Great Wall and Pingyao

The other day we went to the China Wall which, indeed, is an amazing construction. We went to Samatai area of the wall with a pseudo-taxi which drove real chinese way. As far we understood the chinese way means that there ar no rules. The lane in the middle of the road is to center the car, then does not matter if it is continuous or not, you can overpass. Also, you can always make close bends on the oposite side, it will never came a car across. Fortunately it didn't, but Eva called so many names to the driver in french and then said 'no money' if he continues to drive like this and it calm down for 5 minutes. but then it continue. There was an accident somewhere and a few kilometers queue of trucks but he managed to go all the way on the oposite side, like few other cars, until the accident place. It was just a truck who broke one axe of wheels. then he manage to scream to the policeman there (the only one) and make them to move another truck so that we could cross the accident area. Eva swears that she will not take other taxi in China...

Then we come in a night train to Pingyao. We arrived at 5:30 in them morning. There were the common guys trying to offer taxi, but we refused. we did not manage to buy train tickets again because of this parallel system of tickets, so nothing is available apart if you pay a 4euros commision in the hotel (per ticket that costs 9euros). Pingyao is a very nice ancient city, enclosed by walls. In the morning we were almost the only ones walking with the mist. We spend already 2 days here and we are in a lovely hotel with a stone courtyard. Tomorrow night we will move to Xian (night train again).

Sorry for not updating the map, but here not even that proxy thing to go around the censorship works, so no map update.

Beijing tourists, drivers and censorship

We survived the time enclosed at the hotel. Now, after saying goodbye to Anne and enjoying once more a bit of lack of communication common in communist country, when she try to ask the taxi driver to go somewhere, he reply asking to phone to a chinese person telling the address, this chinese person says is too complicated, then tells Anne that the bus she was told that would leave at 2pm had left at 1pm and to go to the airport terminal 3 where another bus would leave at 4pm. The chinese takes more than 2 minutes to explain the taxi driver where the airport terminal 3 is, or else they discussed the weather.

Today we went to visit the forbidden city (check wikipedia for details). It was nice apart of having some thousands too much of tourists, tourists groups with guides with speakers (even if it was not allowed to use the speakers). Amazing to know that the ex-emperor of china lived there until 1924, completely enclosed in a city within a city.

We still survive going around in bicycle. Like in Korea, turn right on a red light is allowed, but the difference with Korea is that here they do not stop, will be there a person crossing on pedestrian green light or not. They just horn and go around in front of you.

Well, I think I stop here. This internet place is coin operated, every 6 minutes a new coin (10cents of euro each). Too much work.

Ah, prices in Beijing are from chinese friendly to tourist traps. Yesterday we entered a tourist trap asking 8yuan (80euro cents) for a bowl of rice. We went out (max price is 1yuan). Then we found a really chinese dumpling restaurant where the whole meal including 2 plates of dumplings, two soups and a big beer cost 16yuan...

Blogger censored in China!

Well, I found it out when reading posts via Google Reader (all of you should use it) and there were no images. When I tried to read the original posts I just found that we do not have access to blogger. Ok, I went around using a anonymous surfing page (which might well pick my password, but hopefully not) and configured blogger to accept posts via email. This is a test, hopefully it will get posted.

We are now enjoying Beijing, we met our friend Anne from Geneva, we ate Beijing duck, we were conditioned to the block of our hotel during 15hours (since 17:00 yesterday afternoon until this morning, 9:00) while there was a practise for the China National day, which will be 1st of October. It means they blocked all main roads in the center and if you would go out, you could not get it. We went to see the checkpoints and even residents had really trouble to pass (unless you had a car=money, which made things easier). The police was very clear when we asked and politely said (in the same words, in two different control points) that once you get out, in order to re-enter the block it is necessary that someone from hotel management to come and pick us up at the control point... Well we did not see the people from the youth hostel where we are to do this (they had warned us in a bad english communicate that there would me "traffic management" and orally said we could not even leave the hostel), so we did not try to get out.

Beijing is, however, very nice and beautiful. Yesterday while strolling in a park dozens of people in big and small groups where dancing, singing, playing instruments, just have fun them selves. Very enjoyable.

Well, lets hope this gets through the censorchip and appears to you, my friends! :-)