Incredibly 6700 kilometers long wall used to protect China from Mongol invasions. Nowadays it is the national symbol of the country and one of the new seven wonders of the world! People say you need to see it in every season, because it really changes overall look and atmosphere which is perfect for picture lovers. Here is your necessary guide…

The best destination to admire the Great Wall of China is definitely Beijing – the capital. Most famous Wall sections are located in its suburban areas, including the well-preserved Badaling and Mutianyu, the renovated Juyonguan, Jinshanling and Simatai, or wild Jiankou and Gubeikou. They are all not far from downtown Beijing, 1-2 hours’ driving away. 

 

Which section to choose

All these sections are equipped with sound tourism facilities, even suitable for kids and seniors. But if your time is limited as ours (we have one 23 hours long layover), you can’t visit all of them so which one is the best? Badaling is the best-preserved and famous for its deep-rooted culture, magnificent sights and complete military facilities. You may see many of its pictures on internet or in magazines. But is also most flocked with visitors. Mutianyu is the second most popular and due to its activities like toboggan is also more fun. Juyongguan is one of the three most famous passes. There, one can also visit some ancient towers and temples. Jinshanling and Simatai are way less crowded but to visit Simatai you apparently need to make an reservation on its official site. Photographers and hiking lovers would maybe prefer to visit wild (not reconstructed) sections with their original broken appearance. Together with my colleague, we have chosen Mutianyu.

How to get there

By public transport, private car, or private tour. Mutianyu and Badaling are relatively close to downtown and easily connected. If going to Simatai or Jinshanling you need to stay overnight there. The most convenient and fastest option is to book a private car and driver (all cabin crew on their layovers do that). Usually, the car rental fee is around  CNY 700-1000 for a roundtrip to Badaling and Mutianyu, and CNY 1,200 – 1,400 for further sections. And while you are admiring parts of the Great Wall, your driver will be waiting for you at the parking lot. 

Funny toboggan at Mutianyu

From the parking lot to the Wall itself it’s still a long hike as the Wall was built up in the mountains. Except for climbing Mutianyu by foot, you can also take the cable car to save more energy (you will need it up there). And then get down again by cable car or toboggan in warm months which is way more fun. As I was at the Great Wall last year in the middle of the winter when toboggan was closed, this time I’ve enjoyed this activity at most out of all tour. Total length of slide rail is 1580 meters. A top speed of it can reach 30km/h and it’s available only for return trip. I would suggest board the Great Wall by cable car (with upper station at 640 meters above sea level) or slide rail and then get down by toboggan as we have done, so that you can have two kinds of different experience and view. Cable car one way for one person is about CNY 100 while toboggan about CNY 60, ticket fare for the Great Wall CNY 40. 

When to go

Definitely avoid visiting on National Day Holiday (October 1st) or Chinese New Year where the Wall is overcrowded. Peak season is from March to beginning of November. I’ve been to Great Wall in both seasons – in freezing but quiet December and sunny warm September and must the winter scenery was much more beautiful to me (check my blog post Beijing #1). On the other side in September I could enjoy funny ride down by toboggan. 

 

Shanghai is all about beautiful contrasts between old and new, messy and clean, chaotic and organized, calm and busy, ambitious and friendly… And it’s definitely one of my most favorite layover destination! You just need to know these five addresses in order to enjoy this vibrant city fully: fake market, traditional tea house, the best massage spa, extraordinary cocktail bar and one secret place…

Us flight attendants have some common criteria for a good layover: easy flight, easy going passengers, long layover, good and cheap massage, good food, good night life, interesting things to do and see. Because Chinese passengers usually just ask for a hot water and they don’t speak English well to be able to complain, Shanghai meets all the criteria! 

