Our Street

Sometimes I realize I've gotten used to things which would be considered kind of abnormal back in the U.S.

For example, take the sidewalk on our street. Ok, I admit, I still complain about it so that means I'm not really used to it, but it's just a regular thing here - the fact that both trees and poles take up most of the room on the sidewalk and though it's not apparent in this picture, a majority of pedestrians actually walk in the street. If you are walking with another person, you can't actually walk abreast on our sidewalk, someone always has to be dodging obstacles. Also, be sure to watch out for the two inch bolts sticking out of the sidewalk (they're anchors that used to go with other poles that have since been removed), the missing bricks, or the open manhole.

Oh and the wires, look out for those, too.

I like the honesty of this sign: Caution, pedestrians running for their lives!

?

And the randomness of signs here. I don't think it has anything to do with the Chinese given here.
Ok, I take it back, I haven't gotten used to it all - I still find it as boggling and humorous as ever.

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Welcome to installment four of September's travels, complete with official self-portrait.

Yep, that's where we're headed on this climb up part of the Great Wall. We drove about an hour out of Beijing to find a less crowded section of the wall.


Merlin's ready to climb (and Devin's taken off already)...







For those who need official certification, it's available here



Devin went much higher than Merlin and I did, and got there fast. Merlin and I made it to the tower on the left, and Devin and the other students went 2 or 3 towers beyond the one on the right.
Of all of our sightseeing trips we all liked this visit to Great Wall the best. I stopped climbing every once in a while and leaned out over the wall - amazing, I could smell plants! That smell made my day. I'd forgotten what they smell like - Beijing being what it is, we're so separated from everything that isn't human centered (except the weather, I guess). The air was hazy here, but it still felt good to inhale deeply.

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The day we went to all these places I also took the medium format camera. I'm not as productive as Dan and I only shot one roll (if even that much) and since he takes film in when he's amassed a larger amount, I'll have to wait until there's more to develop before I get to see how they turned out.
The story behind this place (or one of the stories anyway) is that the man who had it built worked as a high-ranking government official. Somehow he managed to steal jewels from the palace. He'd build them into the walls of his mansion (and this place is like a small village, it's huge and complex and beyond what we'd consider a mansion). Eventually he amassed so much wealth that he actually had more than the emperor. He didn't give someone the cut they were due, though, and he got ratted out. Before losing his head, he and his family sure lived well.

I kept trying to get a picture of these pedicabs when streams of them would come rolling down the street, but I wasn't fast enough and missed it each time. Here they are parked, though, when they're much easier to catch.
This kind of thing cracks us up. A fake topiary to hide the spotlight...


Another pavilion for the corrupt official. Not bad!

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The second place we visited that day was the Temple of Heaven. I liked this much more than the Forbidden City - it actually has trees! The Forbidden City didn't have trees except in one small garden area, because they didn't want there to be opportunities for assassins to hide behind trees. It makes the complex rather blank and scorching when it's hot. The Temple of Heaven, though, has trees all over, and it's quite large. There's a lot to explore. I've heard that in the mornings lots of people are there, doing tai chi and playing instruments, kind of like Zizhuyuan, near us.

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Dan's students arrived earlier in the month and they're the nicest bunch of college students - they're fun to hang out with and we've had the chance to accompany them on a few sightseeing trips. These pictures are from a day we spent at The Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, The Temple of Heaven, and one other place whose name none of us could remember, so we just started calling it The Corrupt Official's Mansion (which, in essence, is what it was back in the Qing Dynasty).

Devin carried around the video camera and was quite happy to be the official videographer.

I discovered the extent of foraging in Beijing: some potted pomegranates. They're just turning red, d'you think I'd get in trouble with the Emperor's people if I stole one?
Gotta love what's lost and gained in translation (which reminds me, I have more of these funny things to post later).
I tend to focus on the out-of-place, the misfits and wild-hearts breaking through the concrete. I particularly like plants growing on buildings... they remind of me of who always wins in the end.I'll keep going through the photos we took (it's been a few weeks already, sorry!) and let you see what we've been up to.