Nrthwnd Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 You could sample a dainty local delicacy. And the stuff on the stick was awesome, too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted October 4, 2012 Author Share Posted October 4, 2012 (edited) More Great Wall, following by more stuff in Beijing--get excited! The Great Wall really is an amazing thing to see. Hmm--let's see . . . this is either "Kilroy was here" or "For a good sexy massage call . . ." can't quite make out the number. This is what separates "great" walls from merely "good" ones. Time to slide on down. They actually lash the alpine coaster cars into one big train, with a staff member taking the lead car. By George, I think we've found the legendary Lost Graveyard of the Alpine Coaster Cars! Yes, this is where they go to die. We also stopped at a cloisonne factory, but only for lunch. Colorful showroom, though. Welcome to Tiananmen Square--which is even trickier to spell than "banana." The building in the background is Mao's Tomb. All the policemen in China look like extras in an old Speed Racer cartoon. This is the Great Hall of the People, which is used for legislative and ceremonial occasions. Me 'n' Mao. This is Tiananmen Gate (or the "Gate of Heavenly Peace"), from which the square gets its name. Welcome to the (not so) Forbidden City, the home of Chinese emperors. Red and yellow were the official colors of the emperor--no one else could use them. Here's a scene from a little screened Three Stooges short, "3 Lychee Nuts." The boys have been hired to refurbish the Forbidden City, and wackiness ensues! ("Hey, watch it wit' that bamboo, lamebrain! I'll moidurize ya!") Uh oh! Looks like Mike and Megan didn't get the memo about "yellow" being forbidden to peasants! Off to the "free hotel" (in the words of Bruce). The Forbidden is City is sort of a "shampoo" historic site--that is, "lather, rinse, repeat." It's a series of very similar buildings and courtyards. This is the tallest building . . . . . . the throne room. "OK guys, we're runnin' outta room. No one move a muscle!" OK, are we not supposed to scratch the "relic," or is it currently scratch-free? What large stone carving? Oh. That one. This is the Imperial toilet. I'm sure that many deep thoughts were cultivated here, just as they are in bathrooms in the United States. OK, I made the "toilet" thing up--but "Hall of Mental Cultivation" would be a great name for a john. This is the emperor's bed chamber. Bring on the Imperial concubines! I think this unusual garden is the best part--it looks like an alien-planet set from an old episode of "Star Trek." There's even a little palace on a hill just outside the Forbidden City. Next stop--a silk factory. Look! They let us help out with making a comforter! (The best labor is free labor.) "BUY A COMFORTER, YANKEE DOG!" You know, you can get enough Chinese food. Even Chairman Mao gets sick of rice and sweet-and-sour whatever and likes a nice pizza from time to time. (Well, he would if he weren't a preserved corpse.) That's all for now. Edited October 4, 2012 by cfc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pirouettes907 Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 I am honored Angus McNasty made an appearance in my thread, so I decided the best way to thank you was to introduce Angus to Maxine. Keep up the great work, as always! She's fat, she's bad and she's totally single. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gisco Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 Did anyone go and check out the little rooms on the sides of each courtyard in the Forbidden City? There were little displays in some of them with a little history of what they were used for. It made going from courtyard to courtyard a little less redundant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcjaco Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 Whatever culture and history I learned at the beginning, I forgot by the end. Job well done, Chuck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted October 4, 2012 Author Share Posted October 4, 2012 ^Well, that couldn't have been much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcjaco Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 What couldn't have been? See what I did there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoCo Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 Fantastic report, and I'm loving all the culture/non-park related stuff as much as the rest. The Great Wall, does indeed look great. Looking forward to more! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nrthwnd Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 Damn, we did a LOT of walking that day, hmm? Between The Wall, The Square and The City... Whew! And jade and silk "factories" tours too, yes? No wonder we were starving for some ....uh....home cookin' (i.e. Pizza Hut), lol. Thanks for helping me (& others) remember all the order of it all, Chuck. Che che (sp?). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodie Warrior Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 Good TR so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattnz Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 Nice report Chuck, as always, looking forward to the rest! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 Love this trip report!! Everyone needs to read this and post a response! Do it!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Clinksalot Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 Great stuff Chuck. Can't wait to see more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XII Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 Great Photo TR Chuck. China looks like a lot of fun. Looking foreword to seeing more from this trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jew Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 Chinese Pizza Hut is seriously amazing! Great report so far Chuck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meteornotes Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 Great report so far. I enjoyed The Great Wall in 2008. Still one of the most amazing things I've seen. dt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hockeyman55 Posted October 6, 2012 Share Posted October 6, 2012 Is China that bad with smog all time and all over or does it clear up once away from the big city's? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CpBluestreakCp Posted October 6, 2012 Share Posted October 6, 2012 Great TR, can't wait to see more. China seems like a very interesting place to visit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ambe_bambe Posted October 6, 2012 Share Posted October 6, 2012 loving it, keep it coming Chuck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrygator Posted October 6, 2012 Share Posted October 6, 2012 Is China that bad with smog all time and all over or does it clear up once away from the big city's? China doesn't have any small cities (at least from a TPR persepctive). The smog was prevalent every day that the rain didn't wash it away. The factories are a big contributor to the smog, it's not just cars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Voxelmatic Posted October 6, 2012 Share Posted October 6, 2012 China looks like a fun place... unless, of course, you don't like knock-off's doing things to your body. Great report! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simon8899 Posted October 6, 2012 Share Posted October 6, 2012 Even if Beijing in one day is bad I always chuckle about the chinese groups here that do "Europe in 7 days". They get hauled out of the bus, next you hear the electronic buzzing and clicking of cameras and 5 minutes later they're hauled back into the bus. Most don't even need hotels as they sleep in the bus driving overnight... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ibztone Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 Awesome TR. Reading these makes me miss the coaster expedition series of DVD's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldJJman Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 Chinese Pizza Hut is seriously amazing! Great report so far Chuck! QFT!!! (All except for the escargot!) Reading the TR makes me understand much less of what I saw 4 years ago Chuck! Love it! JJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimmyBo Posted October 8, 2012 Share Posted October 8, 2012 Awesome stuff so far Chuck. I can't wait to see what else was in store for you in China and read your hilarious comments about the totally normal place that is called China. Jimmy "Did you pee in that hole on the Great Wall?" Bo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts