When recalling a story, every good ending has an equally good beginning…and what a beginning it was.
After catching a bus at 4am in the morning to Seoul International Airport, I soon became distracted by the sheer enormity of the building, the abundance of Korean as well as international restaurants and of course the tempting allure of the ‘internet café’ (only 500 won per hour!) After completing my last blog and catching up with my e-mails, I soon realised that I only had 20 minutes to catch my flight, pass through security and take a shuttle bus to the gate (!)
After running around in a frenzied panic, I was hastily directed to the correct floor by a helpful air stewardess (8 minutes to go), passed though security (6 minutes to go) and raced towards the shuttle bus for my connection. Upon arrival (3 minutes to go), I was met by a member of staff who addressed me by name and checked my passport while we sprinted to our gate at speeds that could rivaled my fellow Jamaican Usain Bolt. With 10 seconds to spare, I made my flight and seated myself at the back of the plane in embarrassment and to equally avoid the disheveled looks of my fellow passengers. Beijing here I come!
About an hour later I arrived at Beijing International airport and was greeted by my taxi transfer - a small and friendly Chinese man who bundled my luggage into his decrepit vehicle at the entrance of the building and raced down the motorway at skilled velocity. In comparison to South Korea, my initial impressions of China were ones mixed with both cultural expectations and first hand observations. The vast streets of Beijing were engulfed with thousands of people both old and young, lined with commercial and internationally friendly department stores, infested with beggars charting everyone’s movements in hope of some spare change, street sellers advertising everything from toys to freshly prepared chicken skewers and cars weaving through the traffic at every opportunity. Don’t get me wrong, I had completely expected to be overwhelmed by the size of the population however I had not anticipated that I would feel a complete sense of awe at what I was witnessing before me – how everyone seemed to be intertwined by some invisible force that had sustained each generation for thousands of years.
As a tourist and obvious westerner, I often found myself the centre attention by passing groups of locals who would ask me to pose for pictures, hold their children or to simply converse with them. Initially I found this quite embarrassing, but as the days went by I soon began to understand and sympathize with their fascination – as a native it is extremely difficult to leave the country unless invited by an educational institution or for business purposes. As my tour leader later informed me, many are required to pay up to 30,000 pounds just to leave the country, so any nationality or ethnicity in China other than their own is understandably seen as something of a commodity.
In the days that followed I met up with my tour group – an internationally mixed group of young people who were equally excited and enthusiastic about discovering the delights of China and met my tour leader, an approachable, humble and highly intelligent man who vowed to share his historical knowledge and love of China in exchange for our cooperation and curiosity.
First stop…a tour of the impressive bird nest Olympic stadium that lived up to all expectations and the Lama Temple, our first taste of the prevailing religion of Buddhism in the country. Everywhere we turned, locals were praying while wielding incense sticks and we glimpsed the one of the tallest Buddha in China – impressive!
The next day featured the highlight of our stay in Beijing and the attraction I was personally looking forward to the most – the Great Wall of China. After an hour long bus journey we arrived at a popular access point of the wall where tourists were given the opportunity to take a cable car up to the midway point or climb over 700 plus steep and winding steps that the majestic wall had to offer. Naturally I chose the latter option which enabled me to tangibly experience the wonders of the Great Wall one excruciating step at a time. When I reached the first primary station I was met with a multitude of emotions, most memorably: jubilation that I had conquered the steep steps when at times it seemed my legs would go no further, admiration at the sheer beauty that was presented in front of me - how each twist and turn of the wall seemed to be intricately decorated with the blossoms of spring and trepidation at the awesome power of the Great Wall. What an amazing experience!
The remainder of my stay in Beijing consisted of visits to Tienanmen Square, a city square in the centre of Beijing that is the largest in the world, The Forbidden City - a Chinese imperial palace hailing from the Ming Dynasty whose beautifully decorated and grand structure understandably took my breath away and last but not least sampling the infamous Beijing duck...yum!
Anyway back to Shanghai - the land of a thousand high rise buildings, impressive shopping districts and beautiful Chinese gardens set in the heart of the capital. During our orientation tour, we strolled along the riverside to the glimpse the impressive (and slightly cloudy) contours of the encompassing city, visited picturesque gardens that exuded tranquility and climbed the tallest tower in the world. This time, climbing hundreds of steps was cleverly evaded and after reaching the top we were treated to breathtaking views that I shall never forget. Shanghai you have my heart, I will definitely return again one day...
While in transit between Shanghai and Xi'an, the city famed for the terracotta warriors, my health took a turn for the worst and I spent the next few days unable to hold down any fluids, feeling nauseous and generally fatigued due to a lack of a good nights sleep. To top it off in my weakened state, I spilt a bottle of sprite over my SLR camera resulting in a hefty wedge out of my budget disappearing due to reparation costs. Doom and gloom aside, our visit to the terracotta warriors was both a highly educational and visually stunning one. The main excavation site we visited housed over 1,000 warriors dating back to 210 BC, with each terracotta figure intricately designed as a perfect replica of men who had lived, breathed and died in China thousands of years ago. Discovered by local farmers in 1974 in Lintong district, the pits have long been regarded as one of the worlds leading heritage sites and the craftsmanship of each warrior serves as an impressive feat of traditional Chinese art. As one of the highlights of the tour, the terracotta warriors did not fail to disappoint and left me with a deeper understanding of the diverse and rich history that China has to offer.
Now on to my personal favourite destination of the tour and backpackers paradise of the east - the scenic town of Yangshuo. What can only be described as a haven equally paralleled to the floating mountains of Avatar, Yangshuo provided the tour group with a much needed break from the hustle and bustle of city life. With our hotel surrounded by beautifully flowing rivers and moss covered mountains that went on as far as the eye could see, Yangshuo served as the epitome of nature and welcomed us with open arms. Taking full advantage of the scenery, the next day we embarked on a journey of discovery and exploration through the mountains by bicycle and foot, down the Li river by bamboo rafts, into deep caves for pore cleansing mud baths and natural hot springs. Even the continual rain could not detract us from the pure beauty of the place and as the sun descended on my time in Yangshuo my admiration did not. Shanghai you have my heart but Yanghuo you have my spirit.
Our final stop and most westernised destination of our trip was Hong Kong, situated on China's south coast and enclosed by both the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea. Known as one of the most densely populated areas in the world, Hong Kong did not fail to disappoint and provided me with a perfect introduction to the dynamic and fast paced world of business and international finance. Over the final few days, our orientation tour took us to Victoria Harbour where we witnessed impressive light shows by night and glorious views by day, Buddhist temples, bird markets and breathtaking botanical gardens. Although my stay here was short-lived, Hong Kong definitely made a lasting impression and I have promised myself that I will one day return again.
Overall my experiences of China have been nothing short of amazing - my tour group, the country's rich history and culture, the food (even though at times debatable), the people, the train journeys and the memories that will stay with me forever. China, I love you, it's been a blast...
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