This week's travel recap: China

I have already taken time to write up on 2 out of the 3 places Zach and I went for our honeymoon.  So, now for the 3rd place we visited, which was stop #2 on our adventure.  It should have been our first stop so that we didn't have anything to compare it to.  Japan set the bar high and Bora Bora was to follow.  Maybe China just didn't stand a chance.
I would say Zach and I are pretty adventurous in our travels and completely love to embrace the culture.  That means trying most foods, entertaining interesting lodging ideas, exploring local hangouts.  We are not the kind that are freaked out by yucky smells of restaurants, though we don't flock to them. However we will give them a try if they are recommended.  We are not standoffish to other country's ways.  We are not offended by locals' behavior as we know that it is just different from home.  We do not take in our surroundings and think how home is so much better, nicer, etc.  We are intrigued by it.  Fascinated.  We want to see what makes them, their country, their food.  Having said all that....welcome to China.
First of all, we had a private driver pick us up who immediately introduced himself as our friend.  His whole focus was to make us comfortable with the country and give some interesting tid bits about Beijing on our way to the hotel.  We were watching out our windows through the SMOG, LOTS of it, as he pointed out different points of interest.  The pollution didn't immediately put a bad taste in our mouths as this was the most foreign country we had been to at that point and were giddy just knowing we were 13 plane hours away from home.  We were antsy wondering what this city would hold for us.  He soon told us that we weren't quite going to our hotel.  He first wanted to take us to a "friend's" and let us see how the locals liked to drink their tea.  Now, you've heard of this in foreign countries right.?  It's not usually dangerous, just a scam to get out of towners, especially those "Americans" to fall into their money hungry trap.  We knew that's what was probably going on, but since we were leisurely making our way, we didn't mind it.  We passed by the future sight of the Olympics on the way. 

Once arriving to the tea house, it was actually pretty neat.  Surprise!  It was a tea house where Chinese women explained the diverse teas they drank, for what occasions, and from the origin they came from.  There were intricate ways that you were to taste the teas.  Using the different styles allowed them to open up more and the tea drinker to enjoy the flavors.  I liked the rose one the best.  It actually was rose petals that she crushed in front of us and after drinking it with the techniques explained, it really did just fill my throat, lungs, chest with a rich, aromatic taste.  We enjoyed this part, even though they tried to push buying the teas on us.

We arrived to the hotel (famished) and giggled at how cheap the private driver was.  China was extremely affordable, it felt like we were merely paying in pennies.  After checking in and getting settled at our hotel, we went in search of some food.   We decided to see some of the sights on the way so we were going to find food on the way to Tiannamen Square.  We sure found something.  First of all, we were staying at a nice hotel, in a good area.  But right upon setting foot out of our door, we started passing people who were spitting, sweating profusely with their shirts off....over food they were cooking....FOR THEIR CUSTOMERS....at their restaurant.  EWWWW!, people stick thin missing eyes, or limbs sweating just as bad and getting extremely close to us with a horrendous smell.  They didn't understand personal space at all.  Not to mention all of this is framed with the beautiful back drop of heavy pollution.  Ok, not off to the greatest start in finding ourselves an edible meal.  Though we are adventurous in our food tastings, I couldn't wrap my brain around eating at a restaurant who's cooks cook outside in the hot pollution while clearing their lungs of whatever nasty illness they have and dripping sweat into my meat...of whatever kind it may be....rat?  cat?  Who's to say.  I normally LOVE hole in the walls, but already having an uneasy tummy with the potential that I could be eating some kind of rodent for dinner, I needed to stick with a more main stream kind of restaurant....or at least clean.  Sooo, after sticking our heads into a handful of places, we settled on a crowded restaurant who's cook still cooked outside but at least looked like they wanted their customers to return after this meal.  His sweat at least seemed to be given a detour to hit the road rather than the food.  So we dug in...I can't remember what it was...I seemed to have blocked it out of my mind - on purpose.  All I know is that Zach and I both found ourselves sick after that little treat. 
But, we pressed on and wanted to get to Tianammen Square before the evening was over.  We got there. 

