Milestone Journeys | Our Stories A travel club for those on the best side of 50!

Beijing – Beauty Amidst Chaos! by Lindy Rothenburger

Oblivious to the throngs climbing all around me, I’m mesmerized – lost in the swell of my own emotions. Standing in the middle of history with goose bumps bristling up and down both arms, I can’t believe I’m actually climbing the Great Wall of China. Sure, I’d done my homework before leaving home. I knew the wall was originally around 4000 miles long and that construction started in 221 BC and took 10 years to complete. It was constructed of whatever materials existed in the surrounding area, sometimes limestone, sometimes granite, and sometimes just dirt cemented with egg whites and sticky rice! I had also learned that because it is one of the Seven Wonders of the World, hordes of tourists are taking their toll on the wall. It is in grave danger of extinction. The section of the wall that still exists is only about 1500 miles long. But nothing I had read prepared me for the heady rush of excitement that comes flooding over me with the realization that I am actually standing in history! The vendors come scrambling out of the stalls lining each side of the street leading to the entrance to the wall offering everything from designer knock-offs to cloisonné baubles, to cheap souvenirs. They block our path as we walk towards the wall, pushing their wares under our noses, shouting “twenty US dollars” or “one US dollar”. They challenge us to bargain with them but even that doesn’t distract me from the amazing site before me. We are at the Badaling section of the wall about 40 miles northwest of Beijing. This is the most popular access point and is usually swarming with tourists. Today it is cold and windy. (It snowed yesterday, they tell me). So the crowds are a little thinner today. The first section of climbing is steep and without distinct steps. There is a railing along the side to help those coming down because the steep section can be slippery. Once we pass the first guard house, there are steps that make the climbing easier. Everything about this section of the wall is geared to tourists. There is even a place beside the wall where my daughter-in-law is being filmed riding a camel!! In the midst of all that chaos I am enveloped in my own out-of-body experience. I keep thinking someone has placed me in front of a giant video screen trying to fool people into believing I am really here. Immersed in a world that is totally foreign to me on all levels, my senses are dazed and my mind simply can’t grasp the reality of where I am. This is my first trip to an Asian country so what I’m going through must be what they call culture shock. Because we have a large Asian population in Vancouver, I wasn’t expecting China to be all that unusual for me, but I was wrong! Nothing I encounter is familiar. The streets are thronged with bicycles – bicycles with one to 3 people on them, bicycles towing trailers piled sky high with heavy loads, bicycles with platforms built on the back to stack loads upon. They don’t just use the bicycle for transportation or recreation. It is a work truck for them! Walking down the street in any area that is close to a tourist attraction is almost impossible. The street vendors close in around us, pushing their wares in our faces and shouting prices. We have to force our way forward, but it isn’t easy. We had been warned to be sure to carry nothing of value in our pockets because it is commonplace to find pick pockets in those crowds. The vendors are so pressed up against us we would never notice a hand in a pocket. The architecture all around us is very different from what we are used to at home. We see the occasional Asian temple in Vancouver but here we are surrounded by those structures. And the shopping! While there are high end stores in Beijing, the fun is shopping in the markets. Unfamiliar with the barter system, it takes us awhile to get into the swing of things. We quickly realize that we can’t pay the first, grossly overstated price asked, but they won’t let us walk away. They expect us to bargain with them. What at first seems overwhelming becomes fun once we allow ourselves to get caught up in the flow of it. We will go home with lots of bargains! And maybe just a little junk! The smells are a different matter! I don’t know about you, but never will I get used to the odor! No matter where we are in Beijing, we can smell the sewer. The streets and buildings are clean but the smells waft up from the manholes in the streets. The public toilets are in the floor, making it necessary to squat over them. The used tissue goes into a container in the corner of the stall so you can imagine how these cubicles smell! Some are better than others. They even have a star rating system for their toilets. But no matter what star they give it, every time I use one I gag. The sewer isn’t the only source of odor, though. Some of the food odors also make us pause. Sometimes when I pass Sushi restaurants at home, I wriggle my nose in distaste but here these smells are all around me. But the food itself, for the most part, is tasty and appetizing. I say for the most part because I get caught now and then with something that quells my adventurous spirit for awhile. On one such occasion I tried something that looked like it could be tofu or bean curd only to find out it was jellied ducks blood! YUCK!!! That slowed me down for a few days. Even their gardens are strange to me. A Chinese garden is enclosed with walls rather than the open spaces we are used to in North America. They use water, air, earth, and wood to design beautifully, tranquil settings that soothe the senses and calm the spirit. Contained within the walls are rooms for contemplation. A Chinese garden is truly a work of art. As I get used to the lack of familiar surroundings I begin to view this city without comparing it to North America, and start appreciating all the beauty around me. By the time I board the plane for home, I love this city and vow to come back again soon.