This Week's Fast Five Goes to China!

 I've been seeing and reading a lot about China lately, and I thought I'd share some interesting stuff that I've learned.

1.     Tiananmen Square, Beijing, China.   In my generation, this was one of the most notorious locations in the world.  Circa, May 1989, protests; mostly students, became a daily event in the square.  Most sources agree that the protests started with the death of Hu Yaobang, a progressive Chinese Communist Party General Secretary.  Over the course of a few weeks, things festered, coming to a head on or about June, 4th.  The government deployed troops to the square where many people protesting died.  The numbers were never verified.  Hundreds to thousands of people died starting on that date.

Fortunately, things have both changed and remained the same in Beijing, and although it's still monitored by guards today, the square is open to the public and is still the largest public square in the world.  You should make a reservation to enter and bring your passport for security.  Viator and other tour companies can help you arrange a visit.  

While there you can visit the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall and Monument to People's Heroes, and Quianmen Gate.  It's also adjacent to the Forbidden City.  You can reach the square easily by subway and there is no charge to enter the square itself.  Other attractions on site may charge an entry fee.  You should always have reservations for attractions in this area.

If in Beijing, which is more and more uncommon all the time, but still possible if you're adventurous, this is a historic site not to be missed.

https://www.viator.com/Beijing-attractions/Tiananmen-Square-Tiananmen-Guangchang/d321-a164

https://www.getyourguide.com/tiananmen-square-l4269/viewing-points-tc238/

https://wildgreatwall.com/make-reservation-tiananmen-square/

https://www.tripadvisor.com/AttractionProductReview-g294212-d28018660-Tiananmen_Square_Entry_Reservation-Beijing.html

https://www.history.com/topics/asian-history/tiananmen-square

2.    The Temple of Heaven, Beijing, China.   This is another great historic site in the city.  Not far from the Forbidden City, this is a Taoist Temple that was originally designed to use to be thankful for a successful harvest.  Sacrifices were done at the site for the God of Heaven, although not anymore.  Visitors can visit the grounds, but need a reservation and a ticket ranging from $4 to $7 to enter the building.

Once again, this site can be visited easily by subway and is open during daytime hours.  It's beautiful, ancient, and a great place to take photos.  So, once again, if in Beijing; add this stop to your itinerary.

https://www.chinahighlights.com/beijing/attraction/temple-of-heaven.htm

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/china/beijing/temple-of-heaven-park-and-dongcheng-south/attractions/temple-of-heaven-park/a/poi-sig/1106060/1333765

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g294212-d311534-Reviews-Temple_of_Heaven-Beijing.html

https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/881/

https://www.historyhit.com/locations/temple-of-heaven/

3.    Pipe Street, Hutongs of Beijing, China.  Known as Yandaixie Street, it is a 232 meter Hutong.  A Hutong is a narrow alleyway or street.  That being said, it's a beautiful part of the old town of Beijing.  Historically, there were a lot of tobacco shops and places to smoke and buy pipes on the oldest business street in the capital.  Today, its got great architecture and old world charm.

Today, it's a great place to go shopping.  It's geared for tourists, so you'll find a lot of souvenir type shopping and great local food.  It's a must see if you're in Beijing, and it's a lot of history.  Who knows?  You might even get to buy some tobacco and a pipe.

https://www.chinadiscovery.com/beijing/yandaixie-street.html

https://english.visitbeijing.com.cn/article/47OOqDfLDWN

https://www.viator.com/en-GB/Beijing-attractions/Yandai-Byway/d321-a18694

https://ruqintravel.com/china-destination-guides/yandai-xiejie-street/

https://www.tour-beijing.com/blog/beijing-travel/night-view-of-yandai-byway

4.    What is Alipay and how do I use it?   There's a lot of different ways to pay when traveling, and Alipay is the most popular Chinese way to pay, or tap if you choose.  Alipay is an app and while in China, it's your best way to tap, pay and go.  Your American and most other credit cards won't work in China, and Alipay is way more convenient than cash in today's economy.

There have been rumors about the Chinese stealing your personal information, but I hear that about everything Chinese, and I've never encountered a problem.  Neither has anyone I've ever known who's traveled to China.  Decide for yourself.  If you're that paranoid about it, maybe you shouldn't be traveling in China in the first place.