 

Fake market

Let’s start with something that most of cabin crew is obsessed about – shopping! China is famous all over the world for their ‘fake markets’ with exact and precise copies of luxurious brands. In China you can easily get proper Chanel bag, LV scarf or Rolex watch for a few dollars and you won’t see a difference – just in price. Many of these pieces were stolen right from the table of their original factories or sent to ‘fake market’ because they showed some (almost invisible) failure in manufacture. Even though I’m not a shopping girl and I rather support smaller, ethical and fair trade, I have to admit that once I didn’t resist the quality I saw with my own eyes, and got one Chanel ‘boyfriend’ bag (never worn till now)! In Shanghai you can find many markets like this but the best and biggest one is with no doubt AP Plaza XinYang Market just 2 min walk from Shanghai Science & Technology Museum. It is located underground in metro line 2’s Science & Technology Museum station exactly. The northern part of AP Plaza is a maze of stalls, touts and greedy salespeople out to rip-off unsuspecting tourists with fake, fake and FAKE goods. The visibly fake pieces are those you will see in shopping windows, the pieces you want in your wardrobe are well hidden for the customers who take it seriously. Ask for those! As a general rule of thumb, offer 10 % of the original asking price, and settle for somewhere between 10% and 30%. Bargain hard, carry cash (even though some of the stalls are ready for your credit cards, as well), and be prepared to walk away from a bunch of stalls before settling on a price. Have a fun and good luck!

The best massage 

After hard bargaining you will need to fix your back. Chinese traditional medicine is the oldest in the world and in contrast with western one it focuses on healing real deep cause of pain not just removing the pain. Chinese invented very sophisticated needle acupuncture (I tried facial one – it was better than botox) so I trust them in massage as well. I’ve tried Balinese massage in Bali, Malaysian in Kuala Lumpur, Thai in Bangkok or Phuket, Vietnamese in Ho Chi Minh but the best one I ever had was the one in Shanghai. Our crew hotel – Ramada Plaza (Pudong Shanghai) has a great location for that. Juts right on the same Bi Yun street there are several spas – most of them open till 1-2 am! My most favorite is a simple looking spa with the name JOY. Right there I’ve had the best 2 hours of quality full body massage for very low price! Btw. If you aren’t a fan of Chinese cuisine on the same street you can find couple of really good international restaurants – Italian with an Italian chef, Mexican or Irish.

The Vue Bar and the VIEW

For the night life you need to go to the area called Bund. It is the one with the most iconic skyline. Lots of cabin crew like to end up in a popular club called Bar Rouge but I have even better option for you. For an unmissable view of the Shanghai skyline at sunset (and the best pictures ever), the Vue Bar at Hyatt on the Bund is the place you want to be. A magnificent bar on the 32nd floor equipped with a hot tube on the terrace is chic and fun. Just don’t forget to take your chick swimwear! 🙂 And it’s not expensive! Entrance fee is 100 Yen and it includes one welcome drink from the menu (which can be even the glass of Champaign)! Get there at 6 pm when they open to get the best seat in the house (people are usually coming later in the night) and enjoy beautiful sunset view with a champaign cocktail in your hand. Cool house beats will be the backdrop to your sundowner drink. Btw. Ladies, Thursday is your night. For the price of 100 Yen you will get two drinks and dim sum as well! 

Yu Garden and tea house

Yu or Yuyuan Garden (means Garden of Happiness) is an extensive Chinese Garden located beside the City God Temple in the Old City of Shanghai. It’s a most known traditional sight of the city and ‘must see’ tourist attraction. Also the oasis peace in the middle of busy Shanghai. It abuts the Yuyuan Tourist Mart, the Huxinting Teahouse and the You Garden Bazaar. All this area of Old City looks like it doesn’t belong to the rest of very modern and ambitious Shanghai. You can find here lot of shops with traditional Chinese craft or food. When I showed an interest in a performed process of tea selection, I somehow ended up following one Chinese lady to the teahouse on the rooftop with a beautiful view. Me and my colleague were the only two people drinking our tea there. It was very refreshing escape from busy downside. Btw., Chinese green teas are those of best quality in the world with the longest tradition. 

French District

The area in Shanghai covered by the French Concession during The Second World War has nowadays specific and ultra cool vibes. Something what you wouldn’t expect in Chinese city! It’s not that well known by international tourists yet what is kind of mystery for me because this French looking area is very cool. Actually, it’s very interesting mix of French and Chinese design. Foreign architecture, cool coffeeshops and bars together with crazy Chinese souvenirs, traditional decoration and a smell of dumplings, noodles and hot dogs on sticks (very Chinese top street snack) make extraordinary combination with irresistible atmosphere. If you ever are in Shanghai and want to visit this place, don’t ask about French District or French Concession, nobody will get what are you looking for. Ask for Tian Zi Fang. These are three magic words which can take you to a completely different world as soon as you say them loud inside a taxi. This is how the Chinese know it. The area is spreading just in front of the exit 1 at Dapuqiao metro station (line no. 9).

