I started this, my second, journey to China with a focus on curiosity based on now having a little understanding of Chinese perspectives which I learned from my first visit in 2019, reading – including a very interesting book, Unpacking China: 50 Essential Q&’s for First-Time Visitors, and believe it or not, dozens of TikTok videos on tourism and Yangtze River Cruises but Chinese created videos on Chinese culture and perspectives including excellent discussions not only on how they vary, but reasoning why. Of course, there were breaks in what I will call “Western logic” but the idea should not be to find fault or disagreement but rather understanding.
My other, actual primary, focus is on what Century Cruises is all about. It is a “from the ground up” experience, observing and experiencing a new-to-the-West cruise line with brand-new ships, aiming to deliver a multicultural travel experience that offers enough cultural immersion to make it a unique and memorable experience while also providing enough of a Western experience to make it emotionally and physically comfortable.
My flights from Lake Tahoe to Beijing were – I know this is hard to believe – flawless. No last gate. No delays. Decent seat (Premium Economy bulkhead aisle). OK food. Enough scotch. About five hours of solid sleep on the 13.5-hour flight. Chinese immigration was fast and easy. Initially, I had some concern that my 2019 Chinese visa might be an issue since it was in my old passport, but it wasn’t at all. Representatives from Century Cruises met me after baggage claim, and I was escorted in a car to the Hyatt Regency Beijing Wangjing, where I was warmly greeted.
As the program didn’t start until the next day, there was only one thing to do: Head out and find a place to eat! I was told to check out the food court at the Capital Mall, which was about 15 minutes away. After juggling between how to have Google Maps function with or without a VPN, I was off. The first thing I learned is that cars follow traffic lights and the rules of the road, but scooters and bicycles do not. Making that more challenging, with almost every scooter and bike being electric, there is no sound warning you that you are about to get run over. However, my New York City instincts quickly kicked in and navigating to the mall was easy.
What was a little more difficult was navigating where and what to eat when I got to the food court. Even for me it was a bit intimidating, as English is not widely spoken (even a little bit). Brief Google Translate menu interpretations and questions would have to do. So, I first went with a stall where I saw smiles; a Sichuan hot pot place, but I went with some dumplings, as my appetizer. The people were so kind, motioning me to sit down and then set everything up for me, including all the fiery spices, oils, and vinegar dip. Yum.
The reason I didn’t go with the hot pot is because I had seen another stall that I had to eat at. I do not recall its actual name, but I call it Unidentified Meat on a Stick Restaurant. It was like heaven for me. Dozens of chafing dishes filled with different meats (and some vegetables) on a stick. I asked with Google Translate if I just picked what I wanted and showed it to the server. The server motioned me over to a side table, handed me a metal dish, directed me to a seat, and motioned I should just start eating. I couldn’t figure out if the offerings were just haphazardly placed, based on the sauce, or what. But it didn’t matter. It was delicious.
From beef to liver to tripe to “what the heck is that?”, it was a culinary marvel. When I was done, the server counted the number of toothpicks, and it came out to 19 yuan or about $2.66.
By the way, China it is quickly becoming a cashless society. Even street vendors use Alipay or WeChat Pay, where they scan your app’s QR code or vice versa. You simply add your credit card to the app and the transactions are instant. And things are so digital now that I immediately checked my Visa card and the charges were already there.
It was then back to the hotel for a quick chat and a beer before heading to bed.
Note that I will not be reviewing the tours given to this group of travel advisors and media folks, because that is not the focus of my time here. That said, I was up early, but not because of jet lag, but to get some work done and ready for our 8:00 a.m. start to our first day in Beijing.
First up was The Forbidden City. Not much had changed since my last visit in 2019. Why would you think it would in this 600-year-old bastion?
We then had lunch at Hua’s Restaurant and as is the custom in China, dish after dish just kept coming – and so did the beer.
After lunch, the effects of the horrible traffic in Beijing really started to kick in. It was time for a quick touristic rickshaw ride…just like I did the last time I was here…in the area known for hutongs (the old city with very narrow alleyways) near the lake.
(Unfortunately, due the traffic and closings of areas for special events our walk through the area was missed. I really like it the last time. Oh well.)
It was then off for a quick visit to the Temple of Heaven before heading back to the hotel for a special dinner with government and local tourism board officials. While they gave speeches and videoed every moment, the wine was free flowing, the cuisine was incredible and non-stop. Believe it or not, it beat me. I was so full, I couldn’t even try the last couple of dishes.
The morning came too soon, but it was time to revisit The Great Wall of China. This was in a different area of the wall and was a bit more upscale. Rather than taking a circa 1930 chairlift up and a toboggan run down, we used a funicular. This was after a bit of a show for us, which was, of course, videoed and photographed.
The Great Wall, once I understood that hundreds of thousands of men died building it and are buried within it, and that the wall actually never stopped an invasion, it lost that magic that we were taught it had. But there it was, and I was on it again. Despite its bleak past, it remains an impressive structure.
It was then off for lunch and another impressive culinary spread, followed by the ubiquitous shopping opportunity, this time a jade showroom. Folks enjoyed it and I watched. Then back on the bus for torturous traffic to visit the Olympic site to see, from a distance, the Bird’s Nest and Water Cube. (My suggestion is to skip this.)
We then visited Tiananmen Square with its tight security. Today’s youth in China probably have no idea why the square is important for Westerners to view. It has a totally different meaning as sort of the heart of the Communist Party. I won’t get into the politics here, but most Chinese are content with what they see as the rise in China’s stature and economic vibrance after centuries of being invaded and economically struggling.
Beijing traffic made getting to our final stop for the day beyond painful, but we got there! It was a family dinner in a hutong.
I have to be honest. I was dreading it, having visions of a fake experience learning how to use a Chinese yo-yo, make noodles for our dinner, and then endure a marginal meal; especially when I was exhausted from a day sitting on a bus for far too many hours.
Boy was I wrong…and why when traveling sometimes you just need to suck it up.
We walked down a hutong to a small door, after using the hutong’s bathroom (an experience unto itself!), I washed my hands and climbed up a narrow spiral staircase to a deck. There were three tables with a few snacks, some sodas, and a plastic mat with dough to make noodles. And then an elderly man triumphantly brought up a case of beer…and the fun began.
A woman put on a show with the Chinese yo-yo that was cute and just long enough. As she was doing that, a real character of a woman showed our table how to roll out the dough and cut the noodles (If you know your history, not surprisingly very similar to how we did it in Rome during one the Goldring Travel Culinary & Cultural Journeys) and then had some at our table follow her lead.
Then she simply picked up the plastic, and the food began to flow along with another case of beer.
As our evening was winding down, she began to sing (at least that’s what I will call it). She was charming, hysterical, and talented (other than singing). She made the evening one to remember.
We eventually made it back to the hotel, where I again collapsed into bed, because I had to get up early (again) to get work one and prepare for our flight to Xian, to see the Terracotta Warriors.
Next up: Xi’an and boarding the Century Voyager.
