Now, for more about Beijing........

Beijing is a city of approximately eleven million people. These are the ones that are registered as residents. There are, however, many migrant workers that live in the city during the work season. These workers can raise the population to eighteen million. They go back to their homes in the winter.

While we there, as I said in an earlier post, you could see huge cranes everywhere on the horizon. They were beginning to prepare for the Olympics. We watched some of the construction directly below our hotel window.

One thing that you will notice in the colder parts of China is, they don't waste heat. You probably have wondered why you see so many Chinese in quilted clothing. Well, I am here to tell you, it is because heat is a used sparingly; even in the hotels. We definitely wore more clothing inside than we do at home.

In the hutongs, they use charcoal for heat. Not like we use for barbequeing, but it comes in cylinders made especially for the type of stoves that they use. The stoves heat water into steam and the steam heats the homes.

I have ridden in numerous taxis in all of the major U.S. cities, but it is certainly different in China. They use many smaller taxis. If you are a six foot man this can cramp your style. It did mine. The biggest difference, however, is price. I don't believe that we paid more that $3.00 (U.S.) for any of our jaunts. It would have been at least $10, $12 or even more at home for the same ride. It is even less expensive when you go to smaller cities.

Shopping in Beijing is very metropolitan. You can find everything that you can imagine and more. We found that electronics were not much cheaper than what we could buy at home. However, you can buy jade jewelry, for instance, considerably less.

When shopping in the large shopping centers, you should use caution. Pick-pockets are prevalent. So much so, that they have monitors up to warn about them and to tell you how to prevent them from taking advantage of you. This is knowledge that is not made readily available on the Internet.

The first thing to learn about shopping in China is, it is rare to pay the marked price; especially at one of the many individually owned shops. I am not sure that shop is the correct term, since most of them don't have hard walls. They are simply small spaces with a counter. Here the individual sets a price, but actually doesn't expect to end up with that amount. If they do, you will be the target for every vendor in the area, because the word will spread quickly. Don't feel too bad, however, when you feel like you have bargained the poor merchant out of his/her profit, because they are shrewd business people. They will never sell one of their products at a price that won't give them a profit.

Some of the better places to shop are called "Friendship Stores". These are owned by the Chinese government and provide a safe place to purchase good quality products. Here is a quote about Friendship Stores from one of the travel sites: "Prices are clearly marked on the merchandise. Prices may be slightly higher than at other Chinese stores but the goods are of higher quality and some items are unavailable elsewhere. Government stores have a reputation for honesty. Bargaining is acceptable".

Of course, no trip to Beijing would be complete without going to "The Great Wall". This had been one of my dreams for as long as I can remember. It was a cool morning when we boarded the bus. The trip would be approximately one hour long to "The Ju Yong Pass". Here the Chinese government has renovated the wall. It definitely lives up to it's reputation.

If you climb the wall you receive a card stating that you are a "Hero". This is definitely a feat. The wall is extremely steep at this location and the steps are approximately ten inches high. My daughter and I were barely able to get to that point, but we did get our cards.

The scenery at Juong Pass is absolutely beautiful. It is definitely worth the trip.

I have heard it said that visiting "Tiananmen Square" is like watching parking meters run out of time. In my humble opinion this is not the case. Another saying that I believe is more realistic is, "all roads in Beijing end at Tiananmen Square. Beijing is built around the square. I know everyone has seen the picture of Mao Tse-Tung (Zetung) over the gate at the Forbidden City, well, this is on one side of the square. You enter the Forbidden City beneath his picture.

Since this post is getting longer than I planned, I will talk more about Beijing in my next post.