5th April , Walkathon at Beijing continues....... !

Its a visit to the Jade factory enroute to the Ming Dynasty Tombs, Changling. Jade factory has some mind blowing pieces , however , the one that steals the show for us , is the Jade Pot , with six shot cups , with some kind of magnetic mechanism , whereby , when u keep the cup on the base ,from the spout , there is a free flow of the liquid from the pot into the cup . Amazing!

Drive to Mings Tomb , tomb of the Wangli Emperor, Zhu Di and his Empresses , through the Farm District , with fruit orchards on both sides , and some blossoms thrown in, is beautiful . We don't stop for fruit picking at one of the farms ( have done enough of that at London!! J ) , we however , do buy the Dried fruits .... major assortment of plums , berries, kiwi , dates & what nots ! Very berry tasty tasty!

We enter & on both side are the Sacred Silk Burners , which was filled with hard cash , a ritual , to appease the forefathers , it seems ! Ling'en Hall has the this huge statue of the emporer & houses artifacts which belonged to that era. Its like a museum , where history is told & seen in some measure too through these artifacts. The Gold Imperial Crown of the Emperor , including that of the Empress' & her jewellery are intricate & beautiful!

The walking continues after we take the cable to the Great Wall of China. Chalte raho , thats the call here , walk as much as you can , the wall is never ending , leaving a snake like trail for you to follow ! Jahan jahan taak , your eyes can focus , you shall be able to see the Great Wall ! One can't help but reminisce , on the trails, the hardship, that must have undergone to make this Wall. No wonder they say , The Great Wall , is made with the blood , sweat , bones , of the workers, including all else !

We manage to squeeze some time amongst all this walking to walk towards some local shops & buy a few stuff ...... Bargaining is definitely the calling here !

Highlight:

Just like we have Shradh , puja and all for the departed , to pay our homage in their Memory , the same tradition is followed here , for 3 days , which began on 3^rd & today , being the last day , was when the family visits & Sweep the ancestral Tombs .

PLACE TO VISIT , Must do on my next trip :

Datong , 5 hours from Beijing , over night stay at Holiday Inn , visit Hanging Temple,Wooden Pagoda & Yungang Grottoes.

4th April , Walkathon at Beijing !

A rollercoaster of places to visit, with Cathryn. This vast expanse, Tiananmen square , the world largest city square, and one sure can visualize a huge congregation , the student revolution ! We walk  past the Zhengyangmen Gatehouse, Monument to the People's Heroes , the Mausoleum Of Chairman Mao ( interestingly , they call him the Sleeping beauty !! ) ,towards the Tiananmen Gate , to enter the Forbidden City !With this huge portrait of Chairman Mao watching all visitors , wonder if we will be allowed inside or Forbidden??? J

We enter through the Meridian Gate & keep walking & walking & walking & walking ...... from one courtyard to another , through one gate to another , from the Outer , to the Inner Court. Anyone walking this length daily shall need no exercise to remain fit , thats for sure ! The vibrant colours of the Palace , the intricate workmanship , the Majestic Imperial Guardian , the huge Copper Vats ..... each have a story to tell . The last part is the Imperial Garden, home to the Empress & the Concubine's, with its gardens and temples , is scenic , peaceful , beautiful! I would have loved to have spend some more time here , however , its time to get to the Land of Food now, through the Gate of Divine Might. From here we can see the complete layout of the Jingshan Hill, the highest point of this city.  

After a not so spicy sumptuous meal at Sichuan Folk, we head towards the Temple of Heaven. However , after a heart meal , one needs to drown it with some Chai , so, it is a visit to Tea House , which also overlooks the Temple of Heaven. Tea House was a super experience , and a must do , just for some entertainment and some knowledge of the nuances of Chinese Chai !!!!!

Temple of Heaven , a place where u can spend half a day, araam se ,  , with parks , greenery all around, and the spacious temple complex. The Hall of Prayer of Good Harvests, reminds us of Sanchi Stupa at Bhubaneswar! Best time is from morning hours till early evening , when you will spot small groups doing various activities.. Taichi , dancing , judo, walking .. and all else, a place , where one can watch the locals at their relaxed best . Later part of the day is when the you see the senior citizens who sit along the corridors, playing cards , some even strumming typical local instruments & not to miss out the kids and adults flying kites , playing games , including some kind of football with a contraption which looks like a shuttlecock but bounces like a football, very interesting!

