I woke up around 7am and didn't feel like getting up but I did after 10 minutes or so. I had a shower and packed all my things leaving the backpack and suitcase at the hostel. I got my 100 yuan deposit back and went to the bar to check on the internet before heading out. I got some fruit at the shop, 2 oranges, a couple of what looked like tomatoes an apple and 2 pears all on discount for being a bit past it. I still had the noodles and fried balls from yesterday to eat as well. I went to the subway and bought a one way ticket and went to the Lama Yongshe temple and monastery. It was 25 yuan to get in but it was the only thing on the hostels notice boards I'd not seen and the Ming tombs were rated very low on Tripadvisor's things to do in Beijing. The temple had a reasonable amount of buildings and I looked up details about them on the travelchina webpage I'd saved which had just a little more information than their notice boards. They had a museum section off to the sides which had a bit about the history of the temple and the other side had artefacts. The museum second to last building though had a plaque outside from the Guinness book of records about a statue made from one piece of sandalwood. Strange I thought as I went inside and at first I couldn't see much but when I moved forward and looked up I could see the statue and it was big, 26 metres apparently and very impressive. I came back to the hall later for another look and another photo and a white woman said "no, no photo the monk said". I just shrugged as I'd already taken the photo I wanted otherwise I could have argued with her for following rules without properly questioning or believing in them. They didn't have any no photo signs which some temples do but it didn't matter. I tried to find a pot that was apparently important and valuable in the temple but I don't think it was there any more and so I left. I tried to find a small temple to the east someone had added on maps but I didn't find it so I went west to the Confucian temple and Imperial academy. This was apparently the last or oldest or something surviving in the Country and it had lots of big stone slabs with writing on, steles they call them. There were several written by the Quinlong emperor who seemed to have done almost everything in Beijing. Some of them seemed a bit trivial to have a big stone written about, quelling uprisings and changing the colour of the roof tiles in the temple. The temple had side halls where they covered the life of Confucious and the end hall where he had been consecrated. The imperial academy was where all people could apply and if successful study and if successful work in government office. They had the history of the academy and exam system a long one of 1400 or so years until 1905. There were a few nice buildings and lots of steles with the names and ranks of graduates. I left after that and was going to walk all the way to a park via bookmarks but decided to take the subway there instead. I got some noodles and then headed there arriving around 1.30pm. The park entry was 5 yuan and I ate my noodles while walking through seeing a fountain that wasn't turned on and a lake which I went over. I went to where a stream was but there was construction work and I saw a sign that made me realise this was part of the Olympics. I found the beach volleyball arena but it was closed off and didn't look like there was much legacy to it or the park in general. There was supposed to be a museum building but I couldn't get to it to look so I headed south and there was a funfair with a tall ride and beyond a nice looking fountain area but the fountains were off. I worked out that I should head back then to get to the airport in time and went past the Beijing 2017 book fair and got the train back. I went to Zhushikou station instead of Quinmen and got some food at the 7-11 although they didn't have rice so steamed buns had to do. Back at the hostel I tried to download the Chinese translator I'd seen but it wasn't there. I got my things and left without spending much time and having looked at the tube map decided to go back to Zhushikou station as it was 2 minutes closer, didn't have an underpass and both looked ok to get to Dongsi. I went down the escalator and checked wikitravel again and I needed to get to Dongzhimen not Dongsi and that meant 2 changes now whereas it would have been on line 2 which Quinmen the other station was on. I was running a bit later than I wanted and I was now going to a different station than the ticket I'd bought so maybe that wouldn't work and I'd have to jump the barrier. I made my changes and stood up for the journey but I got there and got out ok. I bought the 25 yuan airport express ticket and got a seat there where I moved things around for the airport security. I'd found the email which said that I was at terminal 2 and we arrived just before 5.30 which was ok. I went up to departures but they only had domestic flights or HK, Macau and Taiwan. I was not happy, was I in the wrong terminal? I looked at the flight board and mine