After 7 cities, Ella and I are back home in Guangzhou. Phew!

It all started with a rushed flight to Kunming, as we weren't able to get train tickets to Qujing because of Chinese New Year. Honestly it's probably about the same travel time overall, even if we need to make the 1.5 hour journey from the airport. But trains are cool! Anyway, we got a chance to see Ella's folks again, which is always nice... and what did we do? Not much, honestly. We got paperwork married in China, so that was exciting I suppose. Funny story about that - Chinese names are usually just two or three characters, so when they start to put my monstrously long name (by Chinese standards, anyway) in their computer, it broke it. Just... broke it. The lady had us come back the next day to finish the registration, because she needed to call the IT guy to figure things out. As Ella said, I can't imagine what would happen if anyone from China married someone from Thailand. Just their given names can be like a sentence long.

Also, how has this never happened before? Like, there was a foreign couple in front of us registering as well. And my name is not unusually long for a western name. Anyway. Sorted, done, stamped, signed, we're in the system now.

But really, aside from that, we didn't do much. Mostly sit around, eat, talk, relax. The one place we did go was a day trip to a canola field. Yes, canola like the oil. Did you know that it's a really pretty yellow flower? I didn't, and Luoping county in Yunnan makes a buttload of it. Like, a comically large amount. So much that when they're blooming, it's yellow for as far as the eye can see. We also went into this park that had a waterfall, and holy cow. This whole area I put as the 3rd most beautiful place I've ever visited - if you're keeping track (which is no one but me), number one is The Peak in Hong Kong, and number two is Bagan, Myanmar. And Pura Mengening in Bali, Indonesia - you're number four now. Get to the back of the line! I can't imagine anyone would ever be in Yunnan province to make the trip out here, but in case you are, it is absolutely worth the trip. I want to post a hundred pictures here, but I'm going to limit myself to a half dozen or so. You should really click on them, because everywhere you point your camera is postcard worthy.

 

So after a trip back to Kunming airport, we were off to our next destination... Beijing! In winter. Yes, we are insane, especially after I had already visited Beijing in winter. It is not an ideal place to be. But it wasn't up to me, since my mom and dad wanted to see The Great Wall, and this was the time that was available.

The first day was not actually the wall. Combating their jet lag, we did an abbreviated sort of day at the National Museum, and then a walking street nearby. Mom and dad actually tried authentic Chinese food, and had their first bout with chopsticks. While there was some growing pains, they eventually managed to sort of eat. We actually brought them plastic forks and spoons, but they were only used a handful of times on the trip. By the end, they were sort of getting the hang of things, but I don't see them switching any time soon.

I guess looking for some stability, Dad had hired a tour guide to take us around for the next two days to some famous places in Beijing. Now, it's their holiday, and they're welcome to do what they want. And the tour guide was nice. But I don't care for private tours. They do give you some background for sure, but I feel it's not worth the expense and especially the lack of freedom from a guided tour. I think going at your own pace is better, and if you want more info, look it up online, read the plaque, or scan the QR code. But since I had already been here and done that, in this case, a tour might be better since I got that background I didn't have before.

The first stop was Tiananmen. I had said before, there was only one thing in Beijing I regret not being able to do - see Mao Tzedong. As in, they have his body preserved in a glass coffin. He was under maintenance last time I was there, so this time I got my chance. Just a year or so ago I got to see Ho Chi Minh in Hanoi, and Ella thought it was weird. And yeah, it is pretty weird to be honest. But I was more interested in seeing Mao, because he was such an influential person. I understand he has an unfavorable reputation in the west, and sure, there's room for criticism. But like so many things western media portrays about China, it is a bit more nuanced and not as black and white as it appears.

Anyway, I don't want to get into a political rant. It's a weird experience, going in there. A giant stone building, it has a big lobby that is completely spotless and full of soldiers standing at attention. You shuffle in, quietly, and walk through it, plus past the coffin without ever stopping. No photos of course, so to describe Mao, he looks plastic. I'm sure that's due to the massive amount of preservation needed for someone who died 40 years ago, but Ho Chi Minh looked better despite being dead 10 years earlier. Not that this is a contest or anything, but, ya know - it's the only other context I've got. If anyone else is able to chime in on preserved bodies of political leaders, leave your comments below.

After we went through The Forbidden City, which despite it's namesake, you can just go in. It was much more crowded this time, and while impressive in scale, it reminds me a bit of the Taj - the inside of the buildings are actually really boring. Some fancy chairs... that's about it. After we climbed the mountain at the park behind it, which is a nice way to get a view of the whole complex. Ella said she was disappointed we didn't go to the sides, and just cut through the middle. I told her not to worry about it, and if anyone else is thinking about going, know that the sides are just the same - more buildings with chairs. But at least you can dodge some of the crowds, so there's that.

After a lunch (which, the Han-style eggplant was awarded "Best Meal of the Trip" Award), we went to the Summer Palace. I honestly don't remember if I visited here before, or another palace nearby - they kind of blend together. Because, ya know, in my life I just go to so many palaces, I can't keep track of them all. The lake there was completely frozen and had tons of ice skaters on it, so that was neat to see. Otherwise it was pretty much a big Chinese plaza. Pretty, but I probably would enjoy it a lot more if I wasn't freezing my butt off.

Day two was the whole reason to go to Beijing - The Great Wall. This was my second time there, but this was at a different section called Mutianyu. Jessica, our tour guide, said this was where most foreigners go, because it's more beautiful and further. Meanwhile, most locals go to Badaling, because Mao would visit there. I can say that Mutianyu, and whatever section I went to, look pretty much the same. Not to diminish the wall. Its scale is absolutely amazing. But section by section, it's just a wall. Unique for Mutianyu though, we took a cable car up and a toboggan down. Well, dad and I did. Going up the cable car we saw the track, and with it going around corners and over ravines, I was thinking "this does not look safe at all." In a surprising reversal, dad REALLY wanted to go down, despite everyone else telling him that it was not a good idea. After a lot of nervous argument, I went down after in case he killed himself. In reality, it was pretty tame. There was a group of girls ahead of us that were quite slow, so a lot of the ride was not much faster than a jogging pace. Anyway, we survived at least. I guess it's a more unique way to get down, but I'd probably trust the cable car more.

The second stop was a Ming Tomb. It was kind of unimpressive and not really worth the trip. After was Olympic Park, which is worth the trip just to see the buildings, but I feel they are 100 times more impressive at night. They are quite pretty, but there's not much to do but take a photo and say "Wow."

And that was it for Beijing. Maybe because I've only visited there in winter, but I don't really care for it. I think the city itself is a lot like The Great Wall - impressive in scale, but actually kind of ugly. Those large stone buildings with wide boulevards look amazing in their layout, but when you get down to it, it's just a bunch of rocks. Combined with the mostly ever-present smog (though admittedly, it is a ton better than when I visited), it's just not a pretty city. Go once to see the stuff. But then, say goodbye and go somewhere more interesting.

... and we did just that. The next stop was a high speed train to Nanjing, which we'll cover next time!