Beijing, China: Country like Life, City like Contamination

When you cross the street in Beijing, you have to watch out for cars, specially the black ones, which usually belong to public officials who pay little respect to traffic rules. You also have to be careful with the large number of cyclists who cover the roads and don’t respect the rules either.

Despite the chaotic traffic, I must admit that I was impressed by the city´s planning. The main streets have wide bike lanes, an essential detail that I have only seen in very few cities, for example.

Even though most people from Beijing have a country like lifestyle, the strong contamination and the imminent presence of skyscrapers, modern buildings and numerous construction sites, quickly remind you that you are visiting a large city.

Although you are aware that you are in a city, you are not always sure of where you are. All the street corners look alike, and the signs are only written in Chinese. Under these conditions, Having a map is useless!

If you dare, you can ask someone to give you a hand using the basic Chinese that you learned to survive in this foreign land. However, miscommunications are probable, since the other person probably won’t understand you if you mispronounce a word, or you might not understand what the person responds.

Therefore, the best way to get around is by taxi or metro, so you can go directly to the desired destination. If you prefer to walk, you can also choose to get lost in a city where everything is new and different. Whichever way you choose, you’ll hardly have a bad time. However, before you leave the hotel, I would recommend you to ask someone to use Chinese characters to write down the name of the places you want to visit and the hotel address, so you can show the taxi driver where you want to go. This will prevent you from getting lost with no return home.

Beijing is a city with plenty to offer: from its varied cooking, to its temples and its people. On top of that it is extremely safe for tourists, especially around this time, when the Chinese government is getting everything ready for the 2008 Olympics and they want to give “long noses” (that is, western tourists) a good impression.

After traveling around the city for a week, Beijing, China, continues to be a mystery sprinkled with unique flavors, smiling faces and intense colors.

How to Become Famous: Travel to China

If you have ever dreamt of being famous, and you don’t believe in “reality shows” where people have become famous in a matter of days, I have an alternative for you: go to China.

This idea might sound a little bizarre, but China is a country where everything is possible; a country where you will be eternally surprised.

When I was in Beijing, people would chase me with camera phones as I walked down the street. In the parks, people would approach me saying: “Picture, picture!” Cordially, I would nod my head agreeing to take a picture of them. However, instead of posing so I could take a picture of the group, they would hug me so they could take a picture with me…

I was unable to find out why Chinese people were so eager to take pictures of me. I am not sure if they mistook me for a celebrity, or they were simply curious by the fact I was different. I simply limited myself to smile for their flashes as I enjoyed the spontaneous minutes of glory.

After all, I don’t have the opportunity to be “famous” very often.

In Beijing, Enjoy the Food, No Questions Asked

One night, I went out to eat to a small local restaurant with a college friend who had been living in Beijing for a while. After we failed to read the Menu’s Chinese characters, we tried to use gestures to explain to the waiter what we wanted to eat.

First, we tried to point out at someone else’s dish, so we could order the same. However, we arrived late, and everyone at the restaurant had finished eating. They only had beer bottles on their tables.

Then, we attempted to enter the kitchen to show the waiter what we wanted to eat. But the cook obviously refused to let us in. At that moment my hunger blurred my rational thoughts, but now I wonder: What were they keeping in their kitchens? We’ll never know.

After several minutes of miscommunication, I took out a writing block and a pen from my purse and I started drawing out our order. Although the drawing wasn’t very clear, the waiter nodded to give us the impression she understood what we wanted.

Proud of our creative initiatives and satisfied with our accomplishment, we smiled as we eagerly waited for our food.

Before we could finish the first round of beers, the waiter brought our order. Even though it was not what we wanted, we could not complain in Chinese. So we shrugged our shoulders and digged into the dish. Luckily, it was delicious!

When I was in Beijing, I was never sure of what I ate, however, like this time, I was always pleased to savor new and delicious flavors.

Although I have to admit, I think I enjoyed the food so much because I never asked what I was ingesting. Sometimes it is better not to ask. At the end, “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” Right?

For more information about places where you can go eat in Beijing visit:
http://www.chinats.com/beijing/index_ds.htm

Beijing: Paradise of Culinary Adventure

“Men are conquered through the stomach,” so the saying goes. Men… and me as well.

Well, the truth is that I am not that easy, although I cannot deny I love to try new flavors and I always enjoy a good dish.

For all those who like to savor exotic dishes as much as I do, let me inform you that Beijing is the paradise for culinary adventure.

Whenever you get hungry, you can choose where to go from an unmatchable list of varied restaurants that offer anything from the traditional Chinese cuisine, to French, Italian, Austