Hello! -C hina day 1 and 2

This is a Korean bar called "Long Life" and their beer is quite delicious. We used a package of cigarettes to try to give you an idea of how tall my beer was (there was still one more, the 'ace' which was higher and more delicious)


I am still alive - unlike this blog which suffered a slow death whose subsequent funeral was heard of by few and memorialized by none. I still have to write all about my time in Kyoto and my trek up and down Mt.Fuji and the remainder of my Japan trip, but that will have to wait.

So when we last spoke my friend Court was on his way to Korea to visit me for 2 and a half weeks. I had predicted he'd die of something along the way (or upon his arrival) but he survived to have a pretty good trip I'd like to think.

Mind you, I barely survived but thats another blog all together (lets just say drinking all night, getting no sleep, working all day, and doing it all over again the next afternoon does not a healthy lifestyle make). You know what I mean eh papa?

Anywhoo, I was excited for Courts arrival and spent a good part of the afternoon at work that Monday fashioning a welcome sign for him so he'd recognize me on his way out. Naturally I was the only foreigner there, but I think the sign was appreciated nonetheless.



Our first night we spent walking around the Haeundae beach area playing in the water, drinking beer, and perusing the red-light district. It was a late night and the morning came fast and hard (like a drunken customers punch to a greedy hookers stomach). For the remainder of the week we went out for a few different Korean dinners, saw a couple of movies at some DVD Bahngs and generally just caught up on gossip. Getting no sleep though, the first 5 days of Courts arrival are pretty much a hazy, nauseating, sleepless blur.

That following Saturday afternoon we headed off to China. After enduring a hellish cab ride to the airport and I mean HELLISH - the jackass driver considered us dumb foreigners and thus took us at breakneck speeds through a scenic tour of Busan - tacking on an additional 20 minutes of driving time and about $12 more. We were pissed at him and refused to pay the full fare. Asshole!

Court seemed slightly terrified at the guards holding machine guns but after we snapped this quick picture he resigned himself to a quick death and we boarded the plane to Tianjin airport, about 2 hours away from Beijing.



The flight was pretty terrifying due to steep banks from the plane coupled with Courts labored breathing, but we made it around 10-ish at night. It took about 2 hours to get to our 5-star hotel located more than an hour outside of Beijing, but it was worth it...what a nice place, beautiful furnishings, amazing beds, and the hallways always smelled of Thai food!





Our view was of the hotel air conditioner, but we didn't mind as our room was strictly for sleeping and parading around in the babys ass soft housecoats that the hotel provided.

I took over 300 photos in China alone, but have yet to figure out how to use flickr.com so I am only posting a few photos now with little description.

Out first stop was the Summer Palace - an UNESCO World Heritage site and former summer home of Empress Dowager Cixi - who knew how to party and divert money to make homes like this (30 million taels of silver according to Wikipedia!)

The entrance to the Summer Palace - note the throngs of people.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Corridor - nuff said.



A view of the palace grounds while on a boat 'cruise' across the lake. The Chinese, known for their poor driving should also be known for their weak boating skills as a family of 5 in a pedal boat managed to crash into our gigantic boat. We all had a good laugh at their expense.


My favorite sign, seen at the Summer Palace. Note the bottom symbol for "No Terrorism!"


I was surprised that Beijing was so dirty - the divide between rich and poor was intense - you were either very rich or very poor. Tons of cars, pollutions, tuk-tuks (little motorcycles that double as cabs), beggars like you wouldn't believe, etc.

After visiting a pearl factory and getting ripped off no-doubt, we headed off to the Tienanmen Square and the Forbidden City. Aside from being an extremely hot day, the area was packed with tourist and tour groups, Maos mausoleum was closed for repairs or something like that, and the beggars/sellers were out in full steam. Sometime when I find the time and edit together all of the video I took I will show you the tactics these peddlers use so you will buy their crap (basically it comes down to never leaving you alone and pushing stuff in your face - at one point I had 7 or 8 surrounding me - as did Court and Kevin).

An old woman who though appearing pleasant couldn't take no for an answer. At this point she was exclaiming to Court through her limited hand gestures that for $1 he could buy something shitty from her. Court was obviously aroused (hence why Kevin is lurking nearby for possible sloppy seconds).


Tianamen Square was pretty impressive, considering its history and learning about it in high school history class (when I wasn't fast asleep). The space itself is actually quite massive, with Maos Mausoleum, the Monument to the Peoples Heroes, Zhengyangmen Gate, The National Museum of China, The Great Hall of People, Tianamen itself, and the entrance to Forbidden City (the gate of Heavenly Peace).

I took a picture of this sign right outside of Tiananmen Square so I would later understand what I possibly saw.


Zhengyangmen Gate - I think


Court and I standing in front of the Monument to the Peoples Heroes, with the Great Hall of People right behind it...I think.


Guard standing...uh...guard (from a distance) from the Tiananmen Gate to the Forbidden City - the Gate of Heavenly Peace.


Me standing in front of the gate right beside the road where that unknown student stood in front of 4 tanks during the Tiananmen Square Massacres. God, I'm brave.


After about 20 minutes in Tiananmen Square we were herded like diseased cattle under the street through an underground walkway littered with beggars coming from all directions and vendors hawking Mao watches, books, cards, little fans, Olympic t-shirts, hats, etc. We were told several times to watch our money - and judging by the way several people were clutching their bags you could tell we'd heeded the warnings.

After emerging from the street we were bombarded with thousands of more tourists from all over the world all listening to their own tour guide spouting their own tongue. We hustled through and made our way inside of the Forbidden City.







Alright, I am tired - enough for now.