Traveling Like a Tourist
Beijing Travelog #6
Sat 28 Nov 2009, 6am - downtown Beijing, China
Yes, I'm up early. I have been up since 4am, actually, after conking out last night around 6pm. Jet lag. Hawk had to go out to the Jade Market without me. I'm not sure what she bought-- jade or otherwise. She told me when she came home, and I promptly fell back asleep.
We have a full day of sightseeing on tap for today. We've signed up for a bus tour to Ming's Tomb, the Great Wall, and a bunch of other (small) stuff.
Visiting these sites on a bus tour was a difficult decision for us. When we travel we hate being stereotypical tourists. And nothing screams Stereotypical Tourist! louder than a bus tour. Going around town on a bus tour is like walking around elementary school with a "Kick me" sign on one's back.
But avoiding bus tours is more than just a matter of image; it's about the substance. We've been much happier exploring foreign cities on foot, armed with a subway map and our own wits. Getting around on our own has given us a better sense of discovery, a more authentic experience, and much more control over where we go -- esp. steering away from the obvious tourist traps to some lesser known, but better, places -- and how long we stay.
Sometimes, though, a bus tour is so much more practical. Public transit is much too slow for getting out to the countryside, driving ourselves is out of the question, and a private driver is too expensive. ...And I did try to negotiate with a taxi driver to drive us around all day. The best rate I could get was several times the cost of two seats on the bus tour. I tried to get help from the hotel's bellman but he could not get us a better rate than what I could get by speaking pidgin English and pantomiming. Probably he's being paid off by the tour operators. So, onto the tourist-mobile we go later this morning.
Let's just hope there's no "Kick me" sign (or the Chinese language equivalent of it) on the back of the bus.
Sat 28 Nov 2009, 6am - downtown Beijing, China
Yes, I'm up early. I have been up since 4am, actually, after conking out last night around 6pm. Jet lag. Hawk had to go out to the Jade Market without me. I'm not sure what she bought-- jade or otherwise. She told me when she came home, and I promptly fell back asleep.
We have a full day of sightseeing on tap for today. We've signed up for a bus tour to Ming's Tomb, the Great Wall, and a bunch of other (small) stuff.
Visiting these sites on a bus tour was a difficult decision for us. When we travel we hate being stereotypical tourists. And nothing screams Stereotypical Tourist! louder than a bus tour. Going around town on a bus tour is like walking around elementary school with a "Kick me" sign on one's back.
But avoiding bus tours is more than just a matter of image; it's about the substance. We've been much happier exploring foreign cities on foot, armed with a subway map and our own wits. Getting around on our own has given us a better sense of discovery, a more authentic experience, and much more control over where we go -- esp. steering away from the obvious tourist traps to some lesser known, but better, places -- and how long we stay.
Sometimes, though, a bus tour is so much more practical. Public transit is much too slow for getting out to the countryside, driving ourselves is out of the question, and a private driver is too expensive. ...And I did try to negotiate with a taxi driver to drive us around all day. The best rate I could get was several times the cost of two seats on the bus tour. I tried to get help from the hotel's bellman but he could not get us a better rate than what I could get by speaking pidgin English and pantomiming. Probably he's being paid off by the tour operators. So, onto the tourist-mobile we go later this morning.
Let's just hope there's no "Kick me" sign (or the Chinese language equivalent of it) on the back of the bus.