Once again we had an early wake up call, and we dragged ourselves downstairs to eat some breakfast in the hotel restaurant. This time we had a little more variety of foods both eastern and western, and after a fairly small meal we checked out of the hotel and went outside to throw our bags on the bus. We were the first people out there and while we waited for the others we listened with the driver to what sounded like a Chinese radio drama. I wish I could have understood what was going on, but from the sound effects alone we were in suspense. The driver saw us engrossed in the drama and gave us a silly grin.
First stop for us was the “final” shopping stop of the trip, and it was a building with signs on the outside declaring it the “Hehe Cultural Center”. Kuniko and I laughed at the name, as “hehe” sounds exactly like the noise you might make while screwing over a bunch of tourists. Inside they set us up inside a classroom and tried to get us to buy colored pearls. After ten minutes of pearls they let us loose in a big shop with plenty of cheesy souvenirs. One boy that was part of our group accidentally broke a small glass statue of an animal, and of course they were all over mom and dad making sure they paid “full price” for it. I felt bad for the kid, who despite his young age seemed to fully appreciate what had happened.
Once Shin got us all out of the shop we were off to Tienanmen Square for some sightseeing. Only in terms of scale the sights were spectacular, and when you factor in all the culture and history that goes along with it the square was very impressive. We walked with thousands of other people through the gigantic square. Vendors were everywhere selling various goods and offering to take your picture (for a small fee), and it would have been very easy to get lost in all the people. Shin expertly guided us to the highlights and explained some of the history behind the square, and then led us under a subway tunnel and into the Forbidden Palace.
The palace was actually a series of gates, and each time we walked through a gate we were presented with a large courtyard. The courtyard got bigger and more impressive with each successive gate. It took nearly two hours to walk through all the gates and courtyards, and the temperature was just getting hotter and hotter. The deeper inside the palace the more dramatic the entries, and it was really worth the long walk in the heat to see what lay around the next corner. Deep inside the palace we found the royal gardens, and if there hadn’t have been thousands of people milling around in there it might have been relaxing.
Eventually we finished the palace, and then walked a short ways to our bus, and the final bus ride to the airport. Shin took a moment to try to sell us some photo books – his assistant had been photographing each of the members of our group throughout the trip, and they wanted about 800 yen for three or four pictures of us in various famous places. The pictures of us weren’t that great, however, and just the principle of the whole thing had us refusing to buy them. The assistant took the pictures back without even looking at us. Sorry!
Finally, as we neared the airport Shin gave us a very nice farewell speech. He thanked all of us for traveling with him, and he hoped that we really enjoyed our stay. It was a really nice thing to say, and I think it softened a lot of hearts on the bus. But Shin wasn’t finished, and as soon as we finished our applause for his speech he was trying to sell us more photobooks from Tienanmen Square. Maybe he knows his business and the hard sell works for him, but I couldn’t help but wonder if he was a lot nicer and less money-oriented early on he might have had more sales overall. Who knows?
As the bus neared the airport Shin make a short speech saying that his assistant is studying Japanese at school and needed money for books and tuition, and asked for any help we could give them. So it was at the end that they were reduced to outright begging for cash. Ick.
At the airport we grabbed our stuff and checked in at the counter, and then Shin said goodbye to each group personally. He didn’t really even make eye contact with us, just pointed us in the direction of the departure gate. We didn’t mind – while he may not have enjoyed our company I imagine our tour would have been much less entertaining without him around.
Once we left Shin we could explore the airport a little more. Of all the places to eat at Beijing airport we decided to eat at Burger King – another chain that hasn’t made it to Kansai yet. We bumped into other members of our group now and then, and everyone said good luck and farewell. There was a real sense of camaraderie among us, and that kind of surprised me – something I didn’t expect in a package tour.
It was just two hours back to Osaka, and then we rode the bus back to Kobe from there. We were glad to be back in Japan, but it was like we hadn’t really left – the trip was so short and action-packed.
So from the descriptions on this blog you might get the idea that we didn’t enjoy the trip, or that it was a constant battle against hard-sell tactics, but in fact we had a great time. The whole point of the trip was to get a taste of China, and to try out a tour package. I think if/when we go back we can certainly handle it on our own, and hopefully we’ll be back soon (within a year if my visa is to be used again). We saw an incredible amount of interesting things for an amazingly small amount of money, and so keeping that in mind made it far more easy to overlook the occasional greed and pressure tactics. Next time, though, it is on our own.
