcan.  Once again feeling a bit surprised at the inconsiderate nature of this “wake up call” the boys looked at one another and simply shrugged.  By this point the train had turned the radios in the rooms on and a U.S. song came over the radio.  Usher’s “Let it Burn” played first and then Norah Jones, “Sunrise”, followed by more Chinese music. 

The train arrived precisely on time in Xian, and David, Ethan and John grabbed their things and left the train.  Upon exiting the station they were greeted by a tour guide who was waiting for David Daldwin.  A persistent rain that would last for the entire day in Xian also greeted them.  

Xian

Day one of our adventure began in the pouring rain in a new city. WE arrived in the city of Xian and toured all day long.  I am going to update my post when I get to Tibet in two days.  I just wanted to ensure everyone that we are safe, healthy, well fed, and resting for our trip to Tibet.  36 hours on a train, we leave at 7 am tomorrow for the train station.  Stay Tuned. 

See You on the Flip Side

I sit here in my Hotel room for the last hour reflecting upon the experiences I have had for the past 40 days.  I have never had anything compare to this experience in my life.  I learned, I lived, I loved, I laughed, I cried, I sweated, and rarely slept.  We truly worked and played hard.  ANd we all came together in unity to make Beijing 2008 the experience that it was. i now embark on a journey through China leaving so any behind.  There is so much to say and remember about this trip.  I made some new friends for life hopefully.  I truly hope that everyone will stay in touch.  Trevor, Matt, Dean, David, David B. JOhn, Julia, Audrey, Leslie, Max, Rick, Lynn, Margaret, all my CHinese hosts and hostesses.....ok this sounds a bit like an Oscar speeech now.  It is running on too long, and I hear the music telling me to move on. I board a train tonight for Xian, then on to Tibet.  I will miss Beijing and all of it's wackiness.  But I will never forget the times we had!!! Heres to Vancouver and onto London!!!!! 

We Say Our Goodbyes

After a month of working and living in Beijing it is time to say goodbye.  I have met so many great people and hopefully made some connections that will be long lasting.  Tonight was just phase one of a three part process.  We had our host and hostesses from our program, along with all of the managers for appetizers and drinks at the Hard Rock Cafe Beijing.  This group of local students have been so amazing.  We really did have the best group of kids to work with.  They were so eager to help and to teach us about their city and culture.  In addition they were eager to learn from us as well.  Here are some pictures from the evening as we said our goodbyes and parted ways for the time being.  We have a big company party tomorrow night and then one final outing to the Great Wall before we all depart for our various destinations. We are all sad to go as this was a wonderful experience for all of us.   

Farewell Speeches

Summer Palace

The Summer Palace is located in northwest suburban Beijing and is the largest and most complete imperial garden existing in China. It was first built in the 12th century as an imperial palace. It was a gorgeous day yet again in Beijing and Joey and I decided that we had to visit the Palace, as it was one of the few places we had yet to go. 

The Summer Palace features hilly walkways and a lot of water scenery. It is situated on The Kunming Lake, which makes up four-fifths of the royal park. There is the Long Corridor running east-west along the lake as well as the Pavilion of the Fragrance of Buddha, the Sea of Wisdom, and the Hall of Dispelling the Clouds and Suzhou Street standing south to north on the Longevity Hill are the major scenic spots. The Pavilion of the Fragrance of Buddha which stands 41 meters high, is decorated with glazed tiles. The Marble Boat at the western end of the Long Corridor is a noted structure on water. Built in 1755, is made completely out of marble.

We arrived via subway at the Bagou station and hailed a cab to the South entrance of the Summer Palace.  The cabbie dropped us off and we were on our way.  We entered the gate and found a ticket office to buy tickets for the boat that would take us across Kunming Lake and to the Summer Palace.  The ticket was 10 RMB, and was a one way ticket, which unbeknownst to us would cause issues a little later in the day.  We boarded the dragon boat and were on our way.  You could see the Summer Palace directly in front of us to the North.  To the South was the seventeen arches bridge which connected the mainland to the island.  Our boat arrived and we de-boarded and began walking along the The Long Corridor.  It was such a nice day out, I think everyone had the same idea that Joey and I had.  TO come and spend time in the park on such a wonderful, pleasant Beijing day. 

