Can circumstances turn 90 degrees, instead of the normal 180? If they can, then the change from Shanghai to Beijing would be one of them. Different? Yes. Altogether different? Not quite.
The work of the Olympic-minded Chinese Government can be seen across the city, from giant banners with "Beijing 08" splashed across them, to expertly manicured flower-beds adorning the sides of freeways and main streets. But try as they might to put a band-aid on ailing parts of the city, Beijing still has the hallmarks of a metropolitan Chinese city: a poorly constructed sewer system prone to smelling up entire blocks of city, tap water that will make you physically ill, and bootleg sales of everything from Olympic jerseys to, yes, more Rolexes.
While on a bus ride to the Great Wall, I was struck with the idea that maintaining these sections of city is much like maintaining a Geo Metro: try as you might to fix it up and make it look nice, it is still a cheap car and will always remain so until you upgrade the entire thing.
Despite these drawbacks, Beijing really is a great city. Taxi rides cost around $2-3 USD for a 20-minute trip, which has been the main way I have gotten around town, and there is an amazing lake district that reminds me of what Bridgeport Village could be if it decided it wanted to be cool. (Sorry for the 90% of people who won't understand that reference).
As for touristy exploits, I got to climb on a "technically-illegal-but-poorly-marked-so-it's-ok" section of the Great Wall, which was actually quite moving. We had it all to ourselves, and after a short climb up the wall of a lookout tower, I was gazing on an enormous valley with miles of crumbling wall descending on either side of me; it was an incredible experience.
We also got to watch the Track and Field finals of the Paralympics in the Bird's Nest, with the Water Cube shining beside us. It was weird to think that thousands of people had been watching Hussein Bolt dance around in victory in my very seat only one month ago. Our evening was made even more exciting by one of the largest thunderstorms I've ever experienced. Epic.
We're off to the U.S. Consulate in a few minutes, and then we leave for Chongqing on Sunday at 4 a.m. I'll say it again: 4 a.m. I hope you are as appalled at that as I am. Oh well. When in China.
Until next time,
-McG
4 comments:
Matt,
I'm leaving for Egypt on Sunday; the next Sunday we are getting up at 2:00 AM to go hike Mount Sinai and watch the sunrise. While I love the idea of watching the sunrise on Mout Sinai, I do not love the idea of 2:00 AM hiking.
Allison
just don't go to bed. Travel, I have found, is quite fun drunk.
YESSSS...bridgeport village. Boo you for dissing it, as it is mainly where we choose to have our best bonding experiences.
A mexican man asked me if I'd like a "mexican present" (in spanish) and gave me his phone number today.
miss youuuuuuu --
S
yeah matt i love you.
That's right. Cheap taxis, illegally climbing the Great Wall, and giant thunderstorms. Amazing.
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