Hi all,
Considering that Melissa and I went to Beijing maybe three or so weeks ago, this post is quite delayed. Originally, I wanted this post to have a fun conversation style to it, but Melissa is far, far too busy to write in her own blog. So, without further ado, here are my one-or-two-liners about everything we encountered while in Beijing.
National Centre for the Performing Arts
I’ve heard that the local Beijingers don’t like the look of it, but I’d like to remind you that the Chinese tend to cover their buildings with bathroom tiles. So, I’m just saying… it could have looked hideous.
Decision: 9 out of 10 gasps
Peking Duck
I expected an entire duck for the price, but the taste was juicy, crispy and buttery!
Decision: 8 out of 10 happy stomachs
Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution
Much to my befuddlement, this place has it’s own stop on the subway. If rusty Mao-era firepower and propaganda is your thing, then give this FREE museum a try.
Decision: 6 out of 10 replica grenades
Capital Museum
I loved this museum mostly because I could take high-quality photographs by pressing the camera to the exhibits' glass cases.
Decision: 8 out of 10 old things
Beijing Subway
The lines vary in quality, but they all beat the snot out of any of New York City's subway lines.
Decision: 7 out of 10 F train delays
Forest Park
The name is totally misleading. There is no forest! The only draw was the bicycle vehicles for rent. Even with the fun ride, the whole experience was mildly boring.
Decision: 4 out of 10 snorefests
Olympic Park
This hard-to-get-to location resembles a smoggy abandoned highway. There are many Soviet-style sculptures that weren’t even worth the effort of photography. The Bird’s Nest was already gathering dust and grime, like all other buildings in China (the product of heavy pollution).
Decision: 1 out of 10 plastic bags over my head
Lama Temple
Really nice buildings and statues, but they wouldn’t let me take any photos! I mean, they would allow 10,000 tourists to burn incense inside the buildings every day, but I couldn’t even take one little photo? I wonder what’s worse: lots of smoke coating the relics or my camera's flash?
Decision: 5 out of 10 unused cameras
Beijing Aquarium
It was nice to see some exotic fish, but the place was a little on the mediocre side of the spectrum. As an added plus, they sell cuttlefish balls as snacks.
Decision: 7 out of 10 desperate sea turtles
Forbidden City
This place is excessively large. It has many gigantic courtyards, which are the only things that you can see without handing out extra cash. If you don’t know the history, this place is definitely not a must-see destination.
Decision: 5 out of 10 sore feet
Summer Palace
Although getting there was infuriating, the Summer Palace was my favorite destination on our trip to Beijing. There are many tourists, but the scenery is beautiful.
Decision: 9 out of 10 ambling paths
Temple of Heaven
I bought the all-inclusive ticket that has three little stubs, each of which are torn off at the various sites within the park. It turns out that there are FOUR places, which means that you must pay MORE money to see the last place. When the guard at the fourth site told me this, I literally threw a tantrum at him and stormed off. I went before 9:00am, and the place was packed, which surprised me considering it covers just about three square kilometers.
Decision: 3 out of 10 sucker tourists