As I walked The Long Corridor I noticed that it is richly decorated with paintings on the beams and the ceiling. In total, I learned that there are more than 14,000 paintings, which depict episodes from different Chinese classical literature, folk tales, both historical and legendary figures, and famous Chinese buildings and landscapes along with flowers, birds, fish, and insects. In each of the four pavilions, there are two major paintings over the two doorways on the eastern and western sides.

Joey and I turned left at the next gate and paid another small fee for admittance to Longevity HIll. We began our ascent up the steep and narrow stairs towards the Tower of the Fragrance, the highest point on Longevity HIll. Originally built during the reign of Emperor Qianlong and burned down by the Anglo-French Allied Forces in 1860, it was rebuilt in its original style during Emperor Guangxu’s reign (1875-1908). We stopped and took photos along the way of different points of the city, the lake, the seventeen arches bridge.  Also, we just needed a rest from all the stairs we had climbed, talk about a natural stair master workout. All along the way we noticed the intricate detail and precision that everything had been constructed with. Some of the buildings had clearly been renovated more recently, and a few were still in progress.  The difference was vast, and noticeable. After wandering around the Tower of Frangrance we continued on to the next section of the Hill, a section which became my favorite area of the entire park.  We actually sort of stumbled across it without realizing where we were going.  

An area known as the Sea of Wisdom Temple featured an arch-shaped structure built with bricks and stones without the support of a single beam or pillar . Constructed in the reign of Emperor Qianlong, the hall’s roof and murals were finished with colored glaze and decorated with statuettes of the Infinite Longevity Buddha. These along with the statue of Buddha inside the temple are all relics from the reign of Emperor Qianlong. The characters inscribed on both sides of the decorated stone archway form the text of a Buddhist hymn which says: “The Realm of Popular Fragrance, the forests of god; the seas of wisdom and the auspicious clouds.”

We continued on to the other side of the HIll and were greeted with the sight of several more layers of the Palace.  There were towers, and stairs and rock, all situated on the backside of the hill.  We navigated our way down to the plaza so that we could take in the Palace in all of it's splendor.   After looking around for a bit we decided to head back over the top of the hill, which of course meant more stairs to climb.  I told you, it was an incredible leg workout that day.  Back on the other side of the hill we found more areas to explore.  We stumbled across a lake with large lilly pads, and walkways crossing the lake in a maze like formation.  There was a musician playing a traditional Chinese song in the background.  We walked the circumference of the lake and continued back towards the main Long Corridor.  At this point it was around 4:45 p.m. and we were still under the impression that we could purchase another ticket and ride the boat back across the lake. We could not find any ticket offices that were open at this point, and soon we learned that they stopped running at 4 p.m.   That meant walking all the way around the lake.  It was doable, but remember we had been walking and climbing all day long.  After about a 30 minute walk we were back on the other side of the lake and decided that since we were there we should wander out over the seventeen arches bridge and onto the island.  On the bridge there were four different men who were flying colorful Kites.  I was amazed at how far up in the air the Kites were. I tried my best to take a picture that would display this to you.  It really was amazing.   After crossing the bridge we headed to the back side of the island to take in the sunset over the mountains.  It was so beautiful out there.  It really was a wonderful place and one of my favorite days spent in Beijing.  

The Forbidden CIty

Another beautiful day in Beijing, the sun shone brightly and there was not a cloud in the sky. The temperature was mid 70's-low 80's with a slight breeze. As far as weather is concerned, we have had a very pleasant time here.  The smog has not been as noticeable as of late, that is not to say that we did not notice it at all.  There were some days where we could not see across the street because it was so bad.  But lately we have had several beautiful days.  I woke up and decided that I had yet to see one of the more historic sights of Beijing, the Forbidden City.  I knew it was only two subway stops away so I walked to the Jianguomen station and boarded the subway bound for Tian'anmen East.  The subway was packed wall to wall , as usual, so I assumed my position in the middle of the aisle, standing and holding on to the handle to keep my balance.  They truly just pack on the subway, with little regard to that personal

