Beijing-Day 2

The Forbidden City

Another long walk lol everything in Beijing is miles apart it seems. We arrive at the Gate of Heavenly Peace (admission was surprisingly free) which is a double-eaved gate hung with the portrait of Mao...it is said to be a potent national symbol.The gates divided into five doors and you can reach it via seven bridges running across a stream. Apparently the emperor was the only one who was allowed to use the middle door and bridge.Its impressive and definitely eye catching...not sure why you would charge an admission fee though.This was where Mao proclaimed the people's republic (01.10.1949) so i guess its pretty important then lol! After we walked through you come to the entrance of The Forbidden City. I've seen this place in a few films and was very excited to walk around it even if it is just a bunch more temples (well i have to say it and live up to my new nickname otherwise what ammunition will charlie have to tease me all day!) 

 In case anyone is interested a bit of history and background...The Forbidden City (now known as the Palace Museum) is surrounded by a 52m wide moat and is the largest and best preserved complex of ancient buildings (it was off limits for 500 years...in fact the penalty for uninvited admission was instant execution) so that tells you how old it is. It is also a UNESCO heritage site. It housed two dynasties in its time until the republic demoted the last Qing emperor.

Lots of it is still out of bounds but the place is filled with beautiful temples all of a similar design...some are restored better than others but stunning none the less. The vast size of the place is a shock as it is slap bang in the middle of Beijing....i was not expecting it to be so huge!Inside some of the temples there are original artifacts...furniture and clothes but its hard to get a good look with the hoards of Chinese people inside. It's also near impossible to get a good photo for the same reason...everyone wants to walk in front of you as soon as you get your camera out-much to Charlies despair (he's a photography perfectionist lol!)so don't hold it against me too much. All in all well worth the walk!  

Tian'anmen Square

This is the worlds largest public square (440,000 square meters) and was conceived by Mao to project the enormity of the Communist Party and it still does that today....police presence (plain clothes,in uniform and in big vans) plus the hordes of CCTV towers is very overbearing. As the lonely planet says not an ideal place to strip down to a free Tibet T.Shirt!Lol! On one side of the square is Chairman Mao Memorial Hall...his mummified corpse lies in a crystal cabinet draped in a red flag with the hammer and sickle on. This would have been interesting but was closed so will have to make a trip back to see that one! On another side the gigantic China Museum..i know China has a lot of history but id really rather rip my eyeballs out that walk around that lol! There is also the Monument to the People's Heroes...it's an obelisk completed in 1958...a granite lump not much more to say sorry haha!  All in all i'd say it was a mildly interesting experience to view this place!

On the way back to the hostel we decided to head down to Wangfyjing Snack Street as Charlie was really excited about eating lots of disgusting things on stick(the Chinese will literally eat anything) and i was really excited about seeing him do it...i considered it for all of two minutes and decided my gag reflex would'nt be able to cope with this one! He manged to eat (on a stick and still having a wriggle before it was cooked) scorpions, cockroaches and crickets. The verdict was....

Cockroach tastes vile

Crickets are non offensive

Scorpions are good and taste just like pork crackling! My boyfriend is a strange one people...although i found myself strangely in awe of his ability to just chow down on that stuff for the experience....very impressive!