Kommune Café

If you need a break from noodles and dumplings come to Kommune for avocado on sour dough toast and detox juices. This bustling brunch spot in the heart of Tian Zi Fang is something special. Outrageously sized coffee mugs and bright psychedelic wall prints will make you feel like you’re attending the Mad Hatter’s tea party. 

Natural History Museum

If you have some extra time, be sure to visit the Natural History Museum in Jing’an Park – one of the world’s largest of its kind, full of moving dinosaurs, skeletons and stuffed animals. You will learn a lot about the origin of our planet and its inhabitants. The most fantastic museum I’ve ever seen! 

Chinese Venice 

Another great reason to pick Shanghai as your next destination is this beautiful Venice of China, located only 2 and half hours of driving from Shanghai. You need to save a day for this trip but it’s definitely worth it. I wrote about it in detail in my post under the title ‘Zhouzhuang – Chinese Venice’. Check it out. 

In China like a celebrity

Whenever I’m in China, I feel like a celebrity. Random people in the streets stop me and ask me to take picture with them like I was somebody famous! One guy I met in Tian Zi Fang explained me that Chinese love foreigners because they don’t see them very often in their country. And even though Chinese people usually barely speak English, so we have to communicate through translator apps in our mobiles, they always try to exchange the contact and make new friendships. Problem is, that social media we usually use for communication like WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger are blocked in China and in return we don’t know their hi-tech apps. It takes time to start to like Chinese. They look like they don’t have a taste and style (but they are obsessed with European brands) or proper manners and they do these horrible sounds on the board of plane but they’re very friendly, easy-going and humble people! 

 

Chengdu is the capital of the Chinese province of S’chuan with population of 15 million people, where they love pandas, hide the world’s largest sitting Buddha in the mountains, adore Europeans, and don’t eat dogs, seriously!

Kung Fu Panda

I visited Chengdu for the first time about a year ago, when I requested this flight, mainly because of pandas. Among stewards, this destination is popular for two things – wild nightlife and especially pandas! Just around Chengdu there are several nature reserves with pandas, which are visited by tourists from all over the world. And if you think that the Chinese do not behave very nicely to animals, this is not true when it comes to pandas. The most lazy animals in the world enjoy a very comfortable life in China as it belongs to them. A year ago I visited with two of my colleagues the largest reserve in the city – Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, which is located outside the city in a huge forest park. Admission is not high, it costs only 58 RMB and the gate of the reservation opens every day from 7:30 am. Pandas run freely in the woods and the only things that separates them from people are purely natural obstacles. It is generally recommended to visit pandas early in the morning, shortly after their feeding time (which is between eight and nine), when they are still alive. Pandas spend most of the day being lazy and have not in love when it’s too hot outside. Keep in mind, however, that even the early morning hours will not prevent a lot of tourists from visiting this place. In particular, do not make the mistake we did when we came here on April 29, 2017 (Saturday), when not only was the weekend, but also a public holiday in China. The Chinese like to go to parks on weekends and free days. Just as the blogs I studied before my visit predicted, late April and early May are not the most appropriate. The pandas ignored the huge interest of the visitors, mostly hidden, and if any were outside, we had to push to them through the crowds. The reserve, however, is a beautiful oasis in the midst of nature. There is a beautiful lake, many forest paths and even a few museums and galleries. Many Chinese come here to enjoy a picnic, suck in fresh air and escape the hustle and bustle of the city. If you have an extra $ 200 in your pocket, you can book a few minutes with a baby panda that you can feed or hold in your arms… Due to a quite high price there are not long queues.

