Well, yesterday was another busy day. We've really been packing in the activities over the last few days -- up at 5am, breakfast at 6:30, out the door by 8:00, lunch and a quick nap, homework, back on the streets, dinner and then bed -- and the boys have been surprisingly enthusiastic and well-behaved. They've turned out to be excellent world travelers.
Yesterday, we spent the morning at Tienenmann Square and the adjoining Yongshan Park. What the Forbidden City and Beihei Park was for Imperial China, T-Square and its surrounding neighborhood is to the People's Republic: the functional seat of government and the symbolic heart and soul of the political system. Like the Forbidden City, T-Square quite effectively communicates the supreme, unquestionable power of the state.
Flanked on its long edges (it's actually a rectangle) by the National Museum -- analogous to our Smithsonian, I guess -- and the National Assembly -- our capitol building -- the Square would seem cold, intimidating, uninviting if it was missing the thousands of people milling about, laughing, taking pictures, flying kites and lining up to visit Mao's eerily preserved corpse. Chien and Pak were bored after about 20 minutes, and wanted to go back to Beihei Park. They perked up quite a bit when they saw the old men flying and selling handmade, wooden and cloth kites. The kites were shaped like falcons, and circling 30 feet above us, they played their role convincingly. We bargained the vendors down from about 300 yuan to 60 -- about $7.50 -- and bought one. The men were considerably better at flying them, but we sure had fun trying.
We carefully dissembled the kite and took the tunnel under the busy 16 lane street that divides the Square from the famous red gate with the huge portrait of Chairman Mao. If we had continued through the center of the gate, we would have entered a long courtyard leading to the Forbidden City. We chose instead an opening on the left, which led us to Yongshan Park. Hoping for an experience like the one we had at Behei the day before, the boys were a bit disappointed. More trees and flowers and buildings, but no paddleboats. We walked around for about an hour and headed out.
By this time, the boys were really getting tired. We trudged past the National Assembly and set our sights on McDonald's. Yep. McDonald's. We figured we had to at least give it a shot so the kids could tell their friends. The boys had McNuggets and a burger. Kori and I shared a packet of cold french fries. The atmosphere was loud, cramped and McDonaldy. The food was as disgusting as it is in the states, and Kori and I were grateful for the delicious egg and scallion crepe we had purchased from a vendor across the street from Mickey Ds. I thank God that my kids are not picky eaters, and that they appreciate real Chinese food. If I had to go to McD's more than once in China, I'd probably have a breakdown of some sort.
After 'lunch,' we took a taxi back to the hotel, worked on homework for an hour or so and got a decent nap. At about 2pm, we took a long taxi ride to the much overrated Hongqiao Market. The kids each bought a stuffed panda bear, and Kori got a wallet. The place is famed for its aggressive vendors who actually grab you and try to physically pull you into their stores (I used my Krav Maga wrist releases more than once) and their fantastic prices on pearls. Neither Kori nor I look good in pearls, so it was pretty much a bust. The cab ride, however, was fascinating. Have I mentioned that Beijing is huge? It's huge.
We left the market and hit the streets looking for something more interesting. After about a minute on the sidewalks, it started to rain. We jogged to a corner bakery for shelter. Once inside, we realized that there was a coffee shop on the second floor. We walked upstairs, found a quiet table for four and ordered coffee, cappucinos, tea, tirimisu and a fruit plate. The drinks were good. The food was just okay, but the kids loved it. Pak said, "Dad, I'm in coffee heaven." Chien hugged my arm and said, "Daddy, I'm so glad we found this place." It was very nice.
After about 45 minutes of chatting, sipping, snacking and relaxing, we headed out to hail a taxi. The cabbie dropped us off near our hotel, at the famed Wangfujing snack street, where we had a culinary experience that was as different from McDonald's as night is from day.
If you're strange foods make you squeamish, you might want to walk away from the computer now.
Wangfujing snack street is heaven for the epicurious, hell for my beloved nephew Ethan, who would starve to death before sampling the wares. One side of the street is lined with state-fair-style food booths for entire city block. The similarity to the state fair, however, ends at the booths and the deep fryers. These establishments specialize in weird eats: scorpions, cockroaches, grasshoppers, snake, goat testes and grasshoppers. If it's strange but technically edible, you can probably find it, have it cooked before your eyes and buy it for less than a buck.
Pak and Kori were tentative, I was willing, and Chien was eager as we ordered and ate scorpions, cockroaches, frogs, and snake. We also had some less challenging dishes: roast corn, candied fruits, dumplings and lamb skewers, but we were there for the bizarre. A few of the other tourists on the street just shook their heads and laughed. Only one took us up on our offer to share.
Before long, the boys were completely full and utterly exhausted. We walked back to our hotel, gave them a bath and put them to bed. I hit the street again; I can't stand going to bed early when I know there are parts of the city I haven't yet seen. After a couple of hours, returned to our room. I was disappointed -- and remain so -- at the lack of consistent access to the internet. I fiddled with the settings on the computer for about 15 minutes, even though I knew the problem was further down the data pipeline, and hit the sack by 9pm.
It's now about 6:00am. Kori and Chien are awake, Pak's still out. Hopefully I'll be able to get online this morning. If not, I'll visit the hotel's business center this afternoon and plug in down there. Today, we're hoping to take a rickshaw tour and do some more shopping. Details, of course, will follow.
