Wednesday, April 16, 2008
All that Travel - 10:50 PM
When you travel alone, you need to be almost forceful with yourself, or you'll end up on the hotel office chair, fingers tapping endlessly away on the computer, chitchatting with your friends about one thing or another...something like what you would do if you were at home. In fact, it is EXACTLY like what you would do if you were at home. Hence, it is pretty surprising that I got dressed and left the hotel at about umm, 11am the first day in Beijing.As I travel more, I have come to find myself increasingly ill suited for the activity people like to call holiday. Travel, yes. The whole on-holiday-have-to-do-as-much-as-possible thing, no. And I know this because I travel. And because of this trait of mine, you may want to think twice before asking me to holiday with you. So what sort of traveler am I?
I am exactly what the map-wielding, knapsack-carrying (some even wear them in front!), light-packing folks tut tut against. Unabashed (basically cos I insist I'm fabulous), I will tell you that while on vacation, I carry fancy bags that are big enough, pack full size toiletries and makeup which occupies 3 bags which means almost half of my suitcase constitutes of toiletries, bring 3 jackets and 10 pairs of earrings for 7 days, be damned to put clothes in zip lock bags, don't bother to squeeze socks and underwear into the little pockets of space left in the suitcase, refuse to consult a map in public, choosing to take my time to find my way.
After all, I'm not lost... I'm exploring a new city! In fact, I don't mind not visiting that many places at one time if it means I am doing something else I enjoy. I like to wake up automatically and go out as and when, I don't need to see the Statue of Liberty or wait an hour in line just to eat at the Serendipity cafe. I am perfectly fine walking past the Flat Iron Building for the 10th time and eating at the friendly neighborhood Afghan restaurant.
So I guess that makes me an annoying traveler (with somewhat big of an ego) who packs her whole house along with her. Well, yeah thats kind of true, and Beijing took it to a new level with personal non disposable chopsticks - because mom warned against bleach in wooden chopsticks that I abhor. Plus you get to choose you own chopsticks and buy an accompanying case in the wonder aisles of Daiso!; paper fan - because I've been to India and Dubai in the peak of summer and thus believe you should carry a fan NO MATTER WHAT unless its snowing outside; wet towels (and also hand sanitizer if you can) - because once again, India taught me to prepare against the odds. Throw in sunglasses, iPod, tissue paper (a ROLL if you are India), an umbrella - once again, its a necessity unless you want to purchase $2 yellow-duckling-lookalike-ponchos from foreign 7-11s; trusty map acquired from hotel concierge - just DON'T unfold it and hold it against the sunlight when you're out. Who knows who's watching!- you are kinda good to go.
And then I realize I'm also no good for a city such as Beijing. Fast and furious, I get dazed by what's going on. Looking out from a cab, every thing's going fast except the traffic. Stepping into one of those 7-storey shopping markets, I blink and want to go home and lie in the comfortable hotel bed- where to start? what to get? why does everything look so...undesirable? 1000 stalls and then what? I head to the foodcourt first to calm my nerves, and then reluctantly bring myself back to the first floor after a bowl of la-mian.
4 pairs of socks and 4 cushion covers later, I am done. So disappointing!!! I've heard many good things about this 'assortment of shoes, bags, clothes, silk-items' place... I thought, I thought...oh well, I didn't think much actually. So like a usual practice to traveling to relatively cheaper Asian cities, I locate a nail parlor and hey, when all else fails, a manicure and a foot massage is always good.
In Beijing, I think a lot. I think about this ancient city with brand new beginnings. The new malls with their spick and span restrooms that puts me to ease, scores of shops selling Olympic memorabilia (I am proud to announce that I am SMITTEN with fuwa!), gleaming hotels - Sheraton, Shangri-la, JW Marriott, Hyatt you name it... I am eager to see the continued modernization of Beijing. But then my cabbie drives past the vast Tiananmen, where Chairman Mao's portrait hangs, the Square big enough to hold 1 million of his most trusted friends, which relays the promises to all Chinese people. I am in awe and touched at the same time. Just north of the Tiananmen Square lies the Forbidden City, where the emperors lived just up to slightly less than a century ago.
Wow, ladies and gentlemen, this is it. I've officially arrived in Beijing.
Labels: Travels