Journey to the World

That day I woke up late trying to get over a jet leg I got the day before. At 12:00 in the afternoon I walked out of the hotel. In front there’s a store renting new city bikes for 10 yuans  per day (you have to leave a deposit of 300 yuan). The forbidden city is located a few kilometers from the hotel I was staying in. Thirty minutes of bicycle ride. On the way I discovered how much China, or at least Beijing, is bicycle friendly. All main roads have at least one lane only for bicycles. On one road I noticed the bicycle lane is even wider than the cars lane.

The forbidden city is open until 17:00. The compound is huge, so those who want to see everything, need to be in good shape, or get early in the morning to give enough rest time.

Between huge walls and ancient Chinese buildings I started to feel like things are repeating themselves. The ticket’s price is 35 yuan. Students get a discount. In the other side of the forbidden city there’s a garden that’s worth a visit since it is different than the rest of the structures.

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That day I rented a bicycle in front of Far East hotel. The price is low, only 10 yuan per day (300 yuan deposit). The store owners know a little English but are very nice. They agreed I get their bike back at midnight instead of the regular hour. The temple of heaven is located not so far from the center. Half an hour is sufficient. It depends on the speed you’re riding and the way you can handle Beijing’s streets which are not easy for navigation due to their obscure names repeated in various variations. You may find two different streets having the same name, but a different suffix such as dajie or Rd. These added to a combination of the Chinese words indicating East / West (or North / South) can be confusing.

You can go inside the temple of heaven (TianTan) from the north or south entrance. The route is direct from one entrance to another. It is not too long so you can walk through it in three hours or even less. Overall, the temples inside are pretty but when you’re travelling under pressure, you can skip this place. Although the direct route, where most tourists are walking, isn’t too long, the park itself is a huge place. You can easily spend half a day inside. Forests on each side of the route, within them are peaceful walking trails. The ticket you buy at the entrance is sufficient for most sites. You should notice that you can visit every site only one time. The guard cuts a part of your ticket every time you enter a site, though you can always go back using a bypass road to the left or to the right of that site.

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The Summer Palace is located twenty kilometers from the center of Beijing. According to the Lonely Planet you can get there by riding a bike. I took the opportunity, started cycling at 10:00 in the morning for a long ride in Beijing’s streets. I had a map for a change, which I purchased in the hostel I was staying in (10 yuan), and so the planning became a little less complex.

Riding in Beijing’s streets, apart from the physical effort and lack of convenience, gives you a freedom similar to what you get by riding a motorbike. You can stop everywhere, sometimes ride against the traffic direction or on sidewalks. Those who plan to ride along with the traffic should know that traffic lights in general, and the green or red lights specifically are taken by Chinese drivers as a recommendation and nothing more. The roads are wide and organized. There are traffic lights for cars, for pedestrians and even special traffic lights for bicycles. Traffic policemen are stated in almost every possible location. Any one of the described does not seem to interfere with cars, pedestrians or bicycles to cross a junction on a red light in front of the open eyes of the cops, without any implications whatsoever. Surprisingly, drivers who cross on a red light are very cautious. They get into traffic without a difficulty. It seems as if this is part of the driving culture of the city. I have not seen accidents or near-accidents in the entire time I was in the city.

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On the last day in Beijing I had a night train to Pingyao, the city which became famous for its ancient city and historical houses.

That day I rented a bicycle to do some shopping around the hotel. Surprisingly, during the entire week I stayed in Beijing, first week of September, was unusually hot. But the last day showed signs of the autumn. Light rain fell from the skies.

I stored my bags in the storage room of Far East hotel before going out. Although being called a hotel, it was actually a hostel. The place looks good and well maintained. The rooms pricing was too high for my taste, but in other places it is not different. I paid 80 yuan for one bed in the dormitory. I would’ve paid more if I didn’t get a reservation in advance using the internet. The Olympic games raise the prices, and I almost had to beg so the reservation price would stay that way for three days (regular price went up to 120 yuan per bed). The bad feeling of arguing the staff made me think twice whether I should come back in the future or not. The reception clerks speak a little English, but don’t expect anything close to a fluent conversation. You won’t find any flexible prices. On the contrary. Organized tours are priced too high. Beds in the basement dormitory do not justify their price. The mattress is thin and the bed is rough. In the first floor there are more expensive dormitories – thicker mattress but smaller rooms, as well as double-deck beds unlike in the basement.

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I woke up late, still a little sick. By one o’clock in the afternoon I decided to get out of bed and do something with the rest of the day. In order not to put too much effort, I rented a bicycle (30 yuan for one day on a mountain bike with gears, 15 yuan for half a day, 5 yuan per hour). I was thinking about visiting the giant wild goose pagoda, which eventually did not happen, but on the way I stopped in the Stele Forest Museum located in the old city. An entrance ticket costs 40 yuan (22 yuan for students). This is not a small place. Inside there are big pieces of rocks on which Chinese characters are inscribed. With no proper guidance it is difficult to understand what’s going on. At the end of the museum there’s a nice attraction in the form of artists who put a block of paper on the steles, using a special technique they create a copy of the original artwork.

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במיקס הוסטל משכירים אופניים בעשרים יואן ליום. יש להם אופני עיר ואופני הרים לבחירה. לכל אחד היתרונות שלו – לאופני ההרים הגלגלים וההילוכים, ולאופני העיר הסלסה מקדימה.

באותו יום רציתי לשלוח חבילה לישראל, אז אופני העיר עם הסלסלה התאימו יותר.

לאחר שקיבלתי הכוונות מצד מקומיים, מצאתי לבסוף סניף דואר של China Post ממנו יכולתי לשלוח חבילה. המחיר היה גבוה במיוחד. למעלה מ-700 יואן (כ-350 ש”ח) למשלוח בדואר אוויר של 1.5 ק”ג ולמעלה מ-200 יואן (כ-100 ש”ח) לחבילה בדואר קרקעי (חודשיים עד שמגיעה לארץ). בחרתי באופציה הזולה, קיבלתי קופסה מקרטון שעליה רשמתי את הפרטים ושלחתי את החבילה לדרכה. אם הייתי יודע שהמחיר כ”כ גבוה לפני, הייתי זורק חלק מהדברים לפח. בסופו של דבר, לא ממש משתלם לשלוח דברים זולים מסין לארץ, ולפחות לא במשקלים שבאזור הקילוגרם אחד או שניים. אולי יש דרך זולה יותר, אבל לא מצאתי.
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