But, you can download the app while in the country and load it and use it for just about anything.  You can pay for merchandise, subways, trains, food, services like Uber and on and on.  Just a great way to navigate conveniently in China.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.eg.android.AlipayGphone&hl=en_US

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/alipay-simplify-your-life/id333206289

https://www.alipayplus.com/pay-in-the-chinese-mainland

https://wise.com/us/blog/what-is-alipay

https://www.registrationchina.com/articles/how-to-use-alipay-app-to-help-foreigner-visiting-china/

5.    Ride the HSR throughout China.  The HSR is High Speed Rail.  China has one of the most extensive high speed rail networks in the world.  You can go all over the country and it's a big one.  You can buy business class and first class seating or just ride like a normal person.  Also known as bullet trains, they started in Beijing and eventually oozed out all over the country, so the prices start at around $5 for a local trip to Tiananmen Square or so and go up from there.  You can travel across the country for around $200 one way in regular seating on the right train at the right time.

Riding trains is one of my favorite pastimes.  I love the scenery, the experience and the fact that I don't have to drive.  I imagine that driving in China is anything from overly complicated to just plain impossible as a visitor, so riding a bullet train sounds like a great way to get out and move about the country.

https://www.travelchinaguide.com/china-trains/high-speed/?srsltid=AfmBOopyO5Id63z8vfcIkOL53say-PVNjmFPTZ0ONw2bWYn8f_PH-mIc

https://wildchina.com/2023/11/chinas-trains-a-comprehensive-guide/

https://seeingtheworldinsteps.com/2024/09/12/spicy-panda-china-fuxing-high-speed-train-business-class-review-hsr-trains-chinarails/

https://www.newsweek.com/china-high-speed-rail-miracle-1924185

https://www.statista.com/topics/7534/high-speed-rail-in-china/#statisticChapter

There you have it.  Some random, but hopefully helpful information about visiting China.  It's one of the most exotic locations that we as Americans may visit someday, and I find it fascinating.  Always remember, the people of a country are not the politics of their country.  Most people are fabulous and you'll be happy that you took the chance to go to a country that we as Americans are normally warned about.  Travel is education, and education knows no boundaries and should know no fear.  I know people who have traveled in China just a few years ago, and they had an exceedingly memorable trip and made friends that they're still in touch with today.

Remember, you only have one life to live and there's a whole world out there to see.  Travel to learn.  Travel to enjoy the wonder of it all.  Travel for the experience and enjoy! 

Just a Little Blog With a Fast Five! All Kinds of Stuff!

 

Been a long week, but here's a fast five for you!

1.   Ice Skating on the Rideau Canal, Ottawa, Canada.   We talked about renting a LeBoat and cruising this canal previously, but as we all know, Canada gets cold in the winter.  Does that bother the Canadians?  God no.

In Canada, the folks love the cold for the most part and have festivals and activities all winter long.  Ottawa, the capital, is no exception.  This is a vibrant city worth visiting any time of year, but in the winter, you can ice skate all along the canal.  Not only is the view of downtown great, but there are places to rent skates and all kinds of libations and snacks along the way.  It's a great activity, and it's a great bragging point to tell all your friends that you went there and partook in the local festivities in winter.

https://www.cbc.ca/lite/story/1.7444941?feature=random

https://www.uottawa.ca/campus-life/news-all/embrace-skate-everything-you-need-know-about-skating-rideau-canal

https://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/places/rideau-canal-skateway

https://ottawatourism.ca/en/see-and-do/rideau-canal-skateway

https://rideaucanalskateway.com/

2.    The Golden Temple, Amristar, India.   In Punjab, there are beautiful places.  India has beautiful places.  If you happen to be in Amristar, you need to take time to see this.  It's the central religious site of the Sikhs and it's just gorgeous.

India is one of the most exotic places in the world and Punjab sits in the north on the Pakistan border.  This is called the land of kings and it's a great part of India to visit.  It's much less crowded than the cities south of there and the architecture is historic and beautiful.  So, if you decide to see the less traveled roads of India, and you happen to be in the Punjab Province, check out the historic Golden Temple.

https://www.goldentempleamritsar.org/

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Golden-Temple

https://sgpc.net/sri-harmandir-sahib/

https://thenwewalked.com/visiting-golden-temple-amritsar/

https://www.viator.com/Amritsar-attractions/Golden-Temple-Harmandir-Sahib/d22306-a21608

3.   Mizen Head Peninsula, County Cork, Ireland.  Sounds like a mouthful, but Ireland is a great place to experience the outdoors.  The weather can be a bit drab, but County Cork and the shore around it have some amazing places to spend some time outside.

You'll probably walk around 1.5 miles while enjoying this area.  It's a western shore peninsula, which is amazingly scenic with dramatic cliffs and endless views.  There's a lighthouse and a visitor center, a museum and a super cool bridge.  You'll learn a lot, see a lot and get a nice walk in the meantime.  There is an entrance fee at the visitor center and it is a seasonal attraction, so be aware before you go.

