Beijing: the Forbidden City

Well. Time continues to fly a million miles an hour...and I have some catching up to do.

It was over a month ago now that Emily, Mom and I arrived in Beijing and jumped into a taxi headed for the Hutongs. But I remember it as clear as any other portion of the trip. Our goal the first day was to get into the Forbidden City before it closed...anything after that would be bonus. So I will say that we had quite the successful day in Beijing, despite some serious heat and the intense shine of the sun through the layer of pollution.

We arrived in the Hutongs at our hostel and took some time to get settled in and eat lunch. From there we hurried to the subway and made our way to the city center where Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City are located. The metro was absolutely packed...it seemed that we hit some sort of traffic at just the right moment; kids going to or from school, people going home from work, or perhaps it was just normal Beijing. Either way, we arrived at the city center and walked outside to see the entrance to the Forbidden City on our right and Tiananmen Square on our left. Absolutely mind blowing at first sight...to think of ALL the history in this specific area was incredible.

There was quite the crowd, but it wasn't too bad. It was pretty hot that day, I can remember forgetting to bring a water bottle and being too stubborn to pay for water...and I regretted that decision later as my lips felt like sandpaper and my throat as dry as cardboard. The sun was out but it was hard to tell with the polluted haze overhead. It was somewhat of a searing heat.

We walked through a couple different levels of walls before entering the actual City, but when we did it blew me away. There was a phenomenal size and grandeur to the place. I felt like I was in Mulan where the Huns attack the city filled with people. The beauty and architectural glory of the Forbidden City is truly remarkable. I was loving it. One could certainly get lost just exploring the place and could take literally all day to do it...and you still would run out of time. There were all sorts of side alleys and maze like areas to discover off the main areas. The gardens were also very lovely to the rear of the Palace. Pretty cool trees and gardening skill.

After our time in the Forbidden City we walked across the street to Tiananmen Square, which is really nothing more than that...a large square in the midst of the government building, the palace, the history museum and the rest of the city. It was nothing but paved ground...no shrubbery, no fountains, no seating, nothing to encourage any kind of gatherings I suppose. There were police everywhere and two huge screens which were showing a celebratory communist anniversary video.

For dinner we wanted to eat Peking duck and we went on quite the adventure to find this specific restaurant that we eventually found with the help of several different people and lots of walking. The duck was a good experience and it really did taste good...but thinking back to it now makes me sick. The cuts of duck were so fatty and rich, oh I think I'm going to puke just thinking about it. I ate a lot that night and regretted it later on that evening. The rest of the carcass that was not sliced finely for us was cooked in bits and parts and given to us in a bowl to gnaw on. Almost like eating fried chicken, with bones and stuff inside.

After dinner we got back on the metro and headed to the Olympic Park, the site of the 2008 Olympics. The Bird's Nest (main stadium) and Water Cube (swimming arena where Phelps broke the record) were in this area along with the basketball arena and a few other areas and the giant torch. First of all, I love the Olympics so it is always special to see an actual Olympic site. Secondly, this meant that I had been to the last four summer Olympic host cities (Atlanta, USA; Sydney, AUSTRALIA; Athens, GREECE; Beijing, CHINA) within the year which is pretty cool, if I do say so myself.

All in all it was a fantastic day. An exhausting day. But a full and enjoyable day...great way to kick off Beijing!

Here is the video of our first day:

Beijing Part 2 is coming soon. Summer is almost over, which I am actually very thankful for...while it has been good I can finally say that I am looking forward to more routine in my life. Pretty soon I will probably be begging for some unplanned adventure to occur...but until then I look to the future with eager anticipation while I press through the present.

-b garrison