Ok, on with the show!
I left Wednesday morning (after chatting with Mum for a little bit) in the hopes of seeing Tianmen Square and the Fribidden City. One out of two ain't bad?
I had the best of intentions. I got to the cross street where Tianmen is... and couldn't for the life of me figure out how to get across. I walked up and down for an hour in the swealtering heat, eventually taking refuge in an AC KFC with an iced coffee, and glared out the window at that street that was in my way. After cooling down and reading my book for a bit, I headed back out. Still not finding a way across, I did the only sensible thing. I hiked up my dress, crawled over the railings, and walked across four lanes of traffic, where I crawled over yet another railing to reach my goal. You should have seen the faces of the drivers that went by me! For my friends and family having a heart attack right now, it wasn't that busy, and the best part was the laughing policeman on the other side who must have seen me prowling for an exit. He gave me a grin and thumbs up, and I bowed. He then pointed to the underground walkway about 200 meters to my left which does the same duty, albiet legally and safely. Oh well.
I then got to Tianmen Square, and started snapping photos like crazy. One of my favorite books when I was a teen was "the forbidden city', a historical fiction about a boy who was at the Tianmen uprising. It was incredibly cool to remember snippets from the book and see how accurate they are.
A few minutes in, I was approached by some young girls, asking for a photo with me. Surprised, I said ok, and posed for a few shots. Immediatly, another group asked for the same. Next thing I know, I have a longer lineup than Mickey Mouse at DisneyWorld! Tourists from all over China apparently like to have pictures taken with foreigners. MOst of them were little kids, so I didn't mind. Finally, a huge group of kids wearing bright green tshirts posed with me, and I called an end to my model career. I ended up spending two hours playing tag and other games with the kids all over the square. Imagine: a cloud of bright green-clad Asian kids chasing a very white girl wearing a nice dress all over a historic landmark while the watching teachers, tourists, and secturity guards laugh hysterically.
Of course when I got to the Forbidden City and found out it stopped selling entrance tickets, I was less pleased, but shrugged it off. It was worth it!
I then met two nice girls from Xi'an, who I walked around with for a few hours. We went to a Tea Ceremony ($$!!), which was fun. I thought at the beginning that perhaps they were scammers (I have heard warnings about students who trick foriegners into doing that, then leaving them to foot the bill). We all split it after cheking the bill was exactly the charge as posted on the wall, and they paid their share no problem. In any case, they were nice, and it was a fun afternoon.
Sure, a bit unorthodox, and I am leaving China without being inside the Forbidden City, but honestly I think what I have done is way more interesting. I'll also be back, so I'll catch it next time!
The Wall at Mu Tian Yu was as amazing as I thought it would be. I decided to do it on my own, so I caught the public bus to the nearest town, where i had to catch a minibus up to the gondola. I started very early, so it felt like I had the Wall to myself. It was incredibly hot and humid though, and very foggy, which made both walking and picure-taking hard. There were so many stairs, all uneven, which made walking a bit harder, but made for better pictures in the end. It took me three hours to hike the whole open segment. It was worth it, and I am thrilled with the experiance. Cross a life goal off my list!
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