Fragrant Hills Park

Last weekend, my tutor and I went to Fragrant Hills Park, which is about an hour away from campus, in the northwest suburbs of the city. The public transportation system is something that I’m not sure that I will ever be able to get accustomed to, as people get packed on like sardines. We were on a medium-sized line, and Julie said that there was only one bus for the entire line, which I thought was surprising. Given the population of Beijing, I would think that even for a medium-sized line, at least two or three buses would be operating on the same line. I would watch more and more people get on the bus and very few (if any) get off, to the point where there were people next to the bus driver and on the stairs, where the doors could barely close. I kept telling Julie how difficult it was for me to imagine that that would be very comfortable, and she said that she liked the crowded buses, because she felt more like a Beijinger. I know it is another cultural difference that I will have to get to use to, but at the same time, it cannot possibly be very safe to have so many people crammed on one bus. Another thing about the bus system that is different from home is the bus conductor who collects money and announces stops. Occasionally they will even have a booth of their own to monitor the situation. Normally you just put your exact change into a box near the driver; there are no conductors to monitor people paying, just the bus driver.

Once we finally got to the park, we paid 5 RMB to get in (again, another concept that I’m unfamiliar with- paying to get into a park) and it was really lovely. Oh, except I had to pay the full price even after showing my student ID because I was foreign (that is such a frustrating concept- I am still a student!). Once we were in, there were a few temples right in the front, which were pretty. We were going to climb the mountain there, but we decided first to wander around. There was a beautiful temple 1/4th of the way up, along with a picnic area. Julie and her friend had come very well prepared snack-wise, especially when it came to the dried orange peels dipped in honey. After that we started to climb up the mountain, which was dotted with the occasional artist trying to sell their goods, such as caricaturists and fruit carvers. Lots of families were there, grandparents, parents, and children all came out to enjoy the cool but nice day. We made it up to the half-way point, which was level and had a small playground, a snack shop, and benches scattered around to rest. I was really excited that I could understand bits and pieces of conversations around me, such as “Tai hao le”!

Walking back to the bus stop was fun, because Julie and her friend were buying water chestnuts and other nuts on the way back. I could not peel the water chestnut in under than five minutes, and her friend took pity on me, and started giving me the ones that she had already peeled herself! I did not realize how much of a tourist trap this area had become, as the Beijing Botanical Gardens were also nearby. I did find a great deal on Chinese red knots (2 RMB each), which Julie said was a great bargain considering the quality, so I bought a lot as souvenirs for my friends.

I had a great time; the park was so peaceful. I told Julie that our next adventure should be the Beijing Botanical Gardens; the cherry blossom trees were already opening for spring, and once the weather gets warmer, I can’t wait to go! Julie and I have a whole list of things that we will be doing, including going to the Beijing Opera, the Olympic Stadium, and other sites, so hopefully there will be even more interesting posts after this one!