ASIAN TRAVELING

 




     Honestly, our first day in Beijing was a rather long one.  We arrived in Beijing past 12 MN, and we headed out into the city by 9 a.m.  We had a full day.  First, we went to the Tiananmen Square and then to the Forbidden City.  After which, we had a buffet lunch at a restaurant, visited a jade factory (it was included in our tour package), went to the Summer Palace and to the Zoo to see the pandas.  We wrapped up our day by eating dinner at another Chinese restaurant.   Whew!

     So, our tour guide and driver picked us up at the hotel and we went straight to Tiananmen Square.  Mind you, it was my first time to visit a foreign country during the early days of winter and I was literally fascinated by the throngs of people wearing their full winter gears: caps or ear muffs, neck scarves, mittens/gloves, bubble jackets and trench coats.  I was just wearing a scarf, summer cotton shirt, a cotton camisole, stockings and leggings underneath my trench coat: all of which I wear during summer except the trench.  But it was really, really cold.  The weather per se was bearable, but the strong winds were a killer.  But, thank God for those winds; we had majestic blue skies.




     So, the Tiananmen Square is such a huge place, a vast track of concrete surface.  There were a lot of tourists but the square was not crowded.  There was a long lcd screen which, according to the tour guide, was used to show the Olympic games.  On one side of the square, there was a very long line of people.  Apparently, it was for the mausoleum of Mao Zedong.   We didn't queue for that, perhaps because we're not Chinese, or maybe because we had a full-day schedule to follow.




      Aside from the apparent flatness in front of our eyes, the Monument to the People's Heroes stood impressively, while the Great Hall of the People can be seen on one side.  Of course, Chairman Mao's mausoleum stood nearby with a huge sculpture were people were queued.





     And of course, at the end of the Square, in front of the Forbidden City,  is the Chinese national flag fluttering mightily and proudly, guarded by guards standing on glass or transparent boxes/podiums.




     Interesting facts:

     1.  Before you could enter the Square, one has to pass through a security tent with x-ray scanners for your belongings.  I felt so secured. 

     2.  Hungry? Thristy? There are food stalls inside the Square (see the last pic above, lower right part)


     3.  Did you forget your camera?  There are photographers milling around the square (they give you a developed pic for a fee).

     4.  There are roving patrol cars in the square.

     5.  There are guards scattered all around, with stationary posts but they move a quarter turn every so often.