wasn't there so I went to the China southern desk and had to wait excruciatingly for the people in front to do whatever they were doing. The man at the desk spoke English and I was in the right place I had to go to the HK, Macau and Taiwan section where I had to clear a security check before the check in desk. I got checked in and my backpack weighed just 13kg, a massive drop from the 23kg I'd had before. I headed towards the gate and bought an orange juice from a machine as it was 4 yuan only to realise soon after that I still had the proper security to come. I drunk the juice going through passport control and then had a very slow line for security. What was going on we were hardly moving. I took my belt off and the man in front talked to me a bit as I saw some matchboxes left which is something I collect. Perfect I thought and took 3 for my collection and eventually got to put my bag on the belt. Any laptops, powerbanks, etc, etc, umbrellas in your bags they said. Umbrellas, when did that become a security risk, yes I had an umbrella and apparently I needed to take it out and send it through separately. I walked through the scanner which went off and a lady started searching me and I needed to empty my pockets with the matchboxes in which I wasn't allowed. I emptied one as I only wanted the box but that wasn't allowed as it had the striking element so I left them. Then she continued searching thoroughly up and down and I couldn't see my hp bag while this was happening. I went across and the bag was there but it had to go through again with the power banks taken out and then I had to go to another desk with the power banks to be checked. At the desk it wasn't a machine check instead the woman looked at them and one of mine didn't have markings saying its power etc so they wouldn't allow it. I was furious, all of this crap and they were going to take my power bank, nowhere else had anything like this kind of security check it was just ridiculous. I grabbed the power bank and ripped the other one out of her hand and walked off but her colleagues surrounded me. I was still angry and said that China was ridiculous the security was crazy, nowhere else did this etc etc. She brought over a man who's English was worse than hers and I accused hum of just following rules and told them to arrest me. After a bit of nothing I gave up and left the power bank and went on. I went to the toilet and saw a sign there telling me to keep my belongings, a worthy message and in the words of Sidney Youngblood "If only I could". I headed to the gate which wasn't far and they'd started boarding already but I charged my phone for a few minutes and then decided I didn't want my name announced so I went through. We still didn't leave for another 5 minutes as there was a or some real stragglers and then we got to the plane. I had a window seat near the back, a space and someone on the aisle seat which is ok and we taxied around the airport for so long I was wondering if they'd built a bridge to Korea. When we took off I tried to take photos but discovered my battery was dead so I read and ate my food instead and did this blog. Later on we got served food which was nice and I found I still had space for that. We started our descent earlier then I expected do maybe Korea is 1 hour and a half ahead and the flight attendant made me switch my phone off because of China rules. I was fed up of China's rules but at least I was shot of it and we landed at 9.15 China or 10.15 Korean time. I wondered if I had packed my umbrella back as I couldn't remember it. I went through passport ok and checked my suitcase at luggage, no umbrella, great they took my charger and got my umbrella and I was going to gave to go shopping which I don't like. The airport had wifi though so I could finally get all my emails which I went through bit by bit. I got some money out of a really unusual ATM and got a train ticket for 4750 won (about £3) which would get me central. I had an email from the hostel telling me to change for another subway line but I read that they shut at midnight and I'd rather be central if they do shut as it was going to be a close call. I stayed on the train to Seoul station and exited. I wanted a tube map but there wasn't one so I had a choice of line 1 or line 4. Line 1 looked to be going north so I went that way and it was a bit of a walk but I got a train and didn't pass a barrier. I transferred after 1 stop to line 2 and hot to where I needed to be and I emailed the hostel. I headed out but I had no ticket for the barrier and had to jump it. Above ground I didn't know exactly where the hostel was and it was very dark and about 12.30. After a short while I followed the hostel owners instructions for getting there from the bus and found it. I used the code and was inside and took my shoes off. Jo the owner came down and showed me to the room which just had 1 other person but there was no real space for bags so it was just as well it wasn't packed. I did a few things and discovered I did have my umbrella then I went to sleep
0 Comments
|
|