Epilogue

The trip was everything we had hoped it would be and so much more. When planning you think of all the great places that you’re going to see but you have no “picture” of all the amazing people that you’re going to meet along the way.

During the trip we used a number of modes of transportation: feet, planes, taxis, camels, oxcarts, trains, buses, elephants, rickshaws, tuk-tuks, motorcycles, rafts, rowboats, ferries, dune-buggies, sleds, cars, mini-vans, pick-up trucks, and safari jeeps.

We thank God for getting back safely and particularly for keeping our little guy safe with his food along the way.

There were a few surprises for us, probably caused by us learning about Africa and Asia on TV's Discovery Channel:

• Africa was amazing with its mix of 1st world amenities and wild nature
• Beijing has impossible traffic and horrible air quality
• NYC, London and Paris remain the most special cities that we have visited

By the Numbers
1 – Circumnavigated planet
50,000 – Kilometers travelled
154 – Days away from home
12 - Countries visited
14 – Plane trips
4 – Overnight trains
25 – Organized tours
3 – Natural Wonders of the World
4 – Camels that we rode around the pyramids
5 – Mountains climbed
70 – days on the wrong side of the road
75 – Books read
1 – African tick that caused Deb a lot of problems
3 – times that Joe had ‘Delhi Belly’
2 – Lost hats
1 – Birthday while on the road
1 – Heck of a trip

August 14 Day 155 Our Triumphant Return to Canada

August 13 Peking Duck

Visiting the Olympic Park was a fantastic experience. The Bird’s Nest was absolutely remarkable to see. The architecture is mind-boggling. Brendan was particularly taken by the complexity of steel and glass and marvelled at it for quite some time. It was also fun imagining being a marathoner approaching the nest to the throngs of crowds within. We got some great pictures of the Nest, the Water Cube, and surrounding buildings before heading to the subway.

We made our way to the Yashu market (much more civilized than the Silk Market) before going home to relax before dinner.We joined a family from Iowa for our last dinner of the trip. And what did we have? Peking duck, of course! The boys enjoyed rolling their duck in little crepes garnished with hoisin sauce and cucumbers.

August 12 Made in China

Well, we are in China and what better way to experience the culture than to replenish our wardrobes. So off we went to the Silk Market to pass the day. We’d also hoped to head back to Canada today, but all flights are booked until Friday. The good news is that the skies have cleared!

August 11 Lake District

A day off to relax at the pool, sleep in and enjoy the pool. In the evening we went for a stroll in the lake district where Emperors once resided to fight the heat of Beijing. This area is now a series of hutongs beautifully preserved/restored in time for the 2008 Olympics (the VISA lanterns figure very prominently). We enjoyed meeting the many tourists.As it is only 30 minutes by car from the Water Cube and Bird’s Nest, we thought we’d hop in a cab to visit. However, no cab would take us! As we have found here, cabs have freedom to take rides or not and in the dozens of attempts it’s a miracle we can get around.

August 10 Temple of Heaven

Central Park in NYC is what came to mind as we entered into this haven from everyday hustle. Retirees by the 1000s, students and workers alike come to this place of green grass and ancient ritual in the heart of Beijing to enjoy life’s simpler pleasures. The site is the ancient sacrificial ground of Ming Emperors as they prayed for bountiful harvests. It must have worked for there were 17 such emperors. With architecture marvel, the marble and manmu lumber as materials it isn’t hard to imagine the sacrifices made here 600 years ago. A wonderful stop.

Our next stop was the Pearl Market – but not for pearls but more A&F, Adidas and Samsonite at ridiculously low prices. We wish we could find a similar Nike-Bauer store!

August 9 Great Wall, Ming Tombs

Two hours by car from Beijing, Mu Tian Yu with its 200m mountains rising straight out of the plains seems a fitting place to on which to put an 8m defensive wall Begun by the First Emperor of the Qin Dynasty to keep out the Mongolian and Manchurian barbarian nomads and later built onto by the Han and Ming Dynasties, the wall seemed to do its bit for all its 6700km length. The section we visited was restored to its original glory using its original bricks. The weather and smog combined to limit visibility to only a few metres. Our photos didn’t turn out that great but the experience of walking the wall was well worth it. The wall’s undulating, winding and substantial structure dwarfs the mountain upon which it is built. One can imagine the plight of the workers who lived and died to build it as well as the 2000 years of armies that have fought on it to defend China.

