We just wondered around today. Went to the silk market and did some shopping. Also walked aound the Forbidden city. It is hot and we are pretty much done walking. So we get back and start to cram all off our treasure into our bags.
Beijing is an amazing, beautiful city. It is so clean and vibrant. Someone told us we would need a whole week just to see the city. They were right. We hardly saw anything in 2 whole days.
The food was great as well. So much to choose from. And after 3 weeks of the same ol thing it was nice to have flavor and color and choices.
Tomorrow we take the train to the airport. So easy to get around. Can't believe how many countries we go to that have mass transport managed. And our own country is brutal to travel in affordably.
That is it for the blog thanks for following along.
Feel free to leave us comments and please forgive the typos and grammerical errors. Sometime I may go back and spell check.
Rena and Ann Mongolia/Beijing june 2010
Thursday, July 1, 2010
The great wall kicks our a...es
So we don't have much time in Beijing so we want to get in all that we can. So we joined up for a 10K hike along the great wall. It is suppose to be for reasonably fit people and is strenuous. Ann and I aren't the most fit but we make it up in determination. So at 7am we have our good hikers on and are ready to go. We get on the bus and there isn't anyone over 25. Well there are maybe 5 of us out of 40 who are over 30ish. Oh well we won't die right?
It is a scenic 2 hour drive to the wall. We are hiking on a part of the wall that has been restored and part that is unrestored. There are suppose to be no other people on this part and especially post card sellers.
So we arrive it is amazing here. So lush and green with steep mountains all around. The wall was built in sections depending on who the emporer was at the time. The wall is so large that if you stretched it out it would go around the world. Pretty amazing.
So we start trekking. Up and Up and Up. It is hot and this is going to be another adventure.
We are hiking 8 towers. Our leader says that the first five are the hardest and then we go downhill. And going slow is ok. No problem...
So after we hit tower 3 I am ready to have a heart attack. I never knew my heart could pound so hard. The young bucks are 2 towers ahead of us. At least we aren't in last place. All it is now is mind over matter. Keep moving even if it is slow and easy. At tower 5 we celebrate all down hill now. And we are almost out of water. Whish there was at least one seller here. The guide did tell us that the downhill part was kinda rough and maybe even a little dangerous. Well he didn't lie. It was crumbling wall and very slippery. Alomost took as long to do the last 2 towers as did going up to the first 5. Rubber legs do not describe how my legs felt. A nice guy from Amsterdam shared some of his water with us. And finally we made it to the bottom. Well we did it. Walked 10k on the Great Wall and not the east peasy touristy part. We stopped for lunch and drank another litre of water each. Then the 2 hour bus ride home was quite except for the soft snores of everyone sleeping.
Pretty sure I earned my beer with supper tonight.
It is a scenic 2 hour drive to the wall. We are hiking on a part of the wall that has been restored and part that is unrestored. There are suppose to be no other people on this part and especially post card sellers.
So we arrive it is amazing here. So lush and green with steep mountains all around. The wall was built in sections depending on who the emporer was at the time. The wall is so large that if you stretched it out it would go around the world. Pretty amazing.
So we start trekking. Up and Up and Up. It is hot and this is going to be another adventure.
We are hiking 8 towers. Our leader says that the first five are the hardest and then we go downhill. And going slow is ok. No problem...
So after we hit tower 3 I am ready to have a heart attack. I never knew my heart could pound so hard. The young bucks are 2 towers ahead of us. At least we aren't in last place. All it is now is mind over matter. Keep moving even if it is slow and easy. At tower 5 we celebrate all down hill now. And we are almost out of water. Whish there was at least one seller here. The guide did tell us that the downhill part was kinda rough and maybe even a little dangerous. Well he didn't lie. It was crumbling wall and very slippery. Alomost took as long to do the last 2 towers as did going up to the first 5. Rubber legs do not describe how my legs felt. A nice guy from Amsterdam shared some of his water with us. And finally we made it to the bottom. Well we did it. Walked 10k on the Great Wall and not the east peasy touristy part. We stopped for lunch and drank another litre of water each. Then the 2 hour bus ride home was quite except for the soft snores of everyone sleeping.
Pretty sure I earned my beer with supper tonight.
the longest train ride.
So we decided to take the train into Beijing instead of flying. It is a great way to see the country side and chill and relax after a hectic schedual. So up early and head for the train station for 6am. It was interesting to watch the local people bring in thier dairy products on the morning train. I can't imagine what time these local farmers got up to milk their herds and get on the train and come into the city for 6am. crazy.
So the train is easy peasy to get on and we are set in our deluxe, 2 berth, private bath, air conditioned sleeper car. Except that the private bath is a shared bath with another cabin. And... The bath isn't a toilet just a sink with a shower head/faucet. And the airconditiong is a really noisy fan. hmm well the windows are open so we should be getting a breeze right? Nope as soon as we move the dude with the power over the windows closed them. Too dusty he says. Ok so how hot can it be.
Well in a couple of hours the indoor temp read at 35 C . And we are dying.