If you want to see the rugged west coast of Ireland, don't miss this place.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g551490-d672235-Reviews-Mizen_Head_Visitor_Centre-Goleen_County_Cork.html

https://www.theirishroadtrip.com/mizen-head/

https://www.mizenhead.net/

https://www.discoverireland.ie/cork/mizen-head

https://www.discoveringireland.com/mizen-head-peninsula/

4.    Booking with apps!   This is something that I do regularly.  As most of you know, I like to take public transit.  I don't really care where I am, I like the train, subway, bus, ferry, tram, cable car, funicular and so on.  The great thing is that everyone has an app.

In this day and age, a lot of people worry about booking ahead and which company to book with.  You would have a heart attack if you saw me running around my local area.  I go to the train and use my app as I'm boarding.  I get off the train and head to the ferry and do the same thing.  I book an Amtrak and don't think about it much ahead.  When I'm in a city, I may get a subway and bus card, but I sometimes use an app.  It's amazing to just use Token Transit and get a day pass of a city's local buses.  Everything is so easy.

You may ask if I can do that in another country?  Why yes.  With lots of services offering their services in up to 120 countries around the world, you can easily look up and use the apps on your phone in whatever country you're visiting.  There's less to lose and it's so easy.  You scan or show it to the conductors, terminals or whatever and off you go.  I love it and I use it all the time.  The apps also help you with schedules, delays, track changes, connections and time of travel.  All in one place.

So, don't hesitate.  Use the app.  I always do.  I've never been hacked.  I've never had a problem. It's the best thing I've done, especially in my local travels.

https://www.cttransit.com/fares/token-transit-app-download-ride

https://moovitapp.com/nycnj-121/poi/en

https://www.mta.info/guides/apps

https://transitapp.com/

https://www.amtrak.com/mobile

5.    Two cities for the price of one!   I've been traveling a lot of years, and one of the things that I truly enjoy is when I visit a city and I get a twofer!   Recently, I visited Porto, Portugal and found that it was a twofer!  Villa Nova de Gaia is the city across the river that makes the area complete.  Porto is completely historic and scenic and a great place to visit, but if you really want to check out the sunset, cable cars, Port Wine, and less expensive everything; cross the river to the city affectionately called Gaia.  It's a great way to get two different cities in one spot, and I'm always on the lookout for this situation.

Years ago, I visited Budapest, Hungary.  I had no idea it was Buda and Pest.  There you go.  I learned a lot on that trip and the two cities are very different.  Buda is more traditional, but Pest has some great things to see and do.  Most people who visit don't even know that they're two cities combined until, as happened with me, a tour guide lets us know.

But you don't only see this situation in Europe.  I've enjoyed many a time in Cincinnati, Ohio, where sports reign supreme, while enjoying the arts across the river in Newport on the Levee in Kentucky.   There's even a pedestrian bridge or two that cross the river allowing us all to enjoy it as one.  Great place.

Another great city combo is Istanbul.  This is all one city, but it has a European side and an Asian side.  This is the only major metropolitan area in the world divided by a waterway and straddling two continents.  It's considered one of the most beautiful cities in the world and who wouldn't want to visit that?

And finally, one of my all time favorites is Niagara Falls.  Ontario or New York?  Either.  Most of the famous stuff is on the Canadian side, but there are some once in a lifetime activities and views on the New York side as well.  My advice?  Don't visit without a passport from either side.  You should visit it all when you're there.

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/hungary/budapest  

https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/400/

https://visit.istanbul/

https://portolover.com/sightseeing-attractions.html?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiA-5a9BhCBARIsACwMkJ6_9-ZARi010Ry04rr0VuZzxmYM4YNqls3AR48I3sU7x9LdK-xSMPAaAm0hEALw_wcB

https://www.visitportugal.com/en/destinos/porto-e-norte/73735

https://www.visitcincy.com/

https://www.meetnky.com/cities/newport/

https://www.niagarafallsusa.com/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=branded_local_NYS&utm_content=NFUSA&adara_campaignid=1073598394&adarapixelid=333264&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiA-5a9BhCBARIsACwMkJ6ERcndt5sNKOJXcd6L_Wm4BOqD0afhs_FzrZTRjrAsULz3xHY2FDUaAj56EALw_wcB

https://www.niagarafallslive.com/

There you have it.  A little advice, a little bit of ideas, and some great ways to get around.  Take it all in.  Spring is coming soon, so if you want to skate on the Rideau; get there soon.  It's time to plan, so hopefully this will help.  In the meantime, get some new luggage, book a great trip and enjoy!