Last Full Day in China

Our last full day in China, and it was a good one. We started out by deciding to spend at least a part of our "free day" shopping. We had heard that Wangfuxing St was a good place for shopping, so figured we would start there. Of course, without the "sanction" of our guide we were at a loss for transport so we decided to bite the bullet and try the Beijing subway. At first it required a little "adjustment" (eg. we needed lots of help buying tickets... the stations themselves are in western script but the little automated ticket machines are all Chinese script, so we used our favourite plan B of finding a helpful looking person, then waving our hands and gesturing a lot until our point is made. Second, the subway doors open and close quite quickly, and once they close they close. In other words, only leave a limb sticking through the gap if you are ok losing it. Anyway, quirks figured out we made a fairly direct route to Wangfuxing St, which was a pretty good starting location for our subway experience, since it was just a few stops eastbound from our hotel.

The area itself, I think the scope was lost on us because we weren't nearly prepared enough. Wangfuxing is basically a pedestrianized area full of shopping malls. For us, showing up with no fixed plan, no idea of really what we were looking to buy or what we were prepared to spend, plus aware that the day was ticking away... we enjoyed ourselves but if we were ever to come to Beijing again (and probably a note to people reading this who may visit later) is that time at Wangfuxing St would probably be much more productive if some of these things were figured out ahead of time.

We got back to the hotel mid afternoon. Jon and Dena wanted to try to get some better pictures of the olympic stadium, and since our preliminary subway experience had gone well, felt confident enough to attempt the trip. This was a big step up though in subway terms... Wangfuxing St was just a couple of stops to the East. The olympic stadium was way up in the North of Beijing, requiring 4 or maybe 5 line changes and a substantial portion of the city traversed, to get to. So, we decided that the best plan was, Mum would stay at the hotel and play with the little ones, while Jon and Dena attempted the "olympic pursuit". This would provide the opportunity for Mum to bond more with Miah, while the subway riders could travel a whole lot lighter.

Long story short, both plans were a success. Jon and Dena found where they were going just fine, although the total journey took probably 1.5 hours, the majority of which was probably subway time. Interesting diversion (and a great memory for years to come)... as they both emerged from the olympic stadium subway station, the whole sky was an eerie dark colour. Jon commented "it looks like its going to storm". Off they went towards the birds nest stadium and water cube, and just a few minutes later the rain started... and it POURED. Most of the locals went running for cover but for a couple of Nova Scotians who have found the sticky heat a bit much over the last little while... well, they just kept walking. This appeared to be both fascinating and hilarious to some of the locals who had sought cover, as they cheered and took photos as they splashed past in the pouring rain. The best reaction was from the girl back at the subway station, who could not contain her fits of laughter as Jon produced a soaking wet 5 yuan bill from his wallet, to cover the subway fare back to the hotel.

Back at the hotel, bath time was in full swing. Everyone was in good spirits but the little ones were fading fast. So, we caved in and ordered room service. The meal was a bit pricey (of course) but really was not bad at all.

Tomorrow we have to check out of the hotel at 2pm and then head to the airport for the flight back to Canada. We are hoping to be able to make one extra run in the morning... to the silk market to do some last minute shopping. So... this might just be our last blog entry from China, and our last entry at all for a little while. I recall from last time how tired we were once we got home and how long it took to adjust to life in Canada again. Plus, we have a new little one to watch over, so we want to place our priorities right there, which means we will blog only when we feel able. To those that have been following our journey, we thank you for your interest and will no doubt speak to you soon.

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