Our afternoon was spent visiting the Ming Tombs, specifically the final resting spot of Emperor Yongle and riches and artefacts unearthed from Emperor Wan Li’s excavated tomb. The Tomb’s location 50 km from for the 17 Emperors of the Ming Dynasty (13 are actually buried there) was chosen for its geometric qualties (facing Beijing with mountains on the other 3 sides and well within the Great Wall. The 600 year old buldings and their unpainted supporting pillars made from the extinct nanmu tree are all original.

Then came the 50 km, 3-hour return home. The 8-lane superhighway crowded with buses, taxis, tour vans and cars simply did not move. Our driver said that today was surprisingly bad (people say that about the smog, too) but in our experience, we have not seen the traffic moving at any time (nor the smog clear).

August 8 Beijing Summer Palace

We have learned much about power in ancient Asia on this trip and we seemed to have discovered that cruelty and ruthlessness are essential ingredients. None was evidenced more than by the reign of Xici, the concubine of the then deceased Emperor and the mother of the newest and next-to-the-last Emperor who she murdered in order to take appoint he nephew whom she held prisoner for 10 years and then poisoned on the eve of her own death from diarrhea. The 285 ha of the Summer Palace are adorned with a massive man-made lake dug by 100,000 forced labourers, the longest mural-painted corridor in the world at 700+m, a beautiful pagoda at the top of the man-made mountain (from the dug lake) and dozens of buildings fit for royal use. Her rule for 48 years as the Emperor-mother had her destroy the powerful armada of the Chinese fleet and misappropriate the navy’s funds to build and maintain this remarkable palace. To this day, it survives as a wonderful tourist attraction. Our guide, Happy, was amazing (so amazing that we booked him for tomorrow’s excursion to the Great Wall and Ming Tombs) and entertained us with stories and facts that really hit home for the 2-hours that we spent here.
To get to the Summer Palace, we had taken a cab from the hotel and we were thinking about continuing on to the Silk Market by the same means. However, Happy suggested that we just hop on the bus as it will take us to within 3 blocks of the market (the concierge at the hotel had given us free of charge, loaded metro/bus cards) and be virtually free for the 4 of us. The cab ride would cost around 80RMB to 100RMB (RMB is the Chinese version of CNY) to it seemed to make sense.

Except for the 2-hours that it took to go the 30+ km in heavy traffic. Anyway, we made the most of it and eventually arrived at the Silk Market, a mega-haggling designer clothes centre where the asking price of a polo shirt starts at 450RMB and ends at 40RMB. Of course we loved the stop and will probably return to buy a few souvenirs.

August 7 Forbidden City

In the morning, at 7 a.m we awoke to the screaming of kids pretending to be cats in the common courtyard followed by what seemed to be rehearsals of folk singers doing their best belts of 60s protest songs. We rose, packed our bags and raced to the Holiday Inn – not so much because of its 4-star amenities but because of their service. This particular hotel boasts the best concierge in China, Storm. The hotel itself, is a large, modern and clean hotel in a business district – not quite what we were after, but they do speak English and have a quality restaurant that would make it easier for Brendan’s allergies.

Our visit to Tienanmen Square and the Forbidden City were a bit rushed as these central Beijing destinations close at 5. Thanks to our guide, we managed to learn much of the city’s history, including the last Emperor and his concubines. The buildings have been nicely maintained/restored and with the cobbled brick courts, it seems very authentic and large. The gardens, too, have been meticulously maintained and boasts many trees over 300 years old.

In the evening, Storm had arranged for us and another wonderful family to dine at a traditional Chinese restaurant where the dinner was a “hotpot”. The restaurant’s specialty was a mushroom hotpot with 11 varieties cooked at various stages to give us soup, dinner and dessert – all from mushrooms. The adults seemed to enjoy it, but the kids were eating anything but the hotpot (mostly rice). It was a great experience and the time spent with the Americans was fantastic making for a terrific evening. Our transportation was also an adventure, as the guide had departed after our arrival and assurance of Brendan’s meal’s safety. We took the local bus number 56 from the restaurant to the hotel. The Chinese locals were very amused. As were we!

