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Knowing that our six month long trip was about to end, that after Beijing one would return home, that there would be no more map meetings in the morning and long distances to cover every day, our bodies entered a process of relaxation. We suddenly began to feel tired and our lack of energy was more than evident when we walked around Beijing instead of taking our bikes. We only managed to have half a day of sightseeing, partly due to the dreary weather and the humidity, our tight interviewing schedule and the mere fact that we had done lots of sightseeing the last couple of months in China. The Temple of Heaven in Beijing was heavily crowded, and its spirituality was lost amidst the commotion created by the visitors.
BLOG ENTRY AROUND BEIJING, CHINA KM 11366
We spent most of our days in Beijing dealing with numerous interviews for both local and Greek media - tv and newspapers. Mr. Athanasiadis, the Greek Embassy’s Press Attache took the initiative and organized meetings with reporters for us two as well as for the entire group. During those interviews we tried to stress the importance of our trip: the symbolic connection between the birthplace of the Olympic Games with the current holder, Beijing, the symbolic route that followed the ancient silk road and its important hub cities, the promotion of the Olympic ideals, peace and cross-cultural communication and of course the physical effort that brought us here. Unfortunately, journalists most often stress aspects that are more shocking or attractive to the general public and disregard what you have been trying to emphasize. We didn't ask to become famous or to advertise our "achievements." For us this trip has been exactly the opposite: a trip that everyone can accomplish - with or without a bicycle - a trip whereby a dream becomes reality; in our case, a universal sharing of experiences and emotions. We love it, and we will keep on living it...
Knowing that our six month long trip was about to end, that after Beijing one would return home, that there would be no more map meetings in the morning and long distances to cover every day, our bodies entered a process of relaxation. We suddenly began to feel tired and our lack of energy was more than evident when we walked around Beijing instead of taking our bikes. We only managed to have half a day of sightseeing, partly due to the dreary weather and the humidity, our tight interviewing schedule and the mere fact that we had done lots of sightseeing the last couple of months in China. The Temple of Heaven in Beijing was heavily crowded, and its spirituality was lost amidst the commotion created by the visitors.
Through a family friend we met Bao, a sweet 32 year old girl, and her uncle, who extended us a great welcoming and hospitality during our stay in Beijing. We tasted some exquisite cuisine at their wonderful lakeside garden restaurant. Sadly, we weren't able to spend more time with her since she was quite busy at work. We felt at home with her even though we had just met her, and pretty soon we had made friends with all the staff that worked there. Bao was always ready to help us even when we didn't need anything. Amazing person...
To us it seems that Bao, as well as many other Chinese, work endlessly. This appears to be the norm in China. "We went to sleep and when we woke up the next morning we would notice that large areas in the center of Beijing had been planted with trees and flowers," comments Bao. China is amazingly well organized and efficient. People's freedom and choices are more limited than what we have been used to in the West. Nevertheless, things get done...
We spent almost an entire day cycling around Hutongs in Beijing - the narrow alleyways with the traditional-style houses - where we met a family who owned a mini market. Time flew by as we were invited to eat dumplings, fruit and sweets with them, learn some origami techniques shown by a young boy, and make an attempt at Chinese calligraphy. We still marvel at the kindness and open-handedness that people show us even though we have been treated with such since the beginning of our trip.
We decided to ride our 45kg bicycles to the airport. We met a friendly cyclist on the way, and he accompanied us to the airport, which is not far from his home. We spent many hours dealing with the law abiding, inflexible Chinese airport employees. At first, they wanted us to disassemble and pack our bikes - even though the airline company had agreed to transport them without packaging. Once we were past this obstacle and had placed them in plastic covering we couldn't pass them through the airport x-ray scanner - for oversize items - and the staff and officers were at a loss. They were certainly not prepared to handle bicycles at the airport. After several hours of negotiations we were on the plane to Doha, Qatar and, after a long stop, to Athens. It's astonishing how fast one can cross a desert... how one can cover in one day the same distance we covered in almost six months. At the same time, we realize how much you miss - seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, feeling - when you fly overland or even when you are confined to a modern transportation medium.
Tags: Beijing China Olympic Games Temple of Heaven Hutongs
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