My pleasure! Here's some more.Originally Posted by Gowgee
So this is the end. Tomorrow I am flying home. It feels like a dream, but it's finally here. Hard to realize. I don't think it will really sink in until I've touched down in Boston. But this is it (for now).
I've been enjoying Beijing. It's a hip and happening place. Lots to see and do, great food, good nightlife, lots of shopping--a different China than I've seen so far. In some ways it's a lot like Taiwan or Hong Kong, only dirtier.
I couldn't live here, too many crowds and too much pollution, but it's a great place to visit. The pollution is funny, some days are fine--yesterday was clear blue and beautiful--and other days I don't even want to go outside.
Well, there was a lot to see here, I definitely can't post pictures of everything, but here are some of the highlights...(keep in mind, these are highlights for me--a lot of people think the Lama Temple is just fantastic, but I've spent so much time in temples this year, that it just didn't rate for me.)
I don't think many people go to see Dongyue Temple, an old Taoist temple in Beijing, but this was nice for me. Another temple, yes, but different. For one thing, it's cheap. Also it's not crowded. Had all these little chambers full of statues of the gods and semi-divine beings in charge of various realms. Cute.
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The Forbidden City was cool. There's a ton to see there, but summer vacation just isn't the right time to go. Way too crowded. Could spend all day there, but after two hours of dealing with the crowds, I was done.
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The Summer Palace was a highlight for me. Really beautiful grounds and tons to see. Also, even though it's crowded, the grounds are big enough that you can get way from everyone at least some of the time.
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Also checked out the ruins of the old Summer Palace. They're in a really beautiful park and it's on the way back to the city from the Summer Palace, so it was worth seeing, but not too exciting. the ruins are now a playground--China cracks me up.
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Saw four of the zodiac heads in the Poly Art Museum. They say they hope to collect the rest--wonder if they helped fund CZ12. Anyway, the pictures didn't come out good, but I saw Pig, Monkey, Tiger, and Ox...
The absolute highlight was definitely the Great Wall. I did not go to Badaling (the most visited section of the wall), but instead signed up for a tour that went to a 6km hike on a less traveled section of the wall. It was great! One of the things that I've realized on this trip is that the best times I have are when I go for a walk somewhere pretty outside--not something I need to be on the other side of the world for.
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Anyway, it's been a fantastic year, but I'm glad it's over. Next time I post I'll be home!
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