China in all it's umm, glory!!??

So the Chinese New Year passed. Giovanna and I took ourselves on a four day excursion around Beijing. I won’t do a full report of the trip but will mention a few high and low lights from the trip.

We had booked ourselves on a package deal. I wouldn’t usually do this kind of thing, as more often than not they frustrate you on many accounts, with the most annoying being that you’re a mere two people in a group of 20 or so. This time we were very lucky. It was just us both. We had our own personal tour guide, driver and luxury mini-bus. Also included in the deal was ALL meals, 3 nights stay in four-star hotel, entry to all the attractions and any of the other nit-bits that you usually have to pay for.

Our first stop was the Tiananmen Square. A vast area mostly made up of concrete, which is the home to some important ‘chats’. Ha Ha, it does carry a lot more significance than that, but this is my blog and not a regurgitated copy of Wikipedia. So if you would like to know hard facts on these historical landmarks, and the others that I’m going to mention, then use other means.

Second on our excursion was the Forbidden City. Quite stunning! Although they were doing some repairs so about 40% of it was covered in scaffolding. I’m not the enthusiast that one would hope when it comes to buildings of historical significance, so please accept my apologies if you feel I don’t joyfully divulge the ‘glory’ details of my experience.

In the evening of day one we were treated to, what I am now calling the highlight of the trip, some Chinese Acrobatics. It was intense from the off. The physique on some of these kids, teenagers, and early 20 something’s was phenomenal. I can’t really describe what some of them were doing, but I do recall turning to Giovanna half way through the show and referring to the show as “some kind of freak show”. They were throwing themselves around the stage, up and down poles, from rope to rope, pole to pole with no safety nets, equipment or anything that sounded or looked like a health and safety briefing. Pure madness. But the pure madness made the show a thrilling spectacle that I would recommend to anyone, expect the faint hearted.

Friday was The Great Wall of China day. I’m too disappointed to even comment on this. All I will say is that we were taken, it seems by other people’s photography, to the least attractive part of the wall. Just means I have an excuse to go back to China one day.

Friday night we went to see ‘The Legend of Kung-Fu’ at a very nice theatre. I think we were so spoilt the night before, with the gasp fuelled acrobatics show, that this theatrical show came across as more of a chore than a Chinese spectacle. I had bought a DVD before the show, following a tip off from our guide that this would be the best thing we will ever watch. What a waste of money that was, although I do have friends back home that love the whole Kung-Fu fighting thing – so if you’re reading this, then you now know what your gift is going to be on my return. (RICK)

Saturday was a beautiful day and we went to two very gorgeous and stunning attractions. The Temple of Heaven was fantastically stunning and very interesting (when you know the thought process behind the structure and architecture of the temple). And secondly The Summer Palace. I think the later of these two places would be nothing short of stunning in the summer. An absolute MUST for any keen traveller.

Sunday was our last day and we took ourselves to Beijing Zoo. We had a free day away from our tour guide and thought some Pandas and other animals would be a nice, relaxing and thought provoking last day in China. It was far from that. Beijing Zoo is disgusting and I felt sick as I was walking around. Giovanna and I agreed that they must have built it about 100 years or so ago and then decided to never come back. It was dirty, rusty, smelly, filthy, run-down, depressing and to summarise a complete embarrassment to the nation. To make matters worse every single animal we looked at was either asleep or pretending to be asleep. Including the infamous Panda. Needless to say I won’t be recommending a trip to Beijing Zoo to anyone, not even to people I don’t like.

Mixed into all the above were very many meals, a massage or two, a few hilarious moments with freezing hands, factory upon factory, tea shops, red wine chats and to conclude our experience in China, the singe most pleasing thing was seeing Giovanna literally jump out of her skin on numerous occasions as Chinese people were setting off fireworks in the street, sporadically, all around her. She couldn’t control herself, she was hysterically screaming, laughing and I think secretly peeing herself. It was pure happiness on my behalf, and on hers, I think it was all too overwhelming for comprehension.

A few images decorate this blog on China.