An Incredible First Day

Our first day in China started off very early. The time change wreaks havoc, so it was hard to sleep through the night, and we were up early. Our hotel is very nice (we upgraded to a suite at the Wangfujing Grand, which appears to have been necessary) and aside from the offer of "therapeutic silk worm excrement" pillows, we find the room to be comfortable. We had a big American style breakfast then met our guide Susan.
When we say that our travel day was one of the most extraordinary we have experienced, we are not saying that lightly. Having a private translator, guide, and historian in such an incredible city was amazing.It was dark and gloomy and snowing, but we didn't notice, and it didn't make any difference.

We started our day at the Temple of Heaven, used by the Emperors for thousands of years to worship the God of Heaven twice a year. This was an intricate, multi-building temple built manually out of marble and wood. Words cannot describe, so here are some pictures:









After we moved through the Temple of Heaven, We taxied to Hutong. Taxis in Beijing are very interesting - unlike New York, they tend to refuse to bring you where they don't want to drive. However, they are incredibly cheap - no ride cost more than $3, even when we seemed to be going across town!

Hutong (which literally means "narrow street" in a Mongolian language) is best described as a village within the city of courtyard style homes along very narrow roads. There is also a bar scene and nightlife in this area. The homes were originally built for official staff of the emperors and were given out in order of importance.
We took a rickshaw ride into Hutong and through the narrow streets:

Check out this sign from one of the bars. We need this at home - especially when we have contractors in the house! (you may need to click to enlarge the image)

We then proceeded to the Drum and Bell Towers, which represent the northernmost point of the line that goes through the Forbidden Palace and Tian'emman Square, and climbed to the top of the Bell Tower - 75 steep steps (an attraction that would never be allowed in our liability-phobic country):



We then went to a local market in the Hutong and saw the foodstuffs on "display". Anyone for a side of beef or a whole pig?



Next, Susan took us to visit a local family in the Hutong and to see how the Chinese live. We sat and talked to a local gentleman whose family had owned the "courtyard" for four generations. Each member of the family had a "house" on the courtyard (actually a room that opened onto open space) and shared kitchen and bath facilities. This house was a true anachronism - it was quaint and old with all of the technology you would expect in a modern living space packed in (computer, TV)And, since he owned the land (he had to buy it back in 1966 after Mao confiscated all the property during the cultural revolution) he didn't pay any taxes! Tell that to the Simsbury assessor!

Finally, we were ready for lunch at the Winter Palace - Be'Hai park. We ate in an incredible restaurant where the food was placed before us in dazzling presentation and array and the waitresses were decked out in traditional garb.




What a day! We finished up by going shopping at the Pearl Market, where we bought some lovely gifts and got to haggle for a fake pocketbook. You can get the fakes in New York, but they aren't prominently displayed for all to see (the vendor did get a little cautious with the fake Louis Vitton, but I could buy any number of fake iPods or Rolexes).

And so - we finished off our day just as the rest of the group arrived. With their entrance came the revelation that we would not see the Forbidden City on our group tour tomorrow!

I picked up the phone and called Tony - Susan is meeting us again in the morning with a car to take us to both the Great Wall and to the Forbidden City. We will be ready for another unbelievable experience!

Stay tuned.