August 6 Beijing - No Blogger!

Off to Beijing after a gruelling taxi-ride through Bangkok downtown. A minor travel hiccup at the airport. Thai Air did not have us booked on the flight in their computer despite us holding a prepaid ticket which the system also showed. Luckily, all seemed resolved after a visit to customer service and some firm discussion suggesting that the agent do something about it! Their original proposal was to give us the vacant seats on the plane and have us worry about the problem of other flights when we get to the next destination. I don’t think so! Eventually they were persuaded to call the Air Canada ticket office in Bangkok and confirm our future flights. Or at least so they say so.

We will be switching back to hostel/guesthouse style of accommodation from our 4-star track that we’ve been on. We’re hoping for the best at Red Lantern Inn in a hutong style neighbourhood that we fear will only be found in museums in the future!

And well it should! It is not easy to travel here – especially on a budget. Just to recount our experiences in 24 hours:

· Although there is quality Internet, no social network sites are available (including blogger) as according to other guests, they are blocked as terrorist tools and instruments of propaganda, since social uprising in the northwest began.
· Incompetence at every turn starting with the airport immigration (5 minutes per person to confirm visas), continuing into the cab (complete disarray in the scramble for cabs as the people queued for taxis in an orderly fashion but the cars arrived 3 or 4 deep in multiple directions with people diving to grab them and even with the hotel’s address, our driver had to make a dozen calls) and then to the hotel where after check-in, there was a 5-minute walk to the room, outside in the rain! I won’t even get into the lack of quality at the “hotel” with the nicest of things being described as well worn. And the mosquitoes!
· Traffic jams on every street, 24/7

Also, there is no sun in Beijing. If it exists, it resides behind a layer of dust, pollution and smog that can only be described as asthma-waiting to happen. I think I recall seeing NASA images of distant planets that had a cleaner atmosphere. And at one instant, it started raining. One cannot see clouds, the smog is that dense.

The staff of the hotel must think we were crazy as we spent the evening soliciting guests and staff help in finding more suitable accommodation. Our back-up was to be the new Fairmont hotel, but as is common in China, construction delays have delayed the opening by more than a year. So, 2 other hotels popped to the top of the mix: 3-star Capital Hotel and the 4-star Holiday Inn. One with fantastic location near Forbidden City and the other with English-speaking staff. Hmm.

August 5 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

We slept in and it was wonderful! We managed to make it back to the mall by noon where the day flew by and getting Joe’s bankcard back. We did take in a movie – Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince at the theatre at MBK and wile away the day.

August 4 Royal Thai Palace

Today we toured the Royal Palace and Wat Po. The palace is opulent, huge and ornate and largely unused other than for ceremonies a couple of times per year. Our guide took us through many of the King’s ceremonial rooms for coronations, prayer, dining and hosting foreign guests. Compared to the modest palaces of Vietnam, these were 100s times more elaborate. Of particular note was the Emerald Buddha Temple (which actually houses a jade Buddha) and the large number of solid gold artifacts. Next door to the palace, we also toured the Wat Po with the largest reclining Buddha.

En route to Wat Po, we encountered many private tour guides who told us that the Wat Po was closed ‘til 3 p.m. As we later found out, this was not the case at all, but simply a ploy by the shysters to try to get you to sign them up for a tour by tuk-tuk for a couple of hours! Luckily we didn’t fall for it. After Wat Po, we went to the Khao San neighbourhood for more street shopping and lunch.

Not yet being shopped-out, we went to MBK for 6 floors of city-block-size mix of market and traditional mall shopping. The boys and Deb loved it and Joe enjoyed watching the them act like kids in a candy-store buying a few outfits and electronics. Most impressive were their ipod touch minis. Unfortunately for Joe, while refuelling the cash-supply at the local ATM, the machine ate his card. A quick call by the bank’s manager to central command arranged for the machine to be opened to retrieve the card. One problem – it would have to be done tomorrow! Neither the kids nor Deb seemed to mind, as it ensured a return trip to the mega-mall!

Back at our hotel, the FX, we enjoyed their current pools (small pools with jets creating a current against which we swam). It was a lot more fun than we expected - and a lot more work!