Nancy’s Big Adventure

This is my last night in Beijing.  It has been fun, but 8 days is plenty …

Places to see in and around Beijing

The Great Wall – So much has been written and said about the Great Wall, and one thing is certain: a visit to China would not be complete without seeing it.

Tiananmen Square – T-Square is the geo center of Beijing City. So huge and obvious that I didn’t realize that I was in the middle of it a few days ago. Chairman Mao’s mausoleum was under restoration while I was there.  The ceremony of raising the flag is quite something.

Forbidden City  – The Forbidden City (now referred to as Imperial Palace or the Palace Museum) is the largest and best-preserved example of ancient Chinese buildings and culture in China. I lost count of the number of halls and rooms but it is somewhere between 8,700 – 9,999 … Absolutely mind-blowing.

Summer Palace – The Summer Palace is a huge park which the Chinese royalty used to spend the summer months.  There is a huge marble “boat” that sits just inside the lake.  The gardens are incredible.

Beihai Park – Beihai Park has a history of more than 1000 years.  The park was built up through 5 dynasties and was a royal garden.  It covers an area of nearly 200 acres, half of it water.  Peaceful and beautiful! Enjoyed watching children playing.

Things to do

Talk to strangers – Solo travel provides forces you to interact with people.  Even if you do not know Chinese, most people are more than happy to chatter with you. Smile and be careful with the hand gestures. 🙂

Eat Peking Duck at the restaurant Quan Ju De.  I don’t eat the Peking Duck but my dinner companion confirmed that it is fantastic and suggested that I include it on the “must do” list.

Pamper yourself.  Go to a foot or body massage center – they are EVERYWHERE.  It is very relaxing and inexpensive and you remain fully clothed through the whole process.  Heavenly.

Go out at night. Every place I’ve been to in China is very safe to walk around in, with a very low crime rate, and it is safe to be out after 10 p.m.

Things not to do

Do not use Public Toilets.  Really, I am serious.  With the exception of facilities in fast food restaurants, public restrooms should be avoided at all costs.

Do not drink the water.  Tap water is not to be consumed.  Bottled water is cheap and available everywhere.

Do not take photos of government buildings.

Do not mess with traffic or the traffic cop – you will be run over by a car or the crossing guard will whop you with his flag.  Traffic in Beijing is a matter of survival of the fittest. The bigger your vehicle, the bigger your right of way – leaving pedestrians at the very end of the food chain. I am really surprised, that I havent seen anyone getting killed yet.

Do not postpone getting your visa renewed or extended.  If you overstay your visa, it will cost you money in fines.  If you process your paperwork at the last minute, it will cost you a day of free time.

Do not rent a bicycle, unless you have a serious death wish.  Bicycling is often recommended as an easy way for travelers to get around Beijing, with complete disregard for the millions of residents on bicycles who are already competing with millions of cars for road space.

Thanks for tagging along with me – see you in Shanghai!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 8th, 2007 at 6:25 pm and is filed under Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.