Today is our first fly day in China. It is very different flying with 40 people in a group versus just us two. The first change is our luggage needs to be packed and outside our door at least an hour before we leave and actually several hours before we actually leave. We are flying to Shanghai. We have to give our passports to the tour guide so he can get all the boarding passes.
On the way to the airport we stop at a cloissenne factory and a chance to "purchase from the gift shop". The actual process is amazing, time consuming and still done by hand, bending and applying the copper then enamel. Many of the workers have been there doing this same job for 15-20 years.
We are off to the airport. Let me say trying to get 40 through TSA check and to the gate is an interesting process. It is nice to have my passport back. The worse part was the more than 1 hour the guide spent telling people how to pack and what needs to be put in suitcases versus carry on. You would think these same people didn't fly to China 5 days ago.
The flight is amazing in that they loaded everyone and pulled away from the gate and then stopped and parked the plane stating they had to wait for permission to take off. We sat for 30 to 45 minutes. The other thing that is amazing is that they feed you on a flight that is 90 minutes long.
Getting everyone together after the flight is also interesting the up side is they unload our luggage for us and take it to the hotel. Our hotel in Shanghai is not nearly as nice as Beijing and the front desk staff speaks very little English. The good news is there is a grocery store across the street and we were able to locate a bottle of Italian white so at least we will have happy hour in our room either before dinner or after dinner😄😄
Friday, March 31, 2017
Yes we should have packed the umbrellas
Today the highlight of the trip for many China travelers. A trip to the Great Wall. It seems the weather gods were working against us and the weather turned cold and rainy. We did have the discussion at home before leaving on weather to pack the umbrellas. Of course Dan's wisdom, we shouldn't need them since we have rain coats with hoods. Against my better judgement umbrellas remained at home, and Dan also told me he took out all his long sleeve shirts. I am unclear why he chose to do that something about not having enough room for 1 or 2 more shirts.
Off to the Great Wall in the fog and rain. We had a stop before the wall and determined that our jackets with a hood will not be sufficient. We should have discussed this in the hotel since there were umbrellas to borrow. The good news is there were plenty of people selling them at the wall. So the little sales person wanted $150 yuan which is $22 US. I am ready to do it since it is foggy, rainy and misty. A fellow traveler not from our group walks by and states she just sold one for $60 yuan. Hold out. I find it hard to believe that shop keepers will bargain but everyone bargains in China. I already posted Great Wall photos.
We meet after hiking up the wall at the coffee shop and another chance to shop since it is attached to another souvenir shop. Although this is an upscale shop. Bartering begins when I locate a bedspread that would work on our bed. Good news is we save the $$$ since on final measurement it would have been too small.
The bedspread remains a continued search. Although we do have an umbrella 🌂
Off to the Great Wall in the fog and rain. We had a stop before the wall and determined that our jackets with a hood will not be sufficient. We should have discussed this in the hotel since there were umbrellas to borrow. The good news is there were plenty of people selling them at the wall. So the little sales person wanted $150 yuan which is $22 US. I am ready to do it since it is foggy, rainy and misty. A fellow traveler not from our group walks by and states she just sold one for $60 yuan. Hold out. I find it hard to believe that shop keepers will bargain but everyone bargains in China. I already posted Great Wall photos.
We meet after hiking up the wall at the coffee shop and another chance to shop since it is attached to another souvenir shop. Although this is an upscale shop. Bartering begins when I locate a bedspread that would work on our bed. Good news is we save the $$$ since on final measurement it would have been too small.
The bedspread remains a continued search. Although we do have an umbrella 🌂
Thursday, March 30, 2017
Wednesday, March 29, 2017
Monday, March 27, 2017
Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City
This area is heart of Beijing and today is still a central area for government officials and meetings. The square is just that with a centralized monument. It is most remembered for the student uprising in 1989. The area is heavily monitored with cameras and security screening. On the day of our visit the weather was cool and there was no crowds when you enter the square just group after group of tourists.
