Special Feature
Destination: The Great Wall of China
by Jeff Davies
The Great Wall of China is
just 50 miles from the center of Beijing - an
irresistible lure and much too close
not to visit.
There are numerous guided bus tours available for around $20 per
person. They get you there and back and give you enough time to
climb to the first tower, buy your commemorative t-shirt and
visit a jade factory and a shopping mall on the way back.
I wanted to do things a little differently and had other
important priorities on my day's agenda.
I hired a taxi and
driver for the day (6am to 9pm). Cost $100. Value unbeatable...
I also took along a Chinese friend - Tina - who negotiated the
price of the taxi and was invaluable in making the day such a
success.
All along the
roads of the city, groups of people perform the ritual of morning exercise.
You will find them wherever there is a small piece of empty
space
This forecourt of
this BMW dealership provides a facility for the morning exercise
- which is not always the traditional Tai Chi.
The tennis center
where I am located is in the South of Beijing close to the third ring
(there are
six major traffic roads - rings - around Beijing)
Our first destination - the Summer Palace - is located about 8
miles North-West of downtown Beijing.
Beijing traffic is typical of most densely-populated cities and
at 7am, it is not at its best.... We decide to stop for
breakfast....
...a bowl of soup
and meaty dumplings near the University district.
Just around the
corner we find a dumpling seller preparing the day's
snacks...
...children
arriving for school....
...the mail being
sorted in the street (very hurriedly when I am spotted with my big camera!)...
...and people patiently
waiting in line to book their train ticket to visit friends
and relatives during the upcoming national day holiday
(which, in fact, lasts about a week).
We visit the
local supermarket to buy some drinks and fruit for the journey
There is plenty
of choice and prices are low.
Some of the delicacies are a little too recognizable...
Outside, there
is a brisk trade in mooncakes ready for the moon festival
occurring on the
following day (September 28).
The newspaper
seller is not doing quite so well.
Refreshed and
provisioned, we rejoin the taxi and plunge back into Beijing
traffic...
