Cincinnati Goes to China

Guest Blogger: Carla Walker, Sister Cities International Board Member and Chief of Staff for the Mayor of Cincinnati

On November 6, a delegation of forty travelers from Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, embarked on "The Gardener's Emissary Trip to China." Organized by the Cincinnati Park Board and sponsored by Cincinnati Magazine, the trip highlight is the visit to Liuzhou, China -- one of seven Cincinnati, Ohio Sister Cities. Led by Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory, the delegation is scheduled to participate in ceremonies opening the Friendship Park in Liuzhou (a joint project by the Park Departments of Cincinnati and Liuzhou) and celebrate 20 years of a Sister City relations.

First stop -- Beijing!
I thrive in a city atmosphere and was ready to take in everything while in Beijing. Unfortunately, my intake was limited due to extreme jet lag combined with absolute exhaustion from working 7 days a week for the last month.

We arrived Friday evening at Beijing Capital International Airport Terminal 3 -- built for the 2008 Olympics. I was met by one of my best friends who lives here with her family. She had arranged a dinner party for me to meet some of her friends.

I'm not that swift in the kitchen so I watched as Annie, the cook, prepared an egg dish, chicken with cashews and the most amazing green beans I've ever tasted. I dined with neighbors from Tanzania, Germany, and even some Ohioans (Cincinnati and Toledo). I shared news about Cincinnati, our Sister City network and talked about the election. I learned how they met, where they had traveled and their suggestions of best places to eat. It was the perfect ending to my first evening.

That is until I learned my friend (who is a spa fanatic like myself) scheduled a late evening spa appointment for me at Bodhi Sense. A pedicure, back massage and ninety minutes later...then it was the perfect ending to my first evening.

Day 2 - Beijing
Today was really cold and grey -- or I thought it was grey. I couldn't tell if it was overcast or if what I was seeing was the infamous pollution that is a constant companion in the story of Beijing. What ever it was, it didn't stop us or anyone else.

There are more than 17 million residents here with more than 2 million cars. Under a new policy, cars are allowed on roads on different days depending on the last digit of their license.

After running errands, we explored a market. Stepping through the doorway, I was hit with shoes, socks, purses, belts, silk nightshirts, pashminas, hats, paintings, jewelry....anything you want, it's there. I'm a shopper. It's what I do. However, the hundreds of back-to-back mini-stalls with merchandise oozing from every corner was dizzying even to me. These markets are everywhere and if you can bargain, you can have a lot of fun.

We ate at Old Beijing -- one of the places discussed last night where there are only locals. Next to us were five older gentlemen and a woman. They spoke no English but we managed to communicate and toast each other a few times. They graciously showed me another way to hold my chopsticks.

Temple of Heaven was our next stop. The temple, completely made of wood, has had some major renovation and touch ups on a few occasions. What an active and vibrant place. There were groups and crowds gathered in different areas. Some sang the national anthem. Some offered their version of opera. Some played cards or hackeysac. Some were having tea and a snack. All I could do was walk around in absolute awe and soak up the energy of that ancient, ornate, brightly colored beautiful structure.

Coming Next: The Great Wall and Shanghai