 bubble that we seem to enjoy in the states. I arrived at Tian'anmen Station and shoved my way through the crowd, this is exactly what you have to do in order to de-board the train.  Throwing elbows, pushing, shoving and exerting pressure until the crowd bursts and you can step through the quickly closing doors and onto the platform.   I walked out of the station, up the stairs and was immediately greeted by two chinese men and one chinese woman.  The men tried to sell me a variety of goods, from "Rolex" watches, to Olympic Hats.  "5 for 20 RMB," he said.   "No, No, OK How about 10?"  He could not understand that I just had no use for 5 Olympic hats of poor quality.  The woman offered to be my guide for the day at the Forbidden City.  She assured me that her English was impeccable.  When I told her no thanks, and showed her that I had purchased an audio guide for my tour she quickly offered to take me to the Great Wall tomorrow and to be my English speaking guide.  I politely declined yet again, and started walking toward the Meridian Gate of the Forbidden City.   With my ear piece in, the voice began speaking and informed that I was entering the Forbidden City, a land of peril and wonder.  I was getting excited!  She told stories of warriors, emperors, battles, fires, attempts to over throw the leaders.  I looked around and there in front of me was the Inner Golden Stream, with five bridges leading over the stream.

The middle bridge was exclusively for the emperor, the next two for the Nobles, and the last two for the High Ranking officials.  I crossed the imperial bridge and headed toward the first hall, the Gate of Supreme Harmony.

It is the highest gate in the imperial city and it was here where the emperor would meet with dignitaries and high ranking officials.  They also held banquets here.  Looking inside I noticed the attention to detail.  Every last piece of this building was handcrafted, with no nails.  I walked around the outside of the building and was directed towards a marble sun dial.  It had been the official clock of the imperial city, and only the emperor was allowed to give the official time and date in the imperial city.  

Continuing on around the building I stepped through a doorway and into the Hall of Middle Harmony, behind that was the Hall of Preserving Harmony.  

I continued on through the tour listening to the tid bits of information that the tour guide provided.  The last stop of the Forbidden City was the Imperial Garden, where the high ranking officials came for relaxation.  It was a splendid Chinese Garden with ancient Pine trees.  It truly looked like a place for rest and relaxation. 

I left the garden and the Forbidden City just in time for closing.  I looked around for a cab but found none that were unoccupied.  So, I started wandering in the general direction of my hotel.  I made a right turn and headed down one of the streets to the east of the Forbidden City.  There were various little shops and massage parlors, and finally I stumbled across three different art galleries.  I wandered in and examined some of the Chinese Artists work.  I found a few I liked, purchased them and then headed on my way.  I finally found a cab, hopped in and headed to my hotel.  Upon my arrival I briefly stopped in my hotel, freshened up and headed back out to the Yashow Market. It was the day to pick up my tailor fit shirts.  I arrived at Yashow and of course was immediately greeted by the familiar sounds of store owners..."You want a shirt?, How about some Jeans?"  I was on a mission, I needed to get those shirts I had purchased.  I made it safely upstairs to the third floor, Anne's Tailor shop, found my shirts and tried them on.  They fit perfectly, like a glove.  I was content, and paid the remaining 100 rmb for my four shirts.  But, I paused as I spotted more fabric that I really liked.  "Should I buy a couple more", I thought to myself ?  In the end I could not leave without buying a few more shirts.  I purchased three more fabrics and headed out of the store.  At this point I was extremely hungry, and decided I wanted to eat at Face, one of our dine around restaurants.  Face is a unique experience, with three separate restaurants all housed within one building.  One is Indian food, one Chinese, and one Thai food. We chose the Indian, as I think we have had our fill of Chinese for the time being.  We sat down, ordered Nan bread, Butter Chicken, Saffron Shrimp, Vegetable Kabobs, Rice, and Samosa's.  

