The Grand Hyatt Beijing was a great hotel but a bit pricey. On Wednesday morning I took a taxi to the Comfort Inn to check out less expensive accommodations. I had noticed this when originally researching where to stay, but not knowing exactly what to expect in china I had taken the five star route out of caution. I had studied the geography of Beijing before we went and I had no indication, then or at any other time, that I was being taken on a circuitous route to run up the bill, but on the other hand, Beijing taxi drivers didn’t seem to know their city all that well. Anyway I did arrive there in a little over 20 minutes and asked if they would be willing to show me a room. They were, and the accommodations were perfectly acceptable. However, the location was not near anything a tourist might want to see. Since the Grand Hyatt was, that meant a 20 minute taxi ride every time you wanted to see something.
After I returned from the Comfort Inn Cindy and I went to the Beijing City Museum. That showed a history of the City of Beijing from early times up to the 1949 revolution.
That night we went to the Beijing Opera. I would recommend that if you plan to do that you study something of the Beijing Opera first. Cindy and I went in cold and didn’t really enjoy it. I think a great deal passed over our heads, though.
Early Thursday morning I went out to Wangfujing Street before any of the stores had opened. Before I got very far down the street a display that was being set up in a small plaza ahead of me burst into a recording of the Can Can loud enough to be heard all up and down the street. I didn’t see any dancing girls, though. I ambled down the street window shopping and generally getting myself familiar with what was on it. At this hour everyone I saw appeared to be going to work so nobody stopped me either to practice their English or sell me anything.
McDonald’s and the other fast food franchises have certainly made it to China. I had already noticed one McDonald’s on Wangfujing street and one in Oriental Plaza’s food court. As I returned from the far end of the block I noticed a second McDonald’s within a hundred yards of the first one making three within a radius of perhaps 200 yards. KFC was certainly present too, although not at quite the same density as McDonald’s. I looked for Burger King but didn’t see one. I thought they had missed out but later a found one at the airport.
I turned back into Oriental Plaza to go back to the hotel and I noticed a stream of people coming up an escalator. Figuring they had just come by subway to go to work I followed the stream backward and indeed found the connection between the subway and Oriental Plaza. Later I also found a small sign that said “Metro” but all other entrances to the subway were marked with a blue sign with a white letter on it that resembled a D and that’s what I was looking for.
Later we went to the Forbidden City. In the times of the emperors it was actually forbidden. It could cost you your life to be caught there unauthorized. The city itself was mostly open squares bounded by very ornate buildings. It was very impressive but I found it distressing that civilizations, whether in Asia or Europe, would lavish so much on one man. I also showed my personal grace and agility by tripping over a paving stone and falling flat on my face in one of the squares. Perfect strangers, though immediately came and helped me to my feet.
Nearby there is an area, which I didn’t try to locate, where China’s present leaders live. One of the Chinese people we talked to while we were there referred to that area sarcastically as “The New Forbidden City”.
Tags: Beijing trip, China Beijing travel, Forbidden City, Grand Hyatt, wangfujing
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My apologies, I wasn’t clear. I didn’t change hotels, I simply went and looked at the Comfort Inn. The fact is that I enjoyed the Grand Hyatt enough to spend the money if I return to Beijing (which I hope I will).