I went to the Beijing Zoo and saw panda bears and beluga whales. I saw the Great Wall of China (both the structure and the wall of people). I saw the Forbidden city and Ming Tombs. I saw more traffic than I will see cumulatively for the next 12 years. I saw baby butts and toddlers squatting to pee...in public. I saw lots of men peeing on the sides of the roads, or off the main sidewalks at the touristy places.
I'm not sure how long it will take for my mind to digest all my eyes saw. It was visual stimulation to the nth degree. It was fabulous! I have been home for almost two weeks and I am still thinking of things I witnessed and haven't told anyone about. I haven't come off my high.
Not to be left out, my ears also were consistently stimulated. The constant sound of the Chinese language, often loud and angry sounding. The endless horn honking from vehicles. The banter from the vendors. My ears were on full alert.
I am amazed at the level of ability my brother and sister in law have for speaking and understanding Mandarin. They have only been in China since November. It was fun to hear them talk. It was really fun when a native took the time to converse with them (usually a taxi driver or shop keeper) as my brother and SIL would laugh and often learn something new. After a few days, I was starting to hear the same words over and over, so I too was learning, but on a much, MUCH, slower curve.
It seems a requirement to honk the horn every three to five feet when driving. Perhaps the horn was attached to the tires and automatically honked when the tire made a complete rotation. Yes, I know that isn't how it really worked, but if you heard all the honking, you would know why I think that. Horns blared in moving and unmoving vehicles alike. It was acceptable (or standard) to honk to alert the traffic in front of you that you are there. The honk was a vehicles way of saying "Stop. I dare you." If all the horns had been in different keys, it would have been a lovely symphony. However, it all sounded the same, so it was just loud, constant noise. After a few days, you tuned the horn noise out...at least during the day. The horns still blared when you went to bed and were usually the first thing you heard in the morning, even before your alarm clock.
We went to the Pearl Market and Yoshow for some full contact shopping. It is a sport filled with great fun and challenging scores. As you approach stalls,you are accosted by the vendors. They grab your arm shouting things like "Hey lady, wanna buy purse (t-shirt, jacket, scarf...)". When you do stop to inquire about an item, you ask "How much?". They respond with "I give you good price."(Other common phrases include "Special price for you.", "This handmade.", "We friends. For you this price...") Then they pull out a giant calculator and the punch in a number.
You negotiate back and forth using the giant calculator. I had asked for tips before trying this out myself. I had my brother and SIL do the first few rounds of negotiating, telling them how much $$ in US currency I was willing to spend, then we translated that to rmb (Chinese currency) and started negotiating. I was curious about if you tell them from the start how much you are offering and stand firm, or start low and go up to your comfort level. I tried both methods, 'cause I love a bargain! Always after your first offer, the vendor looks at the number and says "You joking! Give me serious price." Or sometimes "I make no money at this price." If you can't agree on a price and walk away, the vendor starts hollering "OK,OK, OK." and you go back and pay them...your price. It was fun! I came home with many treasures, all at a special, good price, 'cause they were all my friends and often their first customer of the day. Really, they told me!
My ears had one final treat in Beijing. The morning I left, at 6:15am I heard fireworks. Only in my sleep, I thought they were gunshots and I must have jumped a mile. My brother and SIL chuckled when I asked about the noise. They said it is common to hear fireworks in the morning. Probably a new store was opening, or possibly someone was celebrating the day. It was August 8th (8/8) and '8' is a lucky number in China. I still suspect my leaving was being celebrated.
You can't properly discuss the senses without mentioning smell. There are street vendors everywhere selling different types of food. I saw lots of fruits and lots of cooked sausages. The sausage was normally on a stick and sometimes cut so it looked like petals of a flower, or spikes of a cactus. There was also frequently something that looked like a pancake, or tortilla. I didn't try any street vendor food as I didn't get my Hepatitis C shot...and the cleanliness seemed concerning to me. I think I have already covered the smell of the public toilets...and after talking about food, well, not a good mix.
My favorite, very favorite part of the Beijing sense stimulation was a trip to Bohdi for a foot massage. The place was clean, and cool and fantastic. In fact, this overload of fabulous stimulation was so good, we went twice (in my six day stay!)There were four of us, my brother, my SIL, brother's friend Slappy (A.K.A. J) and myself. We were in a room with lovely purple recliners all in a line. During the first trip there, my SIL said "I am trying hard not to make any noises." It made me laugh because I was thinking, "If I keep biting my tongue, I won't recreate the scene from 'When Harry met Sally'." The experience was so good that at one time I am pretty sure I forgot my name.
Anyway, to call this experience a foot massage is completely unfair. To say my feet were massaged IS fair. But so were my back, arms, hands, neck and legs. The whole experience starts with your feet soaking in very hot tea, in an old wooden bucket (lined with a plastic liner). All I could think about during this part is when you are a young girl having slumber parties and how people would talk about dipping the first girl who falls asleep hand in water to make them wet the bed. Pretty sure hot water on the feet would have worked better. Thank God for kegels. What? TMI?
On our second visit, we all relaxed more as we knew what to expect and were all determined to get the most relaxation we could. We all closed our eyes, a few of us may have even fallen asleep. (Nobody who lives in the US...it's a China thing. I'll explain in a later blog.)We had four men do the first massages and four women do the second massages. They all work in unison for an hour and fifteen minutes. The two massages were very similar, although each therapists did seem to have a few special tricks. My second massage included a LOUD back cracking which felt excellent and lead to the first night in about 6 months with no back pain during my sleep. (This was later compromised by a 15 hour plane ride...but it still...it was AWESOME!)I may have let a small moan escape.
Yes, a foot massage at Bodhi was definitely a highlight of the sense-sational trip to Beijing. If you are ever traveling to Beijing, be sure to schedule your appointment. Check their website (they are located across from Worker's stadium). This blogger gives them 5 stars and 2 big toes up. Oh! And try the pear juice!
Speaking of pear juice makes my taste buds tingle. I had never heard of pear juice before. It tasted like cucumber and for some unknown reason (probably a good one) it was frothy.
Beijing is host to many visitors. Most of the places we ate were largely populated by non-Chinese. We had pizza and burgers. We did have two more traditional Chinese meals that included tofu skin, duck and green beans with some yummy sauce (I had three helpings, and I don't like green beans). Bless my brother and SIL souls, I didn't have any jellyfish, stinky tofu or any other things that I would have felt bad for rejecting. I did have to spit out a chunk of ginger. I thought it was a water chestnut. SURPRISE! The food was terrific. I even had a beer. My first in probably 20 years.
One sight my husband will be sorry he missed...the hotel room. More specifically the bathroom. The room was beautiful, and the wall dividing the sleeping portion from the bathing section was actually a full, floor to ceiling window. The shower was full, clear glass. You could bathe or pee and watch the tv in the other room. It was like being in a fish bowl while doing your most personal things. He would have loved it. I did love it...because I was alone. With company, it would have been painful. I don't care to be on display while naked. I was thankful I was in the room alone. (And that there was a closeable shade in case your husband does make the trip.)
My head is still spinning from the sensory overload. My brain will continue processing. I will continue smiling. I will forever be grateful for the invitation and hospitality from my brother and SIL . Keyi?
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