The Forbidden City so named because it was off limits to visitors. This area was the living quarters of the Emperor. The last Chinese dynasty fell in 1911 and Dan felt "all of the Emperors were just full of themselves ". Everything is in grand scale with anteroom in front of anteroom. The relationship between the Emperor, Empress and the Concubines all living in the same home spoke a lot of the dynamics of the ruling class.
Building of the Forbidden City with blue roofs to be close to heaven or yellow roofs to signify the Emperor all built in the 1400's. The most amazing part is during the Chinese cultural revolution so many artifacts were destroyed and the history is lost.
Today's walking was 4 miles and 400 steps but at such a slow pace it didn't seem like it was that far. Then off to lunch and in the afternoon we went on a rickshaw ride through the "old Chinese quarters". We stopped at the home of a local artist and were able to ask questions about living conditions and changes that have occurred in this portion of Beijing which is expensive by US standards and the conditions leave much to be desired including no indoor plumbing and community showers and toilets.
Tonight was an optional tour to the Beijing Opera. Dan and I opted out. We had a quiet dinner and walked about the hotel. We are at a Radission hotel which is amazing very nice and modern. We did not miss the bus trip and opera.
The Forbidden City so named because it was off limits to visitors. This area was the living quarters of the Emperor. The last Chinese dynasty fell in 1911 and Dan felt "all of the Emperors were just full of themselves ". Everything is in grand scale with anteroom in front of anteroom. The relationship between the Emperor, Empress and the Concubines all living in the same home spoke a lot of the dynamics of the ruling class.
Building of the Forbidden City with blue roofs to be close to heaven or yellow roofs to signify the Emperor all built in the 1400's. The most amazing part is during the Chinese cultural revolution so many artifacts were destroyed and the history is lost.
Today's walking was 4 miles and 400 steps but at such a slow pace it didn't seem like it was that far. Then off to lunch and in the afternoon we went on a rickshaw ride through the "old Chinese quarters". We stopped at the home of a local artist and were able to ask questions about living conditions and changes that have occurred in this portion of Beijing which is expensive by US standards and the conditions leave much to be desired including no indoor plumbing and community showers and toilets.
Tonight was an optional tour to the Beijing Opera. Dan and I opted out. We had a quiet dinner and walked about the hotel. We are at a Radission hotel which is amazing very nice and modern. We did not miss the bus trip and opera.
China update
I will update you on our China trip. We started the trip exactly 4 weeks from when we left San Diego. It is a guided trip through Grand Circle Travel. Yes catering to the "senior American tourist " It is no luxury by any means and some of our accommodations are definitely midrange but part of that may be related to being in China
We actually met the tour in Beijing while most people came from the US. We had a morning briefing with introductions that lasted longer than it should have. Then off to the Temple of Heaven and the summer palace. There are 41 of us as I mentioned before and herding everyone is a chore. We follow along in a line oohing and ahhing while wearyan earpiece so our tour guide George can explain some of the history and what we were seeing.
Our tour guide is great with enough bathroom stops, he has great English and a sense of humor. Additionally for each city we are in there is a local guide. I am sure they get the same questions over and over since they have worked for the company for several years. Each group has a little different dynamic mix. We like our fellow group members. There is no one that is "annoying " except maybe Dan. I am sure our group members are tired of his coughing especially with the poor air quality in Beijing. George is attempting to teach us some Chinese but it seems like a failed attempt on my part.
I think the best part of this tour will be the guide and his recollections of growing up in a closed controlled environment and the rules and regulations as well as the famine and living conditions he experienced. Discussions of needing coupons to buy food once a week and rules and regulations regarding healthcare and citizenship in the city you were born in affecting your status and right to buy a place to live or car.
There has been a lot of discussion regarding the plan for tomorrow and the amount of walking and stairs. We go to the Forbidden City and Tinnamenn Square.
Sunday, March 26, 2017
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