Random notes from the first week in China

I’ve often noticed that vacations are on a continuum from “Interesting” to “Fun.” It’s hard to have both. The Running of the Bulls in Pamplona was both. The rest of our Spain trip was mostly interesting. Most of our Amsterdam/Brussels trip was fun. This trip definitely falls into the interesting category, especially Tibet.

I never said much about the Great Wall. It was raining and we were upset about our luggage and you had to pass through the Great Wall of Souvenir Vendors to get there and back. Vendors know 3 phrases in English, “Hey lady,” “T-shirt 1 dollar,” “Hello souvenir.” Very aggressive. Salespeople in stores are very aggressive too. They hover and suggest things constantly, and have several more suggestions once you say you’re ready to finish and pay.

Anyway, the wall is an incredible sight, up along the top of a mountain range. Why a 20 foot wall on top of a 2000 foot mountain ever occurred to anyone is beyond me, but I guess it was good for shooting arrows at approaching horsemen.

Great Wall/Tea Ceremony 6/30/07

Drove by the 2008 Olympic Complex. The stadium is cool. The facade has interwoven strips of metal and the top is scooped. It looked like a giant bird nest to me, and our guide said that’s what everyone calls it. The swimming venue has a blue façade with a bubble pattern in relief. The Athletes Village looks like every other ugly apartment building in China.

When we left Beijing I wrote in my notes that it was the ugliest city I’d ever seen, but Xi’an was even uglier. The Red Guard destroyed everything historic during the Cultural Revolution and what’s been build since then is square and squat and dilapidated even when it’s brand new. They’ve done the same thing to Lhasa. It’s amazing they left anything to see.