 

Chinese tourists

In front of me there is another layover in Chengdu, this time up to 48 hours, and my plan is clear: Visit the largest sitting Buddha in the world, sitting in the Leshan Forest, about 1.5 hours drive from Chengdu. It is easy to get to Leshan thanks to a high-speed train from Chengdu, but we (me and my Ukrainian colleague Anna) prefer to choose Marco’s guiding services and decide for his $ 80 per person tour, which includes a traditional Chinese lunch and entrance to a nightclub with unlimited alcoholic drinks. It is worth it and it’s also much more comfortable. Marco is a Chinese guide whose whatsapp number is saved in the phone of each cabin crew member who has ever been to Chengdu. Marco once worked as a steward, later cooperated with several clubs in Chengdu and today probably has the best profession in China – doing a tourist guide. The Chinese are very eager to travel around the world and take pictures; Europe, Egypt, Morocco and Jordan are especially popular, but also because of the language barrier they do not like traveling alone. They usually travel in smaller or larger organized groups and Marco is the one who speaks English, knows where to go and does  a personal photographer for his customers. And if he doesn’t accompany four young girls around the Greek islands, he takes the cabin crew from Etihad or Qatar Airways to the Leshan Buddha… or to nightclubs…

Leshan

First, I enjoy pretty rich breakfast, which we have as a cabin crew at the JinJiang Hotel free of charge (by the way, one of the most beautiful and best hotels we spend layover in, plasma TV  is also in the bathroom right above the bathtub). And around ten in the morning we are already sitting in Marco’s car and heading to Leshan. It’s Monday, an ordinary working day, so there should be no queues in front of the Buddha. No need to go too early in the morning. On weekends, however, prepare for three-hour long lines! Marco says goodbye to us for a few hours before we enter the forest park. While he will be waiting for us in the car, we are climbing up the stairs deeper into the woods. Suddenly a huge Buddha head appears in front of us. This is the place where usually during the weekends endless lines are formed. For the safety reasons, not too many people are allowed to enter the steep and narrow stairs down Buddha’s right shoulder at once. This time, however, the turnstiles at Buddha’s head are empty, and even the weather is getting better and better!

Giant Buddha

Gigantic Leshan Buddha is a real giant. People who walk down the stairs on his shoulder look like Liliputans. In his sitting position he is 71 meters tall, carved directly into the rocks and has been sitting there for 1400 years! Supposedly he was built to protect fishing boats and boats floating on the river under his feet. Under his feet is also an altar where Buddhists light candles and incense sticks, and from his left side the path continues back up into the forest. It leads through a small cave in its bowels. Although the Buddha is the most important and most fantastic attraction of the place, the park also houses many other statues of Great Buddhas, museums, pagodas, Buddhist temples and natural schools for future monks. When the rays of the sun cut through the dense trees and hit the stone paths, I feel a bit like in an old Chinese fairy-tale. In the park is easy to feel strong positive vibrations…

We don’t eat dogs

After a beautiful two-and-a-half hour walk in the park, we get back to Marco waiting for us in the car. We are also a bit driven by hunger. Marco takes us to a very pleasant neighborhood (near Art Senses Hotel and Place on Tiexiang TempleRoad) in Chengdu to a restaurant where a traditional Chinese lunch is served. I have a little respect for the Chinese cuisine, but Marco will cool us down immediately: “I hope you don’t believe we eat dogs here! Especially in Sichuan Province, dogs have never been eaten. In some other provinces of China, dogs may be eaten till nowadays. But not in Chengdu! Never!” As is usual in China, they start to bring all the dishes at once – traditional egg-tomato soup, seafood on a stick dipped in soy sauce, salad with spicy dressing, chicken in orange sauce (this is very delicate), very hot ginger soup (I suppose it must work very well as a medicine for a flu or hangover) and also sweet corn buns. I try from everything and I really like everything I try…

Street Jinli

After a rich later lunch, we are taken to the gates of Jinli alley, one of the most beautiful part of Chengdu. It is a traditional old Chinese alley where many red lanterns light up every night, where various concerts take place, and restaurants have sitting outside to soak up the atmosphere. The stands sell various traditional handicrafts such as Chinese silk, Buddhist bracelets, embroidered handbags and more. It’s really hard to resist. Thanks to all the food stalls around, you can recognize various and tempting smell in the air, but avoid the place where tofu is fried – it smells like fried socks! I also consider the special cleaning of ears which seems to be a special Chinese thing. The ear-cleaners walk with their tools from table to table and many guests have their ears cleaned while eating! But in any case, Jinli Street has a wonderful atmosphere…

