Beijing

Aiko went back to Japan on Saturday morning, so I spent my last two days in Beijing on my own. There were still a few spots I wanted to see, but I also wanted to relax a bit. First I went to the Temple of Heaven. The temple is surrounded by a huge park. There are many places to sit and relax, listen to live music, watch artists performing, or buy some trinkets. I found the paddle ball players interesting. They would catch the ball on their paddle, then spin, swoop, and dance around keeping the ball there the whole time. Then gracefully toss it to their partner, who would do more elaborate movements. The Temple itself was beautiful, but there weren’t too many things to see. I did like the tiles on the roofs and trim. The corners had dragons of cobalt blue and a deep emerald green. The weather was a bit cloudy, but that was fine with me as I walked quite a bit.
After the Temple, I crossed the street to the Pearl Market. This is a multi-level building with just about anything you could possibly want. One level had souvenirs and jewelry. Another couple floors were clothes, one had shoes, and one was purses, bags, and luggage. Of course you bargain for everything, which I am getting a bit more used to. I didn’t care for the shop ladies calling out to me incessantly as I walked by, but when a girl grabbed my arm to direct my attention to a pair of shoes, I wanted to clock her. I ended up getting a good deal on some makeup, and then I was happy to leave.
By then, I was getting pretty good at using the bus (and now I knew how to pay for my trip), so I took it to a mall I passed earlier. It is a really beautiful shopping center called The Oriental Mall. I window shopped for a while, and then I saw an advertisement for a massage in the building next door. I went in and had a body massage, but the place was so beautiful and relaxing, that I ended up getting a facial and foot massage too. The massage was probably one of the best I have ever had because it used only light pressure, which I prefer. The facial was great, but the simultaneous foot massage had some problems. Now I know that I can be a bit overly sensitive when it comes to pain, but the water and towels that the guy used on my feet and legs were at least 100 degrees Celsius and left second degree burns on my knees and feet. Well, not really, but it was super hot and my skin was all red for hours! It was the strangest sensation to put my feet in to the pool of water (which I’m sure was boiling, but since it was dark, I couldn’t see) because it felt as though I had plunged them into ice, but after about 5 sec, the burning set in, and I yanked my feet out and yelped. I’m sure I scared the masseuses. Later when he put the scalding towels on my knees and I had the same reaction, the girl doing my facial yelled at him. But really, it was an amazing afternoon. I felt quite relaxed.
That night I had dinner at Outback (I’ve been now in 5 countries) and saw a movie. When I got out of the movie it was about 10pm, and I didn’t realize that the buses stop running at 10. I was pouting and standing there trying to think of how to get back to the hostel, when at 10:15, the bus I needed pulled up! I was so happy and surprised. I didn’t like feeling stranded, but now I was safe and sound on the bus. Since it was dark, I showed the lady the name of my stop so she could warn me. On the buses there is a driver, and by the back door, the person who takes the bus fare. The fare collectors were always very helpful and nice to me, making sure I was at the right places.
My last day, I woke up early to get bread from the awesome place down the street that I had been to 3 times in four days. The bread was so fresh and hot, and there was a line of people buying the bread straight out of the oven. I bought 2 pieces, and I had to wait a while for them to cool down so I could eat them. I even had to hold the bag by the top plastic handles so I wouldn’t get burns on my hands! On the way back to the hostel, I helped a mother and daughter from Edinburgh get to the hostel. Man they had heavy luggage! I had my last delicious lunch there at the hostel. As I said before the owners Rick and Rachel were so kind and helpful. They wrote notes for me in Chinese for all my destinations. So with my note in hand, I caught a cab to the airport. And just as I stepped in, it started to rain for the first time the entire trip.
There are many awesome things in China, and I am so happy I made it there. A few things were a bit challenging like the language and the toilets, but it was all in all really great.
For the Olympics, they have tried to clean up some things and fix their English signs. I saw this one sign on a moving sidewalk, and thought how polite “oldster” is, and so cute. An investment in janitors in the restrooms would make a positive impact on visitors, as would spit guards and diapers. Chubby little butt cheeks poking out of split pants are cute, until you see them being used – straight onto the sidewalk. Yuck.