I don't really know what this National Holiday (week) is for. So, I ask one of my best friends - Wikipedia. He (of course its a he) got an answer. Just a boring one though - of course it is the celebration of the founding of PRC. But why are all the people here crazy about that? They have to go to Tiananmen square, to the Great Wall, to the Ming Tombs... Maybe its because it's their only holiday... And they come with grandparents and children - the whole tribe on sightseeing trip in Beijing. Nice!
Little note on the side effects: traffic jams, honking everywhere, crowds - and I mean not a crowded cash point at ALDI - I mean totally packed, the maximum of people per square meter...
And in this environment we began our second day of "Hardcore Sightseeing" featuring the Ming Toms, the Great Wall and Frank the Tank!
This is Frank, our tour guide - nice English!
The Ming Tombs
Starting at 7 AM from the universities east gate we went with our guide Frank and some Dutch-Chinese people to the world famous Ming Tombs... very impressive... I mean what was kind of impressive is that each emperor could have been sure about the "virgin thing" - maybe not in heaven but at least in his Tomb. But as we are not in Alibaba-land they don't get 77, but just 16. Still nice. And they where still alive when buried together with the dead emperor... On who's head I stand here. Its actually a bad thing to do for superstitious people... uaahhh. But we cleaned our souls from the death when we stepped through the Ying Yang gate and shouted some thing like "We are back in life!"
"On the dead emperors head"(The colour is not because of the dead souls - I tried to give it the Tomb Raider look ;-))
The Great Wall
If you imagine a nice landscape with rocks and green hills where the antique and venerable Great Wall curls through with some towers - You are right. Just that you forgot probable some little detail: The 3 hundred million Chinese people with their children and parents, the noise and the smog which is still there.
What else was kind of different from my expectations was how steep the wall partialy is - and this is good - natural selection. But still there are enough people to climb it.
We went to Jujongguan- which is the closest location to Beijing. The original plan was to visit the Wall at the most touristic place which is called Badaling, but the road was totaly blocked - soo glad we didn't go there.
In between...
... we visited a jade manufacturing - it was one of these "Get a free meal for coming with your whole tourists-group into our shop" arrangements. It wasn't so boring at all and the meal was quite good. They showed us how to distinguish between real and fake jade and offered a huge range of jade stuff. I bought nothing of course.
If you imagine a nice landscape with rocks and green hills where the antique and venerable Great Wall curls through with some towers - You are right. Just that you forgot probable some little detail: The 3 hundred million Chinese people with their children and parents, the noise and the smog which is still there.
What else was kind of different from my expectations was how steep the wall partialy is - and this is good - natural selection. But still there are enough people to climb it.
We went to Jujongguan- which is the closest location to Beijing. The original plan was to visit the Wall at the most touristic place which is called Badaling, but the road was totaly blocked - soo glad we didn't go there.
Greetings from the (crowded) Great Wall (Click on the picture to enlarge it)
... we visited a jade manufacturing - it was one of these "Get a free meal for coming with your whole tourists-group into our shop" arrangements. It wasn't so boring at all and the meal was quite good. They showed us how to distinguish between real and fake jade and offered a huge range of jade stuff. I bought nothing of course.
An angry looking jade polar beer (not the blue one)
As tomorrow, the next Sightseeing tour will start collecting some stories and pictures for "Hardcore Sightseeing Vol III"- three days in inner Mongolia - this was a bit more to read for you... Check out the Sightseeing Album for more pictures and comments! (Starting from here: picture 80 "In front of the tomb")
I' ll be back! (...on Friday)
PS: I bought a cool T-Shirt: "I climbed up the Great Wall" for 13 Yuan! :-D
I' ll be back! (...on Friday)
PS: I bought a cool T-Shirt: "I climbed up the Great Wall" for 13 Yuan! :-D
2 comments:
Frank the tank, Frank the tank!!
Wart Ihr auch flitzen..? ;)
hahaha, no such a thing for me - you know: I know how to behave in foreign countries - and I know what can happen if not... PUNISHMENT - fine, arrest, fly back home... (c.p. Sep. 1st)It is just Furb who can't wait seeing me arrested... maybe he can accompany me than if we do our sporty little job on the Great Wall...
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