Night life

I kind of suspected that the Chinese were obsessed with the Western world as I observed them on my numerous flights to China. There is always a small hurricane around the trolley with duty free on board. Many Chinese passengers hurry to get cheaper branded products, especially those made in Europe. “Made in China” – they  push the goods away, “Made in Germany, France or Italy” and they purchases per kilos. It’s quite funny. We prefer to buy way cheaper Chinese faked versions, while Chinese go for originals. And the following experience will just confirm my opinion! What is exotic is very warmly welcomed in China. And exotic for them is anyone who does not have the typical Asian features. Club managers fight for foreign visitors by competing in offers. If you don’t get paid for visiting their club, they will offer you at least an unlimited number of drinks throughout the evening! My colleague Anna is a similar introvert as me, we are not very much into this kind of fun, but we have never been to a Chinese club and have one – two drinks for free sounds tempting. Marco pick us up at our hotel at 11 pm and drive us to Mr. Nine Club, located in a former old factory. But what is ahead of us inside will take our breath away. They don’t even have such clubs in Dubai! (I haven’t been to Ibiza, so I don’t dare to say.) High technology, light & dance show, huge plasma screens and many platforms for various performers. Best of all, there is no dress code in Chinese clubs. And since nobody forces me to wear mini dress and high heels, but sneakers, jeans and a shirt are enough, I can release and have more fun. (Yes, the endless bottle of vodka also played a role in this.) Soon, Ana and I are the most popular girls in the club, not just among guy but also girls. However, we are able to communicate only via google translator apps on mobile! But still, we are having a great time…

 

How do you picture country of China? Overpopulated, dirty, smelly and full of fake bags and electronics? Then you have no idea what surprises this huge country is hiding from us. Just a short drive from modern Shanghai (about 1.5 hours by bus) there is a traditional Chinese village (UNESCO World Heritage Site) called by its visitors no else than Chinese Venice…

 

Chinese Venice

It’s seven o’clock in the morning. In the hotel lobby in Shanghai I am waiting for my Egyptian colleague Salma. Instead of sightseeing around the city, we decided to get up early and leave Shanghai for the Venice of the East. A village that lays on canals, like Venice in Italy, is the pride of China and a favorite destination of Chinese speaking tourists, but it’s still a very little-known destination for the Western world. The village came to the attention of the wider world after the Chinese artist Chen Yifei exhibited his paintings of his homeland in a gallery in New York. People started asking about the name and location of the picturesque place that the painter used to like to paint. And so the world learned about Zhouzhuang…

Chinese adventure

At the hotel reception, we have the address in Chinese characters on the hotel business card written. Although Shanghai is a modern city where many foreign immigrants live, English among taxi drivers is not very common. There are several ways to get to Zhouzhuang from Shanghai. One way is the special public bus line that leaves from the Long Distance Bus Station, the other is a 30-minute express train to Suzhou and a taxi to Zhouzhuang, but the most convenient is a tourist bus from the Tour Bus Center. Tickets can be ordered in advance online or purchased on the spot, buses to Zhouzhuang leave approximately every hour. The ticket price is 150 Chinese Yuan (20 Euros) and includes a return trip and an admission to the village. The entry to the protected center is not for free. The normal price is 100 Yuan – basic admission + 40 Yuan for sightseeing canal cruises. You have about five hours for exploring the village (depends on traffic), then the same bus will pick you up back to Shanghai… Our adventurous journey to Venice of the East can begin!

Lost in translation

Why adventurous? Because in China one can easily get lost. No one speaks English, especially taxi drivers don’t, most of the signs are in Chinese letters only, half of ATMs and card readers do not accept some of foreign cards, wifi is inaccessible, and if you happen to connect somewhere, the internet is for most applications we use blocked, and Uber doesn’t even exist here. Without cash, internet and language, you can get lost very easily. Therefore, I recommend to plan such trips in advance, download offline maps, have all important addresses written in Chinese characters on paper, and carry some local cash. Credit cards won’t help you very much here. In China, there is a popular application similar to “our” Whatsapp. In addition to communication, it is also used to scan codes and the Chinese use it as an electronic wallet. Highly developed hi-tech system – no one needs to carry anything besides the phone. But this is not true for us non-Chinese. So, good luck on the go…

