This has been a lazy week, aside from a two-hour trip to Haidian to see where Niall lives and find the nearest Carrefour. Yesterday Niall, Brian and I spent the day at the Marco Polo Bridge and Anti-Japanese War Memorial Hall (photos here). The Marco Polo Bridge, built in 1189, is the oldest stone bridge in Beijing and earned its name because Marco Polo had such high praise for it. The Anti-Japanese War Memorial Hall covers the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945). It's all in Chinese but very well done, plus I rented an audio guide. The Chinese resistance to the Japanese invasion actually began with a clash near the Marco Polo Bridge in July 1937.
Since we didn't travel the way we planned to this week we've treated ourselves to some fine meals, including Korean barbecue and tasty but overpriced Indian food (I'm never paying more than $4 for a meal ever again). I've now used the bus several times, and it isn't so bad. I also bought a swipe card for use on public transit, so I don't have to worry about carrying small bills anymore.
Today I went to the train station to buy tickets to Shanhaiguan -- success! Shanhaiguan is where the Great Wall meets the sea; it's about 315 km away. We leave tomorrow, and hopefully we'll find a train or bus back before classes resume on Monday.
China Fun Fact: Up to 150 million people are traveling this week, with more than 100,000 gathering in Tiananmen Square on Monday. 1.7 million people left Beijing but the same number came in, while Shanghai expected up to 4.2 million tourists. (Source: Sydney Morning Herald)
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