Tiannamen Square

Again, we saw the same hygiene and thoughtful (less?) ness among the people but were slowly growing calloused to it.  I mean we were to be here for a bit, so might as well enjoy what we could of it.  (Can you tell this wasn't our favorite place to have visited?)  We were quickly approached by a young, early 20's male who excitedly asked where we were from and jumped into a million questions for us, at the same time telling us how thrilled he was to meet us and that he wanted to practice his English with us.  "Please, let's just talk."  So, being the interested people we were, we started conversing.  After a few moments, he began asking, then insisting, then pushing us to go to his Mom's restaurant.  "It's the best food Beijing has to offer."  Being caught off guard, we initially agreed.  Plus, we love seeing where the locals go and know that they have the best, most authentic recommendations for food.  He had told us it was right around the corner, but as we began walking, and I began realizing we were leaving the crowded areas and heading into the roads less traveled, I became more and more uneasy.  I whispered to Zach that I didn't want to go and that we needed to turn around.  He agreed.  We told our new "friend", as he called himself - wow, we sure made a lot of friends in China quickly -  and he began refuting it, becoming more and more desperate.  He insisted we come, told us endless reasons why we should. This confirmed my negative feelings toward the situation and made me want to get the heck out of there quickly. We held strong, stopped conversation and got away from him without looking back as he followed us still making his demands.  When we got back to the hotel and pulled out our ol' trusty travel guide book, we read that this was a common scam and that they get you to their family house and after having a tea or small bite to eat, charge boocoo bucks.  You are forced to pay because they threaten telling that you have stolen.  And NO ONE wants to end up in a Chinese jail.  Let's remind my dear Zach that as I recap one of my next favorite meemories.
The Great Wall of China.  A must see when in Beijing.  Because of the cost of everything in China being so cheap, we decided to rent our own private taxi to spend the entire day taking us where we wanted to go and waiting for us in between.  We negotiated before we got in the taxi and settled on a price. He drove us the 2 hours up to the Wall and waited outside for us as we hiked up. It's disappointing because it could be very beautiful, but the nasty pollution takes away from this too.  It was still an extremely neat thing to see though and I am glad that we were able to experience this in our lives.  There are different sections to the Wall and we hiked the Badaling portion.  The views from the high points were expansive of mountains and more of the wall snaked through the mountains.  It was fascinating to see such a huge structure that expanded so far. 

 When we completed the Wall, we made our way back to our driver who then took us to the Summer Palace.  We got out, in front of the Chinese police, and the driver asked for an amount differing from what we settled on.  Zach reminded him, kindly, that we already agreed on a price and that's what he would pay.  The driver argued, no, you will pay more.  This escalated until they both were screaming at eachother, really not knowing what the other was saying what with the driver's extremely broken English.  All they knew was that they disagreed and someone was going to lose.  The driver started screaming and pointing to the police and flagged them over, big ol' guns and all.  Zach, calmly once again, tried to explain to the police what happened.  NO use here!  We should have known.  Basically, it came down to Zach would have to pay or end up being escorted by the police to their, I'm sure, very lovely and accomadating criminal facilities.  This ego battle (or battle for justice) wasn't worth it.  I'm glad I got to leave China with my very new husband still. 
The Palace was like all of our other tourist spots in China.  It had the potential to be beautiful, but the beauty that tried to poke it's head through the pollution was squashed by that as well as extreme heat and humidity.  Again, temperatures and climates do not normally change our opinion on a place, but it was just the icing on the cake to be sweating profusely - aaaaaaa, just like the locals - while being taken advantage of and coughing like crazy because our (cue violin playing) poor pure lungs weren't used to such conditions.  Needless to say, we embraced what we were looking at for what it was and tried to remain in the most excited moods we could.  Luckily, because we DO love traveling so much and this WAS our honeymoon, nothing could take away from our joy.  I'm just recalling all the memories that JUMP out at me, but interlaced in all of this we really enjoyed ourselves.  Literally.  We enjoyed eachother's company and the back drop of where we were was simply that.  And it was allowing us to make more memories together.  
Though we were sick from the pollution, coughing like crazy, and eating every meal at Starbucks or our 5 star restaurant, which we rarely do, we loved our adventure.  The Palace was pretty.


If you look through the fog, you can see the Summer Palace

 We also made our way to the Sacred Way, which they believe is the road leading to heaven.  This is part of the Ming Tombs and is a long path that has statues of government officials and animals.  It was fun to take cheesy pictures with the statues. 

We made it back and were ready to let the fun in China begin.  Our next adventure would be visiting the Pearl Markets.  Where bargaining is defined. 
The Markets were in two words: hilarious chaos.  They are a million little kiosks lining endless rows selling anything you could possibly imagine.  Walking by, the owners of each kiosk literally reaches out to pull you in and tell you "You buy, how much?"  Before you even show an interest.  Not to mention if you decide to show an interest....then watch out.  The games begin.  Oh, "you pretty lady, you buy what?  Prada?  Gucci?  You want Fendi?  I have.  How much?"  Now to play the game fairly, you throw an extremely LOW number out.  With a contorted, squished up face, they toss out phrases like "Nooooo, you make-a me cry.  How much you pay?"  This goes on and on until you have to pry every single finger they have latched onto your arm off and sprint down the aisle to get far away out of their sight as you get lost in the crowd.  The mental game you have to play is whether or not you truly want to go down the bargaining road with them.  And knowing what you really will pay.  It actually is extremely fun and curious.  It's a whole different way to go shopping.  Most of their items- the Coach, Prada, etc is fake, however some is real. But you don't go there thinking you are buying beautiful Designer items at a great deal.  You have got to go with the intention to buy the best you can and have fun doing it!  I came back with new purses, Gucci sunglasses,  and a D&G jacket.  I think that the only thing real - or possibly - was the Prada purse.

Zach had 12 custom shirts made!!!  He sure made out too.  We had to buy extra luggage to take everything home in.  Oh, I also bought black pearl earrings, knowing this is Bora Bora's main high price sell.  I decided since I was heading to Bora Bora I could simply pretend that;s where I got them!  ;)  It's the bargain shopper blood in me I suppose.  :)
In the end, Zach and I are so glad we went because otherwise it'd be on our list still.  But we don't think it's a place we'd go back to.  Thanks for the entertainment Beijing!