Sri Lanka to Beijing to Shanghai

From Sri Lanka to Beijing.

Reality check – the sun not shine worldwide – this became apparent after a 7 hour flight from Sri Lanka to Beijing – we had a minus 30C temperature difference. From 35C to 5C set to fall to 0C on the Great Wall. Freezing freezing freezing!!!!!
Tian Anmen Square, the forbidden city and the Great Wall of China were on the programme after a late flight arrival and an early morning start. Combine that with trying to come to terms with the cold and you have a recipe for travel weariness.

However the Great Wall is an absolute must in life – it is a steep climb and I am always amazed at the way Asian folk just “get on with it” some in little black velvet shoes – amazing – old and young puffed and panted their way up the steep slopes where you had the feeling nose meets pavement. Absolutely spectacular – stunning views, one of the seven wonders of the world – a richly deserved title.

From Beijing we travelled to Shanghai on the high speed express – a 5 hour journey at 310km per hour, trapped once again in a compartment where the male population considered it necessary and acceptable to snort upwards, swallow and process the contents in an alarming fashion and then regurgitate their bronchial reflux in a manner which had me once again reaching for my earplugs and scarf over my face.
We survived.
Shanghai is so different to Beijing.
Shanghai’s “Pudong” is a
new district and home to some of the tallest skyscrapers in the world, as well as the city’s iconic Oriental Pearl TV Tower.

Beijing is more solidly Chinese – however it is said that there is a growth in expats moving to the city in spite of the international propaganda machine that continuously ties it to authoritarian doom and gloom. However I did find Beijing somewhat repressive. Shanghai on the other hand is extremely cosmopolitan. While not home to as many foreigners as other Asia cities like Hong Kong (our next stop) or Tokyo – it’s apparently getting there.

Yu garden