In bed, listening to tunes and curled around my laptop like its a lover, I couldn’t fall asleep. I wore myself out yesterday and should have been swimming in stars and the mist that was my dreams of yesterday, today and tomorrow but I was awake. Wide awake. I feel like if I were sitting upright that I would be on the edge of my seat…perched as though something certain is about to happen. I’m pretty certain that the only thing I should expect is uncertainty, though, so I’m curious about what gives. The endorphins from China and Mongolia did not dissipate upon my arrival home but, instead, channeled themselves right into the next adventure and I think it is this excitement that I am anticipating. That said, I think it’s time to reflect on my past trip before I depart on the next one…
The whole holiday was a movement of music. The rhythm and cadence of my movements was well choreographed and the itinerary was well-designed to carry me through. A brief stop in Cairo could be equivalent to that moment before the concert when the lights go out and the audience wonders whats about to happen. It was a clear departure from my current reality and an indicator that, like in the theater, it was time to suspend my disbelief and just let go. A comedy of errors, between 2 broken buses, a ridiculous pig flu quarantine and over-friendly Air Egypt flight attendants, I was just happy to find my gate and some tea. Prayers and chanting from a mosque echoed out into the terminal where I was sitting and they must have been heard because Allah carried us safely to Peking.
im out
5 days and nights alone in Beijing to feel myself away, shake off work and have some real quality time with the city was a perfect beginning. I slipped slowly and sublimely into a groove that felt oddly like Orchard Street. Same smells as the funny markets near my house, I felt closer to ‘home’ than I have in a while. The melody began to take shape as I wandered all of Beijing – baseline of foot steps, the creaky rattle of the rickshaw, the echos and bells of the subway, the deafening squeak of the buses breaks, the spinning prayer wheels at the Llama Temple and the bi-lingual and ineffective conversation with the taxi drivers.
Rickshaw Driver - Beijing, China
Around the time that I was in sync with myself it was time to meet my guide and travel companion and begin a more structured exploration of the city. At this point we got more ’serious’ about making sure that the history – the vast and long history – of the city was explored. Between my days alone and with Tom, I saw : Tiananmen Square, Summer Palace, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Drum & Bell Towers, Panjiayuan Market, Silk Street, Longtan Park, Beihai Lake, the 798 Art District, the Birds Nest & Watercube, Monument to the Peoples Heros, Llama Temple, Dongyue Temple, Qianhai Lake, Donganmen Dajie and the night market, Ritan Park, a Peking Opera, some Kung Fu and countles hutongs throughout the city. To go through all of this would be a comprehensive travel guide and that is not on the agenda but feel free to ask me if you have any particular questions about these places or Beijing in general.
Summer Palace - Beijing, China
Hutong - Beijing, China
Restoration - Llama Temple - Beijing, China
Zhaoheng Gate - Temple of Heaven Park - Beijing, China
What I can say is that I was both saddened and inspired by what I saw. The city is in flux, recovering from the INSANE growth spurt that was the Olympic games. Tearing down and building up, the air is always thick with brick dust and something that feels like a cross between hope and capitalism. The locals that I connected with offered great insight on how that growth has dramatically changed their lives for the better – mainly in the form of mass transit, renovated monuments and public service announcements about enjoying themselves – and it was a unique perspective. I still can’t put words to it but I also sensed a profound contradiction there. Walls protecting more walls protecting courtyards with nothing in them maintained a symmetrical sense of power and control and ‘beauty’ but in a totally superficial way. Meditation and self control focus on inner strength and substance yet there appears to be some ‘muscle’ or layer missing that connects this ’supreme’ facade with this inner power. I got the sense that things were either all or nothing and can’t really explain it better than that. What I can say is that the Emperor was surely a very lonely guy and China is a country in the midst of a fast and all-consuming transition.
Duan Gate - Forbidden City - Beijing, China
Offerings - Dongyue Temple - Beijing, China
Majong
Private Home - Hutong
A day before departing we headed about 2 hours north of the city to Mutianyu to see the Great Wall. A ride up in the cable car that carried Slick Willy some years ago was funny and, from what I was told, an honor. The throngs of tourists make this a difficult experience to absorb but that was true with a lot of what I visited in China. Regardless, its a sight to behold.
Mutianyu - Great Wall of China
Mutianyu - Great Wall of China
"Be Loyal to Chairman Mao"
This search for meaning and understanding stayed with me the entire time I traveled in China and I look forward to seeing more of the country and discovering more. Some high points for me in the city were the 798 Art District, Tiananmen Square, Ritan Park at 8am, buying electronics, eating any variety of fascinating (and sometimes tongue curling) street food, watching karaoke in Longtan Park, $8 full body massages (i think i had 4), a glimpse inside a private courtyard and, naturally, some quality time with the Great Wall.
798 Art District - Beijing, China
Peking Opera
Watch out for the stinky tofu - street food - Beijing, China
Ritan Park - Early Morning
Rainy Day - Summer Palace
You can get a better sense of what I saw by taking a pass through the images from Cairo, Beijing and Mutianyu right here. For those of you particularly interested in Beijing’s art scene, click here for a focused album on the 798 District. By the end of 9 days I had a handle on the town and was ready to shift gears and depart, across the Gobi to Mongolia. Stay tuned for a recap about how the music changed on the leg from Beijing to Ulaanbaatar on the Trans-Siberian Railroad. Paul Simon was right, ‘everybody loves the sound of a train in the distance. everybody thinks its cool.’
Special Plums - yum!!
