B**jing Weekend
I love travelling! I love breaking stereotypes of people. I love realizing that I was wrong all along.
Tiananmen Square is just that: a square. You just have to think about the hundreds of students died here to realize its historical significance. Forbidden City, on the other hand, is a whole different story. It is SOOOOO BIGGG!!! And I'm not exaggerating. The picture above is just a portion of the whole city. It really is a city. It's got 5 more of these when you enter the door in the middle, plus dozens of courtyard at the back and sides, and it's got a massive mote surrounding the whole area.
Night time was meant for the Olympic Village. I just realized that maybe the city is so beautiful because of the recent Olympics. I finally saw the Bird's Nest!!! It doesn't look so big from outside because you only see one part but I bet it's bigger from the inside. The Ice Cube looks so weird, it looks like its about to take off. I just found out that the bubbles are, in actuality, real bubbles! It's made of this special plastic that is held together by metals creating the bubble effect. AMAZING!
Day 3 was Once in a Lifetime Opportunity day with a climb to the Great Wall. I guess I don't need to explain more. Just read any other blog of people who have been to the Great Wall and I would have the same reaction.
Day 4 was Funky Shopping day with the coolest neighborhood in Beijing: Sanlitun. I should have skipped Wangfujing and went straight to the Village. It's a really nice mall with stuff that I would more likely buy. As a matter of fact I did! My only important purchase in Beijing was a Puma First Round Sketch in Gray. In conclusion, shopping here still has a long way to go as there are not a lot of selections and prices are considerably high.
Oh and by the way, it's nowhere near Hong Kong. It is a pretty flat city, with the tall buidings concentrated only in the Central Business District, the rest are low-rise buildings. The only explanation I could think of for this is that there is a law that prevents construction of anything higher than the highest point of the Forbidden City. Makes sense, doesn't it?
Take for instance the Chinese and China. Here are just some of the stereotypes we (or maybe it's just me) usually have with Chinese people.
1. Everyone is short, frail and thin.
2. They are rude and boisterous, shoving people in public.
3. Most are super traditional businessmen who have discipline and follow all rules.
4. Beijing is exactly like Hong Kong but bigger. Big tall buildings, small little alleys, and lots of people.
So when I went over to Beijing for a weekend, I was struck with lots of tall Chinese, some even taller than me. I guess it's the newer generation; I read/watched/heard somewhere that they younger generation is generally taller than the older one. It's a matter of better nutrition and better living conditions.
Aaaaanywaaaay... My first overseas trip was to Hong Kong so it shouldn't be very surprising that my initial contact with the Chinese are bad ones. Hong Kong Disneyland was the worst place to encounter them since everyone was shoving and trying to cut you off in lines. I was surprised that Beijingers, unlike other Chinese, are quite the cultured crowd. Everyone was very polite and quiet, unlike their southerly brothers.
Nevertheless, there are some rulebreakers. Not everyone is as disciplined as I thought they would be. There are still swervers and drivers who beat the red light. It is a pretty organized city though. There's not a lot of traffic, except for rush hour at the Financial District.
Day 1 was the Wangfujing day. One of the busiest streets in Beijing, it is dubbed the "Shopping Capital" of the city. Which isn't really. It was very disappointing because it's very... touristy. Lots of tourists flock the street for the biggest bargains, which I'm not interested in because I can always just buy the stuff in Divisoria. I was actually disappointed with a wallet I bought for 10 Yuan (converted to around P 70) which I saw in Divisoria a week after for P20 apiece! Oh well, it's the thought that I bought it in China that counts.
Day 2 was Chinese Culture 101 day with a visit to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. I've always thought that pictures NEVER do justice. Most of the time I just don't take pictures because it's a bother and it ruins the experience. I guess I always try to capture the most that I can to share to my friends but I'll have to study photography first.
Tiananmen Square is just that: a square. You just have to think about the hundreds of students died here to realize its historical significance. Forbidden City, on the other hand, is a whole different story. It is SOOOOO BIGGG!!! And I'm not exaggerating. The picture above is just a portion of the whole city. It really is a city. It's got 5 more of these when you enter the door in the middle, plus dozens of courtyard at the back and sides, and it's got a massive mote surrounding the whole area.
Night time was meant for the Olympic Village. I just realized that maybe the city is so beautiful because of the recent Olympics. I finally saw the Bird's Nest!!! It doesn't look so big from outside because you only see one part but I bet it's bigger from the inside. The Ice Cube looks so weird, it looks like its about to take off. I just found out that the bubbles are, in actuality, real bubbles! It's made of this special plastic that is held together by metals creating the bubble effect. AMAZING!
Day 3 was Once in a Lifetime Opportunity day with a climb to the Great Wall. I guess I don't need to explain more. Just read any other blog of people who have been to the Great Wall and I would have the same reaction.
Day 4 was Funky Shopping day with the coolest neighborhood in Beijing: Sanlitun. I should have skipped Wangfujing and went straight to the Village. It's a really nice mall with stuff that I would more likely buy. As a matter of fact I did! My only important purchase in Beijing was a Puma First Round Sketch in Gray. In conclusion, shopping here still has a long way to go as there are not a lot of selections and prices are considerably high.
Oh and by the way, it's nowhere near Hong Kong. It is a pretty flat city, with the tall buidings concentrated only in the Central Business District, the rest are low-rise buildings. The only explanation I could think of for this is that there is a law that prevents construction of anything higher than the highest point of the Forbidden City. Makes sense, doesn't it?
I'd love to come back! I feel there's more to this city to explore and more stereotypes to break. :)
posted by Rom / Rub according to the barista @ 10:55 AM
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