Brr...in Beijing

Finally I landed on the Great Wall of China! YESSSSS Vinay was going to Beijing to meet his team and I tagged along. Pretty last minute, but managed to get my visa & ticket done in time to touch down in -4 degree Celsius at Capital International Airport, Beijing on a misty afternoon of Feb 14. We fought like mad dogs over a smoking vs. non-smoking room the balance of the day - what a unique way to celebrate St. Valentine's birthday. Going back to trip on the The Great Wall it started snowing heavily the minute I decided to step on it and voila on my way back I slipped off few stairs and the landed on my fat ridden rear. I quickly got up, dusted the snow from my coat and walked around as if all was well. From an experience perspective the GWC was 6700 kms of splendour winding up the China-Mongolia border like a dragon - very impressive!! Sunday was spent doing the rounds of the Forbidden City, Tianamen Square and ofcourse Vinay insisted that we visit the Beijing Zoo to see the Giant Pandas. The magnificent Forbidden City is the largest and the best-preserved Imperial Palace complex in the world. It has some 8000 odd rooms and has been the residence of the Ming & Quing dynasties(1300 to early 1900's) for five centuries. I loved the beautiful blue and green workmanship on the roof which I understand signifies the sky and the earth (or the Ying & Yang). Our next stop was the Tiananmen Square - a salute to modern China and end to the feudal kingdom. Lunch was at McDonalds and then we trotted along to see the Giant Pandas. Vinay keeps teasing me that Pandas are my ancestors and they'd be thrilled to see me!! Late evening we explore some nightlife at the Hou Hai Bars - a quaint lit up street, next to a frozen lake with restaurants and bars filled with happy, chirpy and at times loud people.

Day two I was on my own as Vinay went with to work. I made a trip to the Temple of Heaven - this temple was built specifically for worship of heaven and prayers for good harvests. The entire complex is a treasure trove of ancient Chinese architectural designs and arts - extremely pretty. I think I have seen a picture of Lal Bahadur Shastry or some other Indian leader with this temple as the backdrop.

It snowed heavily next couple of days and I went on a tour to see the Ming Tombs , got to peek at a Jade Museum and a Hospital for TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) and had a lavish dinner with Vinay's China team - a bunch of giggly girls, very warm, polite and so hospitable. The highlight of the evening was the Peking Duck along with other dishes - it turned out to be a nice evening.