So, we're here in Beijing. This might sound weird, but it's a lot likeChinatown in NYC... I suppose that means Chinatown is authentic. I'mnot really experiencing culture shock as the food is familiar and theinsides of restaurants look familiar and the stuff sold on the streetis easily found on Canal Street. I'm sure the rural areas will be moreshocking, but as of now, I could be on Mott St. It's kind of odd...
We went to the Forbidden City today, and to Tiananmen Square.Tiananmen Square is huge, and all I could envision was a tank charging through and throngs of students protesting. We took pictures ofourselves under the huge picture of Mao and then stood in line to seeMao's frozen body in a mausoleum. People took it very, very seriouslybut we thought he looked like a wax figure. I mean really, they freezehis body 21 hours a day and put him on display every morning between9-12....While in Tiananmen Square a lady walked up to us with a camera. We assumed she wanted us to take a picture of her family but she actuallywanted to take a picture of us with her family-- her poor daughter wasscared to death of having to stand between the two white girls! The mom was so excited to see us, but the kid looked like she wanted to cry. That was really, really strange...
One of my favorite things today was walking through a park where we encountered dozens of small groups of senior citizens exercising--some were doing jazzercise, others were playing badminton, or hackeysack. But the entire park was full of exercising senior citizens-- it was like Beijing Leisure World!
There's construction everywhere, everyone getting ready for the Olympics. I can't imagine how all of this is going to get done in three weeks-- there are construction sites on every corner. It's nuts.There are all of these directives about not using cars after next week and making everyone who lives here ride bikes so that the air will be cleaner for the Olympics. But really, whose idea was it to have the Olympics here? There is a permanent haze over the city due to the pollution-- today was supposedly sunny but there was no blue in thesky whatsoever-- just a hazy, overcast gray. I can't imagine athletes breathing this air and trying to compete. It just sounds like a disaster.
Tomorrow we're going to climb the Great Wall...
We went to the Forbidden City today, and to Tiananmen Square.Tiananmen Square is huge, and all I could envision was a tank charging through and throngs of students protesting. We took pictures ofourselves under the huge picture of Mao and then stood in line to seeMao's frozen body in a mausoleum. People took it very, very seriouslybut we thought he looked like a wax figure. I mean really, they freezehis body 21 hours a day and put him on display every morning between9-12....While in Tiananmen Square a lady walked up to us with a camera. We assumed she wanted us to take a picture of her family but she actuallywanted to take a picture of us with her family-- her poor daughter wasscared to death of having to stand between the two white girls! The mom was so excited to see us, but the kid looked like she wanted to cry. That was really, really strange...
One of my favorite things today was walking through a park where we encountered dozens of small groups of senior citizens exercising--some were doing jazzercise, others were playing badminton, or hackeysack. But the entire park was full of exercising senior citizens-- it was like Beijing Leisure World!
There's construction everywhere, everyone getting ready for the Olympics. I can't imagine how all of this is going to get done in three weeks-- there are construction sites on every corner. It's nuts.There are all of these directives about not using cars after next week and making everyone who lives here ride bikes so that the air will be cleaner for the Olympics. But really, whose idea was it to have the Olympics here? There is a permanent haze over the city due to the pollution-- today was supposedly sunny but there was no blue in thesky whatsoever-- just a hazy, overcast gray. I can't imagine athletes breathing this air and trying to compete. It just sounds like a disaster.
Tomorrow we're going to climb the Great Wall...
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