Back Down To Earth
Left for China yesterday on the morning train. Was sad to leave Mongolia and I was a little upset to move on, but it was time. My friends Xime and Pato had given me some advice on what to do before getting on the train for China. So I was up late downloading a VPN and Google Translate. Hope it works! The landscape changed from a flat desolate place to a mountainous green land overnight. Made me excited to be in China. Arrived at the railway station and then it was chaos. People everywhere with less info than I have seen in other places. Managed to find money at an ATM a little ways away from the station after teaming up with a couple of Dutch guys. I guess the Bank of China is the only place that works. Who knew!
Mike Rose
97 chapters
Busy Beijing
August 26, 2017
|
Beijing
Left for China yesterday on the morning train. Was sad to leave Mongolia and I was a little upset to move on, but it was time. My friends Xime and Pato had given me some advice on what to do before getting on the train for China. So I was up late downloading a VPN and Google Translate. Hope it works! The landscape changed from a flat desolate place to a mountainous green land overnight. Made me excited to be in China. Arrived at the railway station and then it was chaos. People everywhere with less info than I have seen in other places. Managed to find money at an ATM a little ways away from the station after teaming up with a couple of Dutch guys. I guess the Bank of China is the only place that works. Who knew!
Blundered my way through a subway ticket and after a transfer and a bit of walking found my hostel. Bit nervous in China as language is going to be a real issue. Spent the day getting organized for the days to come. Got up at 7:30 to go to the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. Left before eating so I picked up a Chinese version of a breakfast sandwich from a street vendor. Cost me about 50 cents and was quite tasty. Unsure of some of the things in it. May end up in the bathroom later! Headed to the subway to try my luck at getting to the square. Turned out to be quite easy and efficient. Got to the square and had a wander around before heading to the Forbidden City. Lots of people today at the Forbidden City being a Saturday. Was good but too crowded for my liking. Get used to it I guess because this place has a lot of people. Quite a big place with a lot of temples that kind of look the same. I liked it but was maybe expecting more. The Square is just a big place with a few monuments in it. Nothing really special, but famous because of the protests years ago that caught the world's attention. I enjoyed myself today in the Forbidden City and at the Square, but equally enjoyed just walking through the city on the way back to the hostel. Quite a neat active place that is so vibrant. People are very kind and helpful. Tomorrow is supposed to rain so I am unsure of what I am going to
do. Maybe a museum day would be a good idea. Who knows what tomorrow will bring, but I am sure it will be interesting whatever it is!
1.
It all started with the first grey hair.........
2.
On the Road again.....
3.
Eataly and Old things......
4.
Culture Day
5.
The Medici Curse
6.
A Slanted View.......
7.
Lining up for David
8.
Holy Cannoli
9.
Exploring Paradise......
10.
Verona and Shakespeare......
11.
South to the home of Pizza and Mozzarella.....
12.
Sunday is not a slow day in Napoli...
13.
Pom Pom's for Pompeii
14.
Totally Different.....
15.
Hidden Gem of the Adriatic.....
16.
Kotor below the mountain.....
17.
King's Landing......
18.
Surf and Sun .......
19.
A Pleasant Day of Travel.........
20.
Rainy day in Croatia......
21.
Plitvice and Plum Brandy.......
22.
Whacked Crazy Day of Travel ......
23.
Fathers Day in Buda (with a) Pest.
24.
Relaxed Day in a Vibrant City.....
25.
Vienna the Good, the Bad, and the Lucky....
26.
Music and Mountains.....
27.
More of Magnificent Vienna...
28.
Day and Night in Prague.....
29.
Sunday in Prague.....
30.
Lots of Bones........
31.
Beer is Cheaper than Water......
32.
Perogies in Poland....
33.
A Sobering Day.......
34.
Happy Birthday Canada from Poland......
35.
A Few Days in Warsaw
36.
Shall we Gdansk.....
37.
Long Trip to Lithuania
38.
Vilnius in the Air and on the Ground...."
39.
Nida Break......
40.
Latvian Charm......
41.
Riga in the Rain....
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Estonian Excitement......
43.
Taking It Easy in Tallinn
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Pasty No More
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Hel(yeah)sinki
46.
Helsinki Highlights.....
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Sad Day as Katelyn Goes Home....
48.
To Russia With Love......
49.
Peterhof the Russian Versailles
50.
St. Petersburg Crazy........
51.
Moscow or Bust
52.
Moscow's Finest.......
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Moscow Winding Down...
54.
Gorky Park......
55.
Trans Siberian Railway........
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Baikal in the Rain.....
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Russia Ends, Mongolia Begins......
58.
Mongolia Camping Trip..........
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Busy Beijing
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Beijing and the Great Wall
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Great Wall Hike
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Great Wall Hike 2
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Back to Beijing and Summer Palace...
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Walk around Beijing
65.
Ancient City of Pingyao
66.
Warriors of Xi'an
67.
Panda-mania
68.
The Fun of Travelling
69.
Lijiang a Breathe of Fresh Air......
70.
Tiger Leaping Gorge-ous
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Stone Forest
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West Mountain of Kunming......
73.
Hot and Humid Guilin
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Rice, Rice, and More Rice......
75.
Terrific Tianmen Mountain.....
76.
Avatar Park in China.....
77.
Yellow Mountain in the Sky.....
78.
Tranquility in Chaos.......
79.
Modern Urban China
80.
Tibet or Bust
81.
Tibetan Temples and Taboos.....
82.
Treading in the Footsteps of the Dalai Lama...
83.
Tibetan Countryside......
84.
Everest
85.
Nepal Travel Hell........
86.
Trekking into the Top of the World.....
87.
Life Between Treks
88.
Annapurna Beauty
89.
Pokhara Relax Days
90.
Jungle Adventures
91.
End of Nepal
92.
To Thailand for Rest
93.
Beach Life
94.
Week on the Beach
95.
Christmas in Paradise
96.
Few days of Cool
97.
Fun in the Sun
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