Revolution in the bus

Buying a ticket at the station goes without any issue. Miss behind the window speaks English and their machine accepts our credit cards. We rather save our cash for cases of greater need. The bus is full of Chinese tourists, except one elderly blonde in front, the two of us are the only Western people. Zhouzhuang is a very popular destination among Chinese and Mongolians, summer and weekend days in the streets are said to be crowded. Although it is the weekend, we rely on the cold month of November, hoping it will keep many tourists away from the visit. Our driver and guide in one speaks only Chinese. When he speaks to a microphone, his speech sounds more like a revolutionary speech of a leader in a national rebellion than a speech of a tourist guide. This is probably due to the strong accent of Mandarin. When the Chinese talk to each other, it always sounds like they are screaming at each other. After about an hour and a half of drive (we also had a short pee-pee break), the driver park the bus at the main car park in Zhouzhuang. Again, the revolutionary speech in Chinese, and then one short sentence to the three Westerners: “THREE – HERE! THREE – HERE!” One his hand is showing three fingers, other one is pointing to the bus stop. We understand that we need to be back at three o’clock at the same place. Whether we understand it correctly, we will find out later…

Taste of China

I’m surprised that the village is much larger than I imagined. Its ancient center is a world heritage sight, full of many narrow streets, canals and bridges and is much more picturesque than I saw in the photos. The magic of reality is perhaps best captured on the paintings of Chen Yifei. Entrance to the house where he use to paint and live is included in the price of admission to the village, as well as entry to other houses of the richest lords. Today, their magnificent villas, hiding behind the unobtrusive walls, serve as museums. Wooden boats float on the canals, and on their banks are traditional Chinese houses standing, nowadays turning into shops with traditional Chinese crafts, products and souvenirs. River pearls, which are said to be picked in these locations, are for sale, too. But it is also a place with traditional Chinese delicacies – different kinds of teas, nougat, dim-sum dumplings, dried river worms and shrimps… We only avoid the stalls with fried tofu, which smells far and wide like fried sweaty socks. But the river worms taste surprisingly quite well. Everywhere they let us taste some sample of their food and so our stomach are quite full soon. My favorite are crackers with sesame seeds and homemade nougat. I’m shocked that in some restaurants are turtles in exposed aquariums not for decoration but dinner table. We almost buy traditional embroidered slippers with dragon motives, but we don’t have enough cash or the special Chinese app. In many museums we learn how the bricks, tiles, traditional Chinese wine or ceramics were made. I have to admit that by now I didn’t know much about the Chinese culture, but it is as fascinating as other ancient cultures of the world…

And yet we almost got lost…

About five hours later, exactly at 3 pm we are waiting at the bus stop for our bus. Luckily, it comes, picks us up and safely takes us back to Shanghai. Due to traffic jam before entering the city, the way back takes twice as much as going to Zhouzhuang. Then we loose some time in taxi taking us from the station to the hotel. We show to driver a business card of the hotel where the address is written in Mandarin and he seems to understand. However, after about 30 minutes of drive, I see a lighted roof of our hotel disappearing behind other buildings a few blocks to the left. We begin to shout at the taxi driver behind the separating barrier, furiously pointing to our hotel and asking him to turn the car. Luckily, he understands and turns to the right road, even stopping a taximeter till we reach the right address… China is full of surprises…

 

PS: If you have some extra time, be sure to visit the Natural History Museum in Jing’an Park in Shanghai – one of the world’s largest of its kind, full of dinosaurs (some even move and make sounds), skeletons, and stuffed animals. You will learn a lot about the origin of our planet and its inhabitants. The most fantastic museum I’ve ever seen! The Washington national can’t beat this one!

In the middle of Beijing, the capital of China, there are the remains of an independent city, which for its reputation no one call differently but “Forbidden”. And since the forbidden places are tempting, I know exactly where I want to go in Beijing despite the heat outside…

To the Forbidden city I go together with my two colleagues by taxi. We get off near an incredibly large square full of red flags – Tiananmen Square, where all the People’s Republic of China state ceremonies are held for a large audience. It reminds me a bit Moscow with its spaciousness, waving red and large portraits of famous leaders. Despite the dizzying heat and lack of shadows, too many Chinese tourists roam around the square. They warned us that these cities could be overcrowded, and even the early morning wake-up call did not help.

