China, Day 2: The Forbidden City and Temple of Heaven

View of the Forbidden City from atop Jingshan Gongyuan. 

Okay, it's after midnight and I should totally be in bed right now, but blog duty calls! So someone up there heard my prayers, because today was nothing like yesterday...completely beautiful, clear, and HOT summer weather bestowed itself on Beijing today. I have lovely burn lines to prove it!

Desolate side road in the Forbidden City. 

I was up at the crack of dawn, had my first Chinese breakfast consisting of hearty steamed pork dumplings and coffee, and made my way by bus to the great Forbidden City. Before venturing into the walls, I climbed a nearby hill called Jingshan Gongyuan for a bird's eye view of the adventure that awaited me. The park was fantastic...at 8:30 am many of Beijing's 50-somethings were busy practicing Tai-Chi and ballroom dancing. It was a sight to be seen!

Beautifully-detailed laquer along the walls of the city. 

I was then ready for the Forbidden City. This town was built in the early 1400s and was off-limits to common-folk like myself for over 500 years. Today it was the loitering grounds for thousands upon thousands upon thousands of tourists following flag-weilding guides. I attempted to rent an "audiotape guide," but within minutes was reminded why I hate organized tours so much...I couldn't figure the friggin' thing out and really wanted to go at my own pace (which is fast and away from the typical tourist scenery), so I returned it.


Even the Forbidden City needs a Starbucks. 

The Forbidden City's main palaces were a bit of a letdown, partly for the fact that most of the area is under renovation in preparation for the 2008 Olympics, and also because no one was allowed to enter any of the structures. By the time I was halfway through the city, the piles of tourists (mostly Chinese, with a spattering of foreigners here and there) had descended on the place like the plague, and moving around was quite a hassle. At that point I had seen enough, and I quickly made my way to the exit.

The Great Mao Tse Tung. 

At the south exit of the Forbidden City lies Tiananmen Square. Okay, so I thought I was there last night, but realized I was only in a small, separate portion of it. This was the real deal, and boy was it a gigantic area of concrete wastleland! It was bursting at the seems with throngs of people, many of whom were standing in line to catch a glimpse of Mao Tse Tung lying in his mausoleum. I wandered through for a bit before catching a cab to the Temple of Heaven.

Countdown to the 2008 Beijing Olympics. 

I would love to rave on and on about the Temple of Heaven, but I just cannot do it. This place was one of the "must-see's" of Beijing, but like the Forbidden Palace, most of its structures were under renovation. I was bored the minute I walked into the place. I walked around a bit, trying my darndest to burn my little self to a crisp, before finally giving up on even pretending to be interested and leaving. The best part of the afternoon would have to be my lunch...I walked into a restaurant, pointed at the first bit of food I saw, and was soon happily chowing down on an amazing bowl of thick noodles, cilantro, and mutton! Yum!

The dried moat of the Temple of Heaven. 

The next place I ended up was back at the scene of yesterday's jade-breaking incident...the Pearl Market. I did have plans to go check out the Lama Temple, but at this point I have accepted that I am STILL "templed out" from my whirlwind trip to Japan. I am a bit worried that I might just happen to even be "Asia'd out"...all these Asian history lessons just don't do it for me like they used to!

Temple of Heaven's peaceful forest surroundings. 

Since I could not bear the idea of visiting another park or temple, I made my way back to my hostel, stopped in at a nearby salon, and indulged in an 80-minute full-body massage (for only about $10, might I add!). I had to run back to the hostel, take a quick shower, and at 6:30 pm headed to downtown Beijing to witness my first Chinese Opera at the Luayan Hotel. There were two separate acts, and the music was ear-splitting, but it was definitely a worthwhile experience.

The shrill-voiced female opera performers. 

On the way home, we passed a beautiful lake, and I asked to be let out of the cab. The lake was surrounded by multiple bars and restaurants, each the host of live music that wafted across the water. I was famished, so I stopped at an Italian restaurant with tables that lined a huge canal and enjoyed a fabulous dinner and wine while watching Chinese gondolas gliding through the water. As I completed my meal, a glass of red wine was delivered to my table courtesy of three Italian gentlemen (guess I looked a bit pathetic, all dressed up for the opera and dining alone!), and the next thing I knew, I was getting serenaded with my own private opera! I eventually had to bid them "arrivaderci," and took a breezy pedicab home.

My Italian serenaders... 

It's now off to bed because tomorrow is a BIG day...up at 6:00 am to head to the Great Wall of China...then a night train to Pingyao! I am so very excited for this is definitely going to be the highlight of my trip!