So we head into the restaurant car and want some cold pop. I ask the lady if she can take american or credit card. She say yes we take it all and I can give you change in Yuan ( which is chinese money) . Perfect I said we will have 2 cokes. After we drink our cokes I give her $10 in US and she says no change no change! What? You said you could make change. Oh well I said just run us a tab and we will surely use up most of it. So later that night we are getting ready for out dinner of ichiban noodles and I want a beer. She comes to get me and wants me to settle my bill. i get the beer and she says again no change no change. I said that is all I have right now. She leaves and comes back with $2 US and a english pound i think. I should have recieved around $7 in change. I look at her and say that isn't enough change. She tells me that the exchange rate is about 1/3 of what they are getting at the bank. I told her that I am not about to let her rip me off. She says that in Beijing she can't get a decent exchange for american money. Funny that is what we plan on doing in Beijing. We scrounge through our bags and find just enough yaun to pay the bill. She leaves in a huff. Funny how all the mongolian people were so genuine and wonderful til you hit the tourist train. Its ok though I stood up for myself and won in the end.
So our trainride in to the heat of hell lasted 30hrs. We rode across the gobi desert and went by some of the mines. When we woke the next morning we were in lush China. Lots of cool little farms and lots of green and rivers everywhere.
What a difference a night makes. We went along the great wall of China but we slept right through it. We pulled into the beijing main train station around 2pm. Whew it is hot and muggy.
The subway runs right from the train station to within 2 blocks of our next hostel. We have great direction and can't believe how well the transit system is set up. all in english and makes sense.
we check into out hostel. It is the previous palace of an emporer. Very cool. All the rooms face the courtyard.
We wonder around downtown Beijing and got our berrings.
/
So the train is easy peasy to get on and we are set in our deluxe, 2 berth, private bath, air conditioned sleeper car. Except that the private bath is a shared bath with another cabin. And... The bath isn't a toilet just a sink with a shower head/faucet. And the airconditiong is a really noisy fan. hmm well the windows are open so we should be getting a breeze right? Nope as soon as we move the dude with the power over the windows closed them. Too dusty he says. Ok so how hot can it be.
Well in a couple of hours the indoor temp read at 35 C . And we are dying.
So we head into the restaurant car and want some cold pop. I ask the lady if she can take american or credit card. She say yes we take it all and I can give you change in Yuan ( which is chinese money) . Perfect I said we will have 2 cokes. After we drink our cokes I give her $10 in US and she says no change no change! What? You said you could make change. Oh well I said just run us a tab and we will surely use up most of it. So later that night we are getting ready for out dinner of ichiban noodles and I want a beer. She comes to get me and wants me to settle my bill. i get the beer and she says again no change no change. I said that is all I have right now. She leaves and comes back with $2 US and a english pound i think. I should have recieved around $7 in change. I look at her and say that isn't enough change. She tells me that the exchange rate is about 1/3 of what they are getting at the bank. I told her that I am not about to let her rip me off. She says that in Beijing she can't get a decent exchange for american money. Funny that is what we plan on doing in Beijing. We scrounge through our bags and find just enough yaun to pay the bill. She leaves in a huff. Funny how all the mongolian people were so genuine and wonderful til you hit the tourist train. Its ok though I stood up for myself and won in the end.
So our trainride in to the heat of hell lasted 30hrs. We rode across the gobi desert and went by some of the mines. When we woke the next morning we were in lush China. Lots of cool little farms and lots of green and rivers everywhere.
What a difference a night makes. We went along the great wall of China but we slept right through it. We pulled into the beijing main train station around 2pm. Whew it is hot and muggy.
The subway runs right from the train station to within 2 blocks of our next hostel. We have great direction and can't believe how well the transit system is set up. all in english and makes sense.
we check into out hostel. It is the previous palace of an emporer. Very cool. All the rooms face the courtyard.
We wonder around downtown Beijing and got our berrings.
/
around Ulaan Bataar
So when we got in first thing first. SHOWER and then laundry. It feels so good to have clean hair and clothes. We do some running around and try to track down the package that our first guide Saraa sent us from up north. So off to the post office we go. After alot of confusion and some mild arguing we find out that the parcel never got sent from the post office up north. Frustrating. So Saraa found a gentleman who was flying to U.B. and he said he would deliver the package to us. So off to the airport we go to meet this stranger.. We have his name and that he walks with wooden hands which we think are crutches. We also know that he is french. So we see an older gentleman kinda hunched over and I approach him and say in french. "hello Richard?" And he nods. I ask him how he is and does he speak english. He says no! ok so now what. In my little bit of french I asked him if he was ok and if he had someone meeting him. He didn't understand. We waited around while he called a translator. Finally it all got sorted out and his ride showed up. We thanked him for the package and went on our way back to the hostel to meet our last guide Bobo. She wanted to say goodbye in person and has a present for us. WE say our goodbyes and off to bed early.
The next day we visit the Natural History Museum and History of Mongolia Museum. Lots of info and cool stuff. I also paid a visit to the local music store to buy myself a horse head fiddle. Very cool. Wish I could play it.
We say goodbye to all our new friends and house mates. and go to bed early
The next day we visit the Natural History Museum and History of Mongolia Museum. Lots of info and cool stuff. I also paid a visit to the local music store to buy myself a horse head fiddle. Very cool. Wish I could play it.
We say goodbye to all our new friends and house mates. and go to bed early
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