In the Forbidden City

The majestic Gate of Divine Might leads from the square to the Forbidden City. Suddenly, a huge 72-hectare complex of 980 ancient richly decorated palaces and houses spread out in front of us. Forbidden City for hundreds of years (1420 – 1912) served as the seat of emperors, from the ruling Ming Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty. The city gained its name thanks to the inexorable rules that prevailed here. Whoever entered the walls could never go out again. Above all, the complex was a huge home to the thousands of concubines that the Emperor had collected for his pleasure. Some girls came here for a career voluntarily, but many of them were taken away from their families as little girls because of their beauty. Most of them the Emperor had never seen in his entire life, but some enjoyed great popularity and significant influence. No wonder there was huge competition and many intrigues between the girls. In addition, there was not even single proper man among all the women (except the Emperor) in entire place. Men were forbidden to enter, and those who took care of the household, protect and served concubines, had to be exclusive eunuchs… I can’t help myself but the Emperor who needs to be surrounded by thousands of beautiful women without all of them needed, and at the same time not allow any other man to enter the city, he had to suffer from a complex of little…  self-confidence… 🙂

Not in nor out

The Forbidden City had to be a truly impressive place according to the reconstruction plans and although today it is not so much left, it still evokes respect in people. The houses were once surrounded by majestic gardens, nowadays there is only a bunch of empty stone areas full of Chinese visitors. We need at least an hour to get from the north main gate to the south. As we cross the whole complex and find ourselves on the other side, we see the richly decorated turrets of the Buddha Temple up in the hills ahead of us. Despite fatigue and sweat, we still decide to climb up there to see Beijing and the Forbidden City from above. Then there is only an easy task to find a taxi that will take us back to the hotel. Most taxi drivers around the southern gate of the Forbidden City do not speak English, so they rather ignore every non-Chinese tourists. On the other hand, there are some non-working Chinese, who stand near their private cars and see the promise of side earnings in desperate Western people so they offer us to drive us to the hotel for 200 yuan. We have no choice than to trust a Chinese man who seems to understand our language the best… And then we just have to pray that he does not sell us to the Chinese mafia… 🙂

In Slovakia we say: as on New Year’s Day, so all year round! That’s why we all celebrate New Year’s Eve so wild, in order to celebrate all year round. But I’m going to spend New Year’s Eve, unfortunately, on the board of aircraft, and New Year’s Day, hopefully on the Great Wall of China, one of the modern seven wonders of the world. Does it mean, that 2017 will be a year of miracles and fulfilled dreams? I’m sure I will still be flying and traveling a lot… and dreaming, as well. Because, according to the Chinese calendar, the Year of Rooster promises good times, especially for those who have worked hard on their dreams…

 

Happy New Year!

Year 2016 ends for us shortly after landing in the capital of China. We arrived to Beijing by transit flight from Nagoya, Japan. We have to collect used passengers blankets, but there are still a few passengers on board who continue flying with another set of crew to Abu Dhabi. Our Cabin manager takes the handset and starts to count down: 5, 4, 3, 2 … 1… But it doesn’t move our passengers at all! No reaction, no ovations, screams, kisses, nor wishes for the New Year. Only silence. The majority of travelers are Chinese, and those, in about a month will celebrate their own, Chinese New Year of the Rooster. Maybe they didn’t even understand our announcement, usually they barely speak English. We complete our duties, hand over the flight to the crew who come to replace us and in a short while we are already sitting in the bus on the way to the hotel. As soon as we check-in, we take off our uniforms and we meet in the hotel bar for a New Year’s drinks. We talk fun stories from our travels and laugh a lot, but still, that’s probably the most silent New Year’s Eve celebration I’ve ever experienced…

As on New Year’s Day…

After short four hours of sleep, I get up. I’m sure that lot of people back home will sleep till late afternoon after a crazy night, but in front of me, there is a trip to the Great Wall of China, one of the seven wonders of the world, which I have been looking forward to for a long time. However, no one from my crew wants to join me, instead they are trying to convince me no to go. The whole city is immersed in heavy fog and smog. And my crew is sure I will not enjoy my trip, because of fog I will not see anything. However, I have heard about temperature inversion: when the fog falls down on the city, it is usually sunny up in the mountains. I risk it, New Year’s resolutions need to be completed and one of mine is to thick off the Great Wall from my Bucket list. I rent a taxi driver for a couple hours. He takes me to the Chinese Wall and will wait for me in the parking lot until I enjoy the Wall and decide to go back. It would be cheaper if I shared the car with three or four other people, but still, it wasn’t such a terrible bat for a solo traveler like me. It’s definitely worth the Wall…

Up by cable car

Approximately one hour of drive from the city of smog the weather gets better. Fog disappears and sunlight show up. The more you climb, the stronger the sun shines, the more fresh air you get. The driver drops me off at the parking lot in front of the entrance to cable car. You have two ways how to get to the Chinese Great Wall – either by challenging hike up the hill, or by a cable car. I go for the second, easier option. At least I will have more time to enjoy the Great Wall itself.

