Goodness, Gracious, Great Walls Of China
Hello there bloggerinos, another installment of this here blog is upon us! This time, I actually have things to write about! Que Fantastic, no! So, last blog I was in Guangzhou trying to keep my sanity by whatever means possible but, no longer! I am currently in Hong Kong and couldn't be happier. I've heard it said that Hong Kong is like New York and London mixed into one crazy island. But before I get into HK, I must tell you about my adventures in Shanghai and Beijing.
First off, being in Shanghai, I might as well have been in the U.S.. I felt like I was in Downtown Boston at a pub where the owners were Chinese. Although it was an expensive city, I can honestly say if I needed to, I could actually live in Shanghai. It's a huge ex-pat hub and the financial capital of China. The only drag is I left my camera at a bar one night, never to be seen again. I suppose it's my own fault, but in the grand scheme of things, it's just an object; a thing. So, one week and three hundred bucks later, I am the proud owner of a new Canon camera. Good thing, too, as my Beijing sightseeing was about to begin. Although I missed the opportunity to photograph the Forbidden City, I captured everything else in spades.
Tienanmen Square, Ming Tombs, The Summer Palace, Pandas at the Beijing Zoo, The Silk Market, The Bird's Nest, The Water Cube- I had a wonderful time seeing these beautiful sights, but there were two main highlights that stand out.
The first was inside Tienanmen Square, namely the Mausoleum of Chairman Mao. It was a strange and curious sight that was very high on my list of things to see and do in China, and it did not disappoint. First off, we tried to see him on Tuesday afternoon as we had been told viewing took place between 8AM and 12 Noon, Tuesday-Sunday and Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2-4PM. Liars! So, we were stymied on Tuesday afternoon, but got our chance to meet the man Wednesday Morning.
Before getting in the very long but fast moving line, one must check all their belongings across the street at the special Mao check in building so as not to allow anyone to photograph, disrespect or otherwise blow up the Chairman a while he lies in state- Fair enough. So, we did this and were herded through the gates and into the memorial hall like insolent children at an amusement park. There was no stopping us now- literally! No one is allowed to stop or pause at any time in the memorial hall, except to lay flowers and give reverence to the large seated statue of Mao in the ante-chamber just outside the room where his "body" lie in state. I use quotation marks because there are rumors(which I suspect are true) that the body on public display is not actually Mao himself, but a wax replica. The story goes that a few hours after he died, the decision was made to preserve his body, but the embalmers were a little overzealous and pumped him so full that he became bloated and distorted. They backed out the chemicals and got him looking reasonable again, but just in case, a wax facsimile was supposedly created. My feeling we saw the wax Mao lying in the crystal coffin, not the real Mao-coy. Either way the experience of being herded through his mausoleum was only heightened by the "was it really him" quandary.
The other outstanding excursion I took was to what I would describe as one of if not the coolest thing I have ever experienced- The Great Wall of China. We had a full day off a few Mondays ago so we took the opportunity to explore the only man-made structure visible from space- not including Las Vegas. We took a cable car to the wall itself and proceeded to climb the entire section open to the public- a little over mile- and snapped more pictures than I can even count. It was truly exquisite. The funniest thing is that we only experienced the tiniest iota of the whole wall, which made the experience even more special. The most fun, though, was the luge ride back down the mountain that lead to the wall. It was so much fun if I wasn't already running late, I would have rode the cable car back up just to luge down another time. Woo-Hoo!!
OK, so I'm in Hong Kong for the next month, so I should be able to blog at least once more before leaving for Thailand, but if I am out enjoying civilization for the next few weeks, don't hate me. Until next time bloggers, I say..
"Mao"
First off, being in Shanghai, I might as well have been in the U.S.. I felt like I was in Downtown Boston at a pub where the owners were Chinese. Although it was an expensive city, I can honestly say if I needed to, I could actually live in Shanghai. It's a huge ex-pat hub and the financial capital of China. The only drag is I left my camera at a bar one night, never to be seen again. I suppose it's my own fault, but in the grand scheme of things, it's just an object; a thing. So, one week and three hundred bucks later, I am the proud owner of a new Canon camera. Good thing, too, as my Beijing sightseeing was about to begin. Although I missed the opportunity to photograph the Forbidden City, I captured everything else in spades.
Tienanmen Square, Ming Tombs, The Summer Palace, Pandas at the Beijing Zoo, The Silk Market, The Bird's Nest, The Water Cube- I had a wonderful time seeing these beautiful sights, but there were two main highlights that stand out.
The first was inside Tienanmen Square, namely the Mausoleum of Chairman Mao. It was a strange and curious sight that was very high on my list of things to see and do in China, and it did not disappoint. First off, we tried to see him on Tuesday afternoon as we had been told viewing took place between 8AM and 12 Noon, Tuesday-Sunday and Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2-4PM. Liars! So, we were stymied on Tuesday afternoon, but got our chance to meet the man Wednesday Morning.
Before getting in the very long but fast moving line, one must check all their belongings across the street at the special Mao check in building so as not to allow anyone to photograph, disrespect or otherwise blow up the Chairman a while he lies in state- Fair enough. So, we did this and were herded through the gates and into the memorial hall like insolent children at an amusement park. There was no stopping us now- literally! No one is allowed to stop or pause at any time in the memorial hall, except to lay flowers and give reverence to the large seated statue of Mao in the ante-chamber just outside the room where his "body" lie in state. I use quotation marks because there are rumors(which I suspect are true) that the body on public display is not actually Mao himself, but a wax replica. The story goes that a few hours after he died, the decision was made to preserve his body, but the embalmers were a little overzealous and pumped him so full that he became bloated and distorted. They backed out the chemicals and got him looking reasonable again, but just in case, a wax facsimile was supposedly created. My feeling we saw the wax Mao lying in the crystal coffin, not the real Mao-coy. Either way the experience of being herded through his mausoleum was only heightened by the "was it really him" quandary.
The other outstanding excursion I took was to what I would describe as one of if not the coolest thing I have ever experienced- The Great Wall of China. We had a full day off a few Mondays ago so we took the opportunity to explore the only man-made structure visible from space- not including Las Vegas. We took a cable car to the wall itself and proceeded to climb the entire section open to the public- a little over mile- and snapped more pictures than I can even count. It was truly exquisite. The funniest thing is that we only experienced the tiniest iota of the whole wall, which made the experience even more special. The most fun, though, was the luge ride back down the mountain that lead to the wall. It was so much fun if I wasn't already running late, I would have rode the cable car back up just to luge down another time. Woo-Hoo!!
OK, so I'm in Hong Kong for the next month, so I should be able to blog at least once more before leaving for Thailand, but if I am out enjoying civilization for the next few weeks, don't hate me. Until next time bloggers, I say..
"Mao"
posted by Gags at 6:05 PM
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