I’m not in a writing mood :P. Saturday: Place of past wars first. Wake up, get on subway, get out. I’m there.
Here.
Wander around this Chinese War Museum until I figure out how to get in. Signs say I need ID + I’m not allowed to go in with a bag or anything, get nervous… wateva - go ahead in. No checking of my absent passport and no taking of my bag. Silly signs.
It’s vast. Entrance looks like a shrine for Mao. Big statue of him in the middle with lotsa huge pics around the walls. Go right, confronted with that.
This.
Interesting… Sets the communist tone that dominates the rest of the visit (not that such a tone is a bad thing). Go around a bit in that hallway, check out the swords & muskets, back to entrance and to a different route. More impressive route. Lots and lots of those.
These.
Tanks, aircraft, rockets, anti-air guns. Many here, and many more in the outside of each side of the room. There’s a place to get in and try playing around with the anti-air turrets, but I fail at communicating with the attendant. Think a ticket is needed… Random ppl want to take a picture with me (surprisingly - first time that’s happened to me). Buy some functional souvenirs and back to the hotel to do stuff.
Sunday: Snow? Second weekend in a row that I go to sleep after a dry day of juggling in the sun (and by sun I mean not night since it’s artificially suffocated), and wake up to a winter wasteland.
Before then.
Unbelievable… I prefer consistent snow/not snow weather because it means less wet.
Then.
Going regardless. Back to Zhongguancun. Looking to find interesting things, but ideally a videocam. Subway there as per status quo, and back into the slushdom of streets. Go into the building, ready for the overwhelm.
It. (not my pic, but a telling one)
Onslaught of employees vying to drag me into their stores. Unhealthy dose of addressings, walk along the aisles.
“I love you!”
What!? Not sure if I heard that employee-ess (<-female) properly. wateva. Harnessing my supernatural ability to feign ignorance and brush aside all attempts at getting my attention, walk abruptly into, and out of, several stores. Another employee-ess jumps at me from behind to get a reaction. Hold my cool, pass by the 3rd Sony store, 4th Lenovo store, and 2nd Toshiba store on that floor, then head up to the next of 1000000 floors in the building.
Go to a camera store. Hello is the only word we all know. The rest is Chinese lost to me or English lost to them. Leave unsatisfied. Up and down a few more floors, then out to the streets again. Insane masses of people. Into the next building. All the same stores and stalls. Everything is the same. Sensory overload. Too loud, too many people, too much going on. Been here too long and it’s time to go. Down to the subway and out. Peace in the hotel.
-dough