The Majestic Wall

When I reach the top, I have to unzip my warm jacket. It is beautiful outside. And there is a fantastic view in front of me! This place is just amazing! I love heights and hills! The Great Wall of China is an old fortification system generally built across the historical northern borders of China. It was being built during the Ming Dynasty from the end of the 15th century to the beginning of the 17th century. Its purpose was to protect China from Mongol invasions, nowadays it is the national symbol of the country. The Wall reaches an incredible length of 6700 km, extending from Hushan in Liaoning to Jiayuguan in Gansu. It is about 7 meters wide at the heel and reaches a height of 6 to 10 meters. Inside the wall there are connecting corridors and storage areas. Every few hundred meters, the wall is reinforced by towers that served as observation spots. Although the wall is listed in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage documents, in spite of all protection, it is falling apart in some places and is being dismantled for construction material. Only a few smaller sections are accessible to tourists. The section from Beijing is the most popular and most visited. Usually it is difficult to make a shot without the heads of other tourists. However, I am lucky at this time of the year. At some sections, I am totally alone enjoying the feeling that the Wall is here just for me. The Great Wall of China is said to be beautiful and interesting in every season. To me, the contrast of the clear sky, the misty valley, and naked trees is perhaps even greater than the greens in summer… I’m so happy that I didn’t let my colleagues to discourage me to visit this place and was following my intuition. Beautiful New Year, my friends!

I’m still tired after traveling around Sri Lanka, so I fall asleep right after arriving to the vibrant Chinese city of Shanghai. Although the opportunity to join the crew for shopping and buy some exact copy of Chanel bag is tempting, I stay in bed. The Shanghai “fake” markets are well known for their sophisticated copies of top brands. Later I am grateful for my laziness. I don’t want to support the unfair Chinese market. While some Chinese are bathing in gold, others have been hunching over handbags for days since childhood and stitching the bags for a few peanuts. Later I join our pilots and CM (Cabin Manager) for dinner.

Lost in translation

We divide into two taxis and get to the subway station, from where we can get to the city center by metro. Since the station is connected to markets and has multiple entrances, we get lost very soon. Too bad, in the second group there was a captain who wanted to take us to some nice place. So myself, CM Andrea from Romania and one copilot decide to go to the center on our own. As soon as we leave the subway, we find ourselves on one busy, lighted street full of designer shops and thousands of people. Neither of us has any idea where we should go to eat. We wander in the crowds when Andrea suddenly sees the shaved head of our tall captain: “There they are, I see them!” Would you believe that? Finding someone in this overcrowded city is like finding a needle in a haystack. However, if you want something really hard, destiny will help you. On the other hand, the big American body among the small Asians is not so inconspicuous.

The Bund

A moment later, the captain leads us down the aisles near the promenade called The Bund to one well-known Chinese restaurant. Unfortunately, I do not remember the name or address, but it is located next to a famous jazz bar. I personally do not trust Chinese cuisine and I am not soy sauces fan, which they add everywhere, but the Dim Sum, national dish must be tried. These are stuffed dumplings, which, by their taste, are similar to Slovak cuisine. After dinner, we will take a walk along the river, where we have a beautiful view of the illuminated coastline and the Shanghai Tower. While the pilots continue to the bar for a drink, Andrea and myself return to the hotel. However, Shanghai lives all night and I cannot miss one of the many massage salons nearby the hotel which are open till late night hours. Chinese are well known for their acupuncture, and people say they do excellent massages, as well. And, it’s true! One of the best massages ever! The guy who massaged me for two hours for less than 100 dirhams (25 euros) fixed my back pretty well!

Disneyland

Although we have almost all day ahead before departure the next day, I feel too tired to see the city. I repeat the massage, wander around the area to the Disneyland Gate and return to the hotel to relax. I guess Shanghai has lot of to offer, but I will have to do more exploring next time…