After this , a visit to the Summer Palace is definitely out , in our next trip , perhaps, with a visit to the Beijing Zoo, just to say hello to the Panda's . And a visit to the Jingshan Hill at dusk , the best time to be there is at Dusk , to watch the sun set over the Imperial Palace, including the rest that this hill has to offer!!! J

Dinner is with Jane, Anish's collegue at one of Beijings oldest restaurants, in one of the bylanes of Wangfuijing Street ,  Chongwenmen area, which serves the most authentic Peking Duck, Beijing gaye aur Peking Duck nahin khaya toh kya kiya, i say??? J. Waise , an evening visit to this place is a must , vibrant , designer labels, traditional shops , restaurants .... the works ! The Time Square of Beijing!!!

Highlights:

Inder's Afro hairstyle is a rage at every place we visit, with quite a few giving him the eye!!! At Forbidden city , 2 young girls , come up to him , and ask if they can take a photograph with him. When he asks , why? The say ," We think you are very good looking" !

Want to go Chinese and sample some of their delicacies , head for the Wangfuijing Night Market (snack street) or Donghuamen Night Market , for some deep fried insects, scorpions, cricket , centipede .... ewwwwwwwwwww

And next time , if ever there is one , the stay shall be at Novotel Beijing Xin Qiao, Chongwenmen !

3rd April , Patnaik clan meets up at Hongkong Airport.

From the name of Hongkong airport begins our sojourn into China. We take a while to say , we are at, Chek Lap Kok Airport !!!! The Bombay walla's i.e. Dad, Mom & I , meet up with the Delhi Gang i.e. Ruchi, Inder & Deia , at the boarding gate , from where we shall head for Beijing. With time to kill , its tafri time , checking out the duty free shops , eating & coffee time at Starbucks, coffee ke bina kya outing???!!! Ahem!

Ni Hao, China aka Hello China ! We have arrived at Beijing Capital International Airport, where we are whisked by our local guide , Cathryn , to Howard Johnson hotel. Its been an approx 22 hrs of travel time to get here from Sagar Mansion! Pheeewwww !!!! Time to relax some, get our bearings , and organize ourselves, for the next day.

Highlight: At HKG airport , at the free internet areas, everyone logged on to ........... u guessed it ... FaceBook! J

Its China Calling..... The trip that was , 2nd April – 14th April 2011

Its been a while , seems like a long time ago , however , China Musings are the call of the day!

A day before we leave ,Ruchi aptly puts it on FB status line as " Chandni Chowk to China" . Methinks , I should say , "World Cup to Widespread China" ????

Its going to be Chinese whisper these entire 13 days , we are all in the basic state of suspended anticipation , waiting for the mystery of this tour to unfold , since all of us know bits & pieces of the trip !

Drive to the airport takes less than 20 mins , how did that happen?? Well , to be expected , It's the World Cup Finals between India & SriLanka.  If Wankhede Stadium, is packed to the hilt , with the crowds roaring for an Indian Victory , the streets of Bombay are more than practically empty .... ahhh ... Cricket Mania !! And I cant help but say, " Itna sannata kyon hai bhai ???? " J

Its cricket , cricket and only cricket everywhere , all the way through to the boarding gates of the Flight. The pandemonium infront of every TV set at the airport shall give Wankhede a run for its money! The energy , the passion .... amazing ! Time to board the flight , and no one wants to move , its the last 2 overs , if the passengers are apprehensive , so are the ground staff of Kingfisher, a few minutes delay to watch India win is acceptable by any airlines in India! Everyone is rooted to the ground. Last Ball , Dhoni hits a six,  the uproar , India has clinched the World Cup, and my prediction has come True, Yes! What a super beginning to our trip!

Hightlight : Announcements after announcements , on flights ready for departure , on names of passengers ..... with ground staff hustling passengers towards the aircraft .... Cricket , aapke kya kehne , passengers so glued to the TV sets , that they couldn't hear or pretended not to hear! J