Finishing up the Weekend

Sunday. Chaoyang Park. Yep, Sunday came around, and I was looking to get outside again and enjoy the free time. I figured ‘Ok, I’ll check out the other park’. The roommates were off doing their own thing again. No big deal. Seriously, I don’t mind it. I’m a lone wolf. On the prowl. Howling at the moon. Alright, I’m not howling at the moon, but the rest is true. Some parks will cost you an insignificant amount of money to get in. Chaoyang is one of those. They charge you 5 rmb. This park is massive. It’s on a much larger scale than Tuanjiehu and covers much more ground. The opening alone has these huge arch type things at the entrance. It’s quite a spectacle.

I got in, took some pictures of the large map on a board (they don’t’ give you any personal maps like America), and asked an attendant which entrance I came in through. There are several, so I figured I’d find out in the beginning to avoid trying to figure it out later. I’m learning. When you’re as bad with directions as I can be, it’s important to follow steps like these. As said previously though, I am getting better. My living situation has forced directional sense upon me. Slowly, but surely. Back to the park, though. I started walking around and found myself in the midst of a decent sized amusement park. Blimy. Not what I was looking for. I knew the park was big though and figured there had to be more to it than just rides, games, and things of the like. It was almost like a big boardwalk type scene or a really big fair.  I payed money, and I just got there. I was ready to bail at that point, but stuck it out. No harm in looking, right? What else was I going to do for the day? Wander the streets? Maybe, I do enjoy wandering sometimes. It’s enjoyable and you never know what you’re going to come across. But I was here and willing to see what the other attractions were. Ideally, you’d want a bicycle or a longboard or something with wheels in this place. It’s just so big. You can rent these bicycles there that (from what I saw anyways - maybe more) have up to 8 sets of peddles. Pretty cool, except for the fact that I would have been riding solo. You can also find these awesome little car type vehicles. They only fit 2 people though, maybe you could squeeze 3, and they’re really not that fast. They’re faster than walking, but not that much faster. I don’t mind the walking. I don’t think I’ve mentioned this before, but I walk a lot over here in Beijing. It’s a 40 minute walk home just from my afternoon school. I could take a couple different buses, but I’m not too familiar with them for one, and secondly I’m not sure which bus to transfer from after the first. I know the supposed number, but I never see that number listed on any of the signs that I pass. Point is, I’m not too worried about it or I would have gotten to the bottom of the great bus mystery by now. Besides the walking I do in the afternoons, I walk all over during most of my ventures as well. I might take some sort of transportation to the destination via subway or bus, but once I get there I’m doing tons of walking from there on out. I should take a before and after picture of my legs/calves because I have a feeling they’re going to explode. I’m going to have tree trunks in no time. Haha, maybe not. Regardless, there’s nothing wrong with a little walking. Look at Jared Fogle from Subway.

We got a little off track there, huh? Yes, walking around Chaoyang Park. There are actually some cool things to see in the park, and there are signs all over pointing you which way to find what you want. Definitely helpful for a guy like me. There’s a cherry blossom valley or something like that. I really want to see some nice cherry blossoms in bloom in the spring, so I’ll have to go back to this park for that purpose alone. There’s an art section that contains a lot of cool sculptures. You can see the volleyball court that was used for the 2008 Olympics, as well as a sculpture dedicated to those Olympics. I didn’t see the court, but I saw the sculpture(s). I saw this massive building referred to as the Wedding Hall, I believe. It can’t be easy to get your wedding in there, at least without money. It’s gated and guarded by 2 giant lions. I’ll post pictures of this park on facebook/flickr soon. (Click on the photo on the right hand side of this blog to access my photos on flickr.) The coolest thing I saw at Chaoyang Park was this cool little building called the ‘Sino Thai Friendship Pavilion.’ It marks the 30^th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Thailand in 2005. (I read parts of this photography book by Scott Kelby, recommended by my Dad. Glad I did because he suggested that you take pictures of signs so that you know the names of these kind s of places when looking back on them later.) It’s built in the traditional Thai style with a bunch of pillars and a decent sized bell in the middle. Really cool. You wouldn’t think that an old building would be the highlight of a day trip, but I love traditional architecture. It’s very eye-catching and it’s historic. Who knows how long that kind of stuff will be around? Besides, it’s not every day you get to see that kind of stuff.

That's the summary of Chaoyang Park. It was pretty cool, but I didn’t like it as much as Tuanjiehu Park. I prefer the peace and quiet of a more mellow, traditional park. There are still plenty of people, but it’s just a different experience. Anyways, both parks are fairly close so I decided to walk over to Tuanjiehu Park again. Why not, right? I actually really want to catch a sunset there, and had planned on doing it this day. I spent about two and a half hours or so at Chaoyang Park, and it was only 3:00 PM or so. I was prepared for the park this time. I had a shoulder pack with some strawberry crackers and water. These crackers are incredible. Take 2 Ritz crackers, remove the salt, throw some strawberry icing in there, and there you have it. Only 2.5 rmb for a package of these little babies. What is wrong with you America? Why don’t these exist back in the states? If they do, I’ve never seen them, and that’s a crying shame because they’re amazing. I also had with me; a Sudoku book (Thanks to Kaitlyn), my camera  with a backup battery and memory card (I told you I wouldn’t make the same mistake twice), and my little gorillapod. It’s a tripod with super adjustable legs. I’ll give credit to Josh for suggesting I buy this. I got some cool photos, hung out in a spot by the lake, and worked on a few Sudoku puzzles. These 3 old ladies got a kick out of watching me set up my camera and tripod, then rush back to be sure I was in the picture. I used a self-timer. I’ll admit; it was probably amusing to watch. I laughed at myself and snuck a picture of those old ladies just for the story of the whole event. I was going to stick around for the sunset, but some clouds took over and it got a little colder. This was my cue to leave, and I followed it promptly. There will be many other nights. I think I mentioned that both these parks are pretty close. Just a few bus stops away, and I’ll be sure to visit them again. Good weekend.

-Jeff Boyardee. I’ve cooked a few meals so I’ve dubbed myself with that name. I’m not very good, but I enjoy cooking. It’s relaxing, and I’ll get better with practice.

OH! Almost forgot! I got an email from one of the company's assistants saying that they're working on finding the crazy roommate a new apartment. Thank you! Made my day.