I'm hanging out at Mike's apartment today while he works. This is the first day I've been apart from him at all. I have a nasty cough - the 'Beijing cough', I've heard it called. Between the cold weather, the millions of people packed into the subways, buses and streets and the heavy pollution - I sound and feel like I have emphysema. :P Taking it easy today - lots of rest and tea - so that I can go back out and play for the rest of my time here!
Mike snagged a picture of me getting off the plane. This was actually a good hour after I got off the plane - had to go through customs and whatnot. I was exhausted and deliriously happy! It'd been 4 months to the day since I'd last seen my sweetie...
The sights, sounds and smells of Beijing are like nothing I've ever experienced. I had a new experience no less than once every minute. For example, pet birds tied to a post in an alley somewhere...
Somewhere along the line, I'll try to desribe some of the other experiences I've had - it's overwhelming and I don't know where to start!
We made a trek over to Tiananmen Square and then across to the Forbidden City. So much history - fascinating. If you don't know anything about these places (like me pre-Mike!), Google them - you'll see a bit of how fascinating it was. The most incredible experience of it was the sheer magnitude of it all - HUGE places that go on forever and ever. The whole city is that way - huge. High rises everywhere...for miles and miles and miles. Millions of people everywhere, all the time.
We made a trek over to Tiananmen Square and then across to the Forbidden City. So much history - fascinating. If you don't know anything about these places (like me pre-Mike!), Google them - you'll see a bit of how fascinating it was. The most incredible experience of it was the sheer magnitude of it all - HUGE places that go on forever and ever. The whole city is that way - huge. High rises everywhere...for miles and miles and miles. Millions of people everywhere, all the time.
It was a beautiful, sunny day in the Forbidden City - I believe this picture was taken from the top of the Gate Tower - at the first entrance...
A view of the square we were just at - Tiananmen...
Best day ever...when I say ever, I mean one of many :)
A view of part of the city from the top of the tower...
In front of one of hundreds of palaces...the size of these buildings is incredible - and they housed very little, it seemed - a massive throne, a single bed...
There are these candied fruits all over the streets - they look like little crab abbles - called 'Haw" fruit - from the Chinese Hawthorne tree. They are berries that taste somewhat like strawberries with a similar texture. I loved the carmelized sugar coating! Here I am exercising on one of the machines they have all over the place - a fancy gazelle/elliptical kinda thing. It was fun. :) Yup - eating candy while working out!
At the same park, there were some old (crazy!) men - part of the "Polar Bear Club" maybe? They stripped down to suits and jumped into the FROZEN lake! I've heard of this, but never seen it. Well, we got a front row view that day...
We could HEAR the ice crackling as he swam through - can you see it breaking apart at the top of the picture? It couldn't have been more than 25 out!
These two got out and hung out for awhile without a towel or getting dressed. I got a chill watching them! Like I said - a new experience literally every single minute.
More pictures to come very soon! I'm hoping to get most of my pictures up before returning home, as I'm sure I'll be very busy getting ready for Christmas once I'm back!
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