Bling, Bling Gold Medal Ceremonies

Tonight was a night of gold, as I witnessed three gold medal ceremonies.  I was essentially bar hopping from one venue to the next to the next, taking in all the Olympic glory that I was able to sustain in one night's time.  After a relaxing day, I met up with Max at the Soho Office and headed out.  Max had ridden his bike to work so I hopped on the back of his electric bike and he rode me to the subway.  He dropped me off and we agreed to meet at the Dhongzhimen Station, near his apartment. I walked into the subway and boarded the Line 1, took it one stop west and then boarded the blue line to the North, which I took for 3 stops.  I exited out of Gate A, upon Max's request, met up with him and hopped on his bike once again. On our way to his apartment we turned a corner and were greeted by the incessant yapping of a ferocious little red dog.  He was one of those little dogs that maybe had a little of the small dog syndrome as he lashed out towards anything larger and moving.  We rode to his apartment where he changed clothes and then we grabbed a cab and headed out to the Woman's Water Polo Gold Medal match....the US versus Holland!  We found our seats and quickly discovered we were seated in the Holland athletes family and friends section, clearly unacceptable.  Max gave it the old college try, to get us into another section, but security was pretty tight and in the end we found two seats a bit closer to the middle of the pool.  The game began with four successive goals from the Nederlands, and their fans were certainly letting us hear it.  Even though we were completely not sure how to interpret it.  The US scored two goals and the game seemed to get much more evenly matched.  You could hear the US fans.....U...S...A....U....S....A.  and then the Holland fans would shout back....It was a very raucous crowd, perhaps a few drinks had been passed around....Max and I were sure to join in the cheering, and we also shouted USA..USA....Max even started losing his voice a little bit.  This was his first water polo match.  It was very high scoring, very intense and came down to one final shot for the US woman's team.   From the doorstep of the goal, one last valiant attempt for U.S. Gold was thwarted by the Netherlands goalie. Just like that, agonizingly close.  As we sat and watched the medal ceremony we realized just how disappointed we were.  We had really hoped to sing the US National Anthem, something we have yet to witness first hand.  Following the water polo match at the Natatorium, we debated about which activity to check out next.  After another cold, frosty budweiser (yes I am supporting my hometown of St. Louis) we headed in the direction of the water cube.  The approach we took to the water cube and the Olympic Green was all lit up....the Cube shining it's distinct, water-esque blue color and the vibrant red of the Birds Nest, with the Olympic Media Tower  peering over the top of the Nest.

It was then that Max and I realized just how lucky we truly are to be able to experience what we have.  According to Max, the spot we were standing in was "one of my favorite spots, this approach to the Olympic Green, when I realize exactly where I am and what I am doing." I agreed whole heartedly with him on this one.  We finally had decided to head in the direction of the water cube, where woman's diving final round was taking place.  We did not have tickets for this event but knew that we could use our accreditation to enter the building.  From there it was up to us to navigate and maneuver our way into the event.  Most of them are extremely easy to get into, but BOCOG cracks own on the Gold Medal Matches.  Max and I walked quickly past the volunteers without a second thought.  I have learned that as long as you seem to know where you are going and you go with a purpose no one will stop you.  We made it through to the inside of the Cube, and now had to try and find a seat.  This proved to be a bit more difficult than we thought.  We took a moment to take in woman's diving. The twists, turns and somersaults in midair, coming off of a high dive, it was incredible.  I am still not sure how these people make their bodies twist like they do.

We arrived in time to see the final round of the finals.  Round 5, saw a Canadian female diver lead for the majority of the final round.  However, on the last dive of the night something magical happened.  The final diver was a member of the Chinese team.  She made her approach, calmly stopped, gracefully turned, paused, arms extend, and then into the air she went.  Two seconds later or so, she hit the water perfectly, with a tiny splash and the crowd went nuts.  Every Chinese person in that stadium, hollering, screaming, high fiving.  THey all knew she had done well, but when the final scores came in, 4 perfect 10's, two 9.5's.  The Chinese female had clinched the gold on the final dive of the night.  

Our last stop for the night was the Indoor Stadium for Handball, a sport I know very little about.  This game proved to be yet another gold medal match, which Russia won.  The game itself was explained to me as "soccer but with hands" and it seemed that way to me.  We were there for the final period, or quarter, I am not so sure on this one.   

At this point Max and I decided that we were hungry and should probably eat something. We headed via subway to the Sanlitun district in an effort to meet some other friends at some point in time.  Max led me to this "Chwar" place, which makes grilled meats for a very inexpensive price.  We ordered a couple of tall Tsingtaos, practically like water these days for me, along with some chwar and a rice dish (I had the Kung Pao Chicken and Max had the Savory version of the Kung Pao)  While waiting for our food we made small talk with the neighboring table, two guys from South Africa and a woman from Beijing.  The woman was extremely interested in Max's chinese.  The gentlemen was in school and had been here for 3 months, with 9 more to go.  Max wished him all the best, while silently cheering for having just 9 days left before going home.