Beijing

Hordes of citizens on the move for the 8-day-long national holiday have rendered travel through-out the country a stressful, sweaty ordeal for those of us not accustomed to being pressed together like a Peking duck.  The government has gleefully reported that more than 705 million “trips” were taken this past week within the country by its residents.  Not clear how “trip” was defined, although they pointed to train and highway statistics.  People in the crowds are incredibly good-natured about the jostling, although no less insistent on reaching their destinations.

Attempts to visit points of interest in Beijing were miserable.  The entry point to the Forbidden City was clogged with visitors, and security officers were monitoring movement through-out.  We didn’t go past the gate.

Tianamen Square had literally tens of thousands of souls trundling slowly through, and we gave up on that as well (but not until we had elbowed our way through to an apparently quiet location for a selfie):

This was the closest thing we got to a glimpse of sunlight, initially because of the ubiquitous smog; later because of clouds and rain:

Initially, we stayed in a 500-year-old building in an old Hutong, or historic neighborhood, down an alleyway in the heart of the city where people live publicly as they have for generations:

Lots of great food, of course – all Chinese – including the renowned duck referenced earlier… 

Very little popular interest in cuisines from other countries, except in places frequented by Western tourists – not even Mexican food or pizza!!!!

Cautionary note for independent visitors to the big cities here – we were approached several times by apparently well-meaning, congenial folks with excellent English, claiming to be artists or teachers.  They welcomed us to their country, engaged in small talk about our trip, and invited us to visit an art gallery with them.  They were in fact the nicest rip-off artists you could ever meet.  We were warned about them at the hotel….. but also have to admit to having been hood-winked in a similar situation when we were encouraged to attend a “tea-tasting” in Shanghai three years ago.  Yes, we were “Shanghai-ed”!  They back off pretty quickly when you make it clear you have other things to do…… but visitors should understand that they hope to get their hands on some of your money – not through out-right theft but by over-charging for goods or services you don’t really want.

Tomorrow we head to Tianjin for a day or two before boarding the ship for the final segment of our voyage.