CHINA NOVEMBER 2010

It’s the first time I travel outside of my country and definitely the first will always stay with you, as the saying goes.  Well the start would have to be detesting especially when you start off applying VISA for the country where they make you come back 4 times due to incomplete requirements, that’s definitely taking the fun out of first time travelling.  But fortunately CHINA embassy is not like other countries (ahem U.S. embassy) that you need to pay them for every time you come back, my entire return trip was free of charge.  And most thankful that CHINA embassy grant me a VISA and at ease letting me come to their country without fearing a poor unemployed me would overstay in their country, LOL.

Since its me and my sister’s first time visiting a foreign country and riding an international plane were unknowingly complaisant that the plane wait for its passengers just like in those infomercials where the aircraft staff were smiling while guiding you to the plane, well their guiding us to the plane for real but not smiling and very much rushing, thankfully 40 minutes before the flight was roughly enough time to push us inside the airport as the last two passengers.

Six hours and then we arrive; CHINA or BEIJING airport to be exact is beautiful, not stunning but clean and big, better than my home country airport.  Thankfully it’s that way cause being a budget traveler we can’t afford an overnight in a hotel so we spend the rest of the eight hours to be exact in the airport waiting for the tourist guide in the morning.  Well eight hours a breeze especially when you’re excited about what’s ahead, and then the morning comes together with the tourist guide.  We had cute couple together with us from the same country and that makes the tour so much better.

First stop, GREAT WALL OF CHINA and yes straight from the airport, there’s probably so much to see in this 2 days tour so we have to hurry.  And definitely it’s great to see THE GREAT WALL, it’s beautiful and picturesque and seems unendingly long, seriously my heart melts seeing a structure so beautiful you never thought it’s possible to witness it in person.  I only see the structure in movies and picture and definitely it’s better in person.  No wonder the GREAT WALL OF CHINA is always in the list of places to go to.  I would advice everyone to witness this landmark in person if you can, witness, touch and feel it, but probably don’t climb the stairs of it if you’re afraid of heights like me.  The step towards the stairs was so steep like a size of one foot per leap you think it’s a feat to climb up but looking on your way down would make you faint, and yes I pass on the experience of doing the stairs.

Well tourism in CHINA was like a goldmine, there’s probably more tourist than cars (well I’m not going to say Chinese cause its not possible, LOL), no traffic and most cars are tourist bus; it’s probably just the tourist season that’s why.

Nothing much from the tour though as it turns out this trip turns out to be a scheme to sell Chinese product (Chinese Business mindset), we get the tour from JADE FACTORY asking us to buy jewelry, SILK FARM to buy silk and lastly in SPORTS COMPLEX asking us to buy muscle relaxer which my sister bought being encouraged by a persistent beautiful doctor with really thick bangs (money is not important) her usual script.

The second and last day of the tour, we go to the famous FORBIDDEN TEMPLE where the polygamous emperor and his welcoming to that habit concubine’s lives.  Again more tourists, all of us were walking slowly to enter a huge gate and yes we filled the whole temple as every corner there’s a foreigner, I so envy CHINA’s tourism.  Well the temple was really beautiful, and really big as in huge, we give up walking halfway cause it seems like the temple is endless.  And it’s the same at every level, entrance gate, emperor’s lair, concubine lair, favorite concubine lair and the other jealous concubine and another gate, more lair and concubines, but seriously the place and every corner of the FORBIDDEN TEMPLE was really beautiful.

And that concludes the job of the tour guide, she’s really nice and speaks good English other than giving her a tip I gave her food and some of my excess baggage of clothes, I was hoping she will wear it in the winter.  We separated at the famous OLYMPIC BIRDS NEST where an Olympic enthusiast will die to see, and yes it’s breath taking, the structure and how it look in person is beautiful, I think I took so many pictures of the structure other than the great wall.  Well a little further there’s the AQUATICS SQUARE (if that what it’s called), we came in the afternoon so its not lit like in the Olympics where it glows beautifully in blue water appearance.

We have more time so we go to the GIANT PANDA ZOO where the panda is not afraid to show off his size and his humongous balls, LOL.  And lastly the BARGAIN SHOP where we buy some stuff to bring home.  WARNING though, they don’t speak much English so better prepare to bargain using their calculator, just punch in the digit you can afford.

All in all the CHINA, BEIJING trip was a beautiful experience, I enjoy the country where there’s traditional place you can  go to at every stop where those landmark are greatly preserve for the future generation to see.  Certainly one country you can never get tired to go back and discover.  And most definitely on the list of countries to go back to, probably next time SHANGHAI…