The day started cool and a bit breezy in Beijing – leading us to expect we would freeze on the Wall. We drove to the Mutianyu section of the wall – a bit farther but less touristy than the section typically visited. When we arrived, it was very windy in the valley. And cold!!
But, amazingly, the top of the wall had less wind and the sun and clear skies made for a gorgeous day. We walked for about 90 minutes on the wall. Up hill and down. Really very special.
We stopped at the Olympic grounds on the way back to the hotel … But everything would pale in comparison to the wall experience.
By the way, the fire crackers/works continue to be heard regularly. New Years is no one day event here!
Tags: Beijing
After a night of indescribable firecrackers/works, we awoke to a New Years day that was mostly sunny.
We visited the Bell and Drum towers. The drum tower was first built by Kubla Khan so these sites are very old. We then joined the locals exploring the shops and cafes of the Hou Hai district of Beijing. This district lies along three small lakes near the centre of Beijing. Today’s picture show the activity on the frozen lake. One can rent a small sled with runners and then use ski poles to push yourself around the lake. A long trian of the sleds had formed.
Tags: Beijing
It is New Year’s Eve Day here today and there has been no break in the sound of fire works/crackers. From early this morning, the pop and bang has continued to celebrate the year of the dragon.
We visited the Temple of Heaven today. As we left the temple grounds, we stopped in a tea house for a tea ceremony. We tasted about 6 different teas and learned some of their properties. It was suggested I should consume the pu’er tea as it was good for losing weight and would help me. I give that sales lady full marks for honesty!
Later, we stopped for the traditional meal of roast duck. It is a special event as they bring the whole duck to the table and then slice it for you.
We walked down a major and modern shopping street this afternoon. A interesting contrast with capitalism thriving in a communist country. All the big names from Paris and New York are on the street. Gucci. Armani. Burberry. All with the prices we see at home.
The duck dinner is the bargain of the day. How can you go wrong having such a famous meal for about 10 dollars a person?
Tags: Beijing
As Canadians, we thought we were prepared for winter in China. Yesterday, our Canadian confidence was shivering in it’s boots. Minus 10 with a good wind and about 3 hours outside walking through the Forbidden City had us chilled to the bone.
As the photo shows, we had a sunny, sunny day. A rare event, actually, with the air pollution that is common in Beijing. The Emperor’s palaces of the Forbidden City make up a hugely impressive site. 500+ years in existence and likely about 2 km long by 1 km wide, we only saw some of it in our 3 hours.
The bargain of the day came at dinner. A 600 ml Nanjing beer for a little over a dollar. It is still very reasonable to eat here.
Tags: Beijing
A long days flight to Beijing.
The Rockies were spectacular with the clear skies under the Arctic ridge. The quality of the image is affected by the dirt on the airplane window.
We arrived in Beijing at 4:30 local time. We had intended to use a taxi to come to our hotel but found the prices more than 5 times what they should be. So, we used the airport express train and then a taxi to our hotel.
I will post pictures tomorrow. Our hotel is 300 years old on a street that is 700 years old. Completely refurbished, it is heated by geothermal and solar energy. It is a courtyard hotel – all rooms face into one of two small courtyards. a very cool place.
After an extended warm and dry period through December and some of January, winter arrived this week with a little sow and a lot of cold. It has been interesting reading various science and pseudo-science organizations try to explain the winter this year. In the fall, the prospect of a La Nina winter caused most forecasts to suggest a cold winter particularly in western north America. Which largely hasn’t happened – although winter isn’t over.
Increasingly, people look to the significant change in the Arctic oscillation to explain the different behavior tis winter.
It is also interesting to note the near record minimum extent of Arctic sea ice and the minimum volume of Arctic sea ice. It has been slow to re-freeze and thicken -especially on the Russian side of the pole.
It is perhaps not surprising there have been difficulties forecasting this winter. Given the highly anomalous sea ice patterns, we haven’t seen anything like this combination before. Our atmospheric and oceanographic models have never been tested against such a low ice cover. This winter might be providing a good case study – perhaps we will learn more about some processes that will improve forecasts in the future.
Our passports returned to Edmonton today complete with visas to visit China. Just one week before we go.
The visa process for China is interesting. You have to have your passport taken to one of the Consulates — Calgary serves the Prairies and northern Canada. But, you don’t have to take it yourself — you can entrust your passport along with application etc. to a travel agent that offers the service. Depending on where you live and whether you have any unexpected results (i.e. if it is refused for some reason), this could get to be expensive.
The picture above was taken in 1999 along the river above the Three Gorges Dam — under construction at that time. So, this is no longer visible — it will have been flooded. There were buildings in many places along the cliff walls. If you look carefully towards centre-right, you can see a white fence along the pathway that people presumably used to travel from place to place.
Tags: dam, Three Gorges
Dawn in Beijing in 1999
I have had the very good fortune to have visited China three times. I wonder how much it has changed this time.
The first time was in 1990 and I stood on Tienanmen Square one year following the infamous events with the tanks and the protesters. There was just a bit of security that time! I visited Beijing and Harbin.
The second and third times were about 6 and 12 years after that first visit. These were all work travel so the time to visit the sites was limited although some of the work required distant travel.
This time we will visit Beijing — for Chinese New Year — and then Xi’an and Shanghai. It will be a busy couple weeks!
We will be leaving on a trip to visit Scott in China in a little less than two weeks. We know Facebook and other social media tools won’t be available. So, I am going to try to rejuvenate my blog to provide a little information and some pictures to those staying home. And, maybe I will rekindle an interest in blogging – although there are active questions about whether this form of communication is dying.
I hope I have set this up so new blog posts will result in posts to facebook. It seems WordPress will facilitate that. But, if it doesn’t work, I will try to use the great new “if this then that” Internet service that allows you to automate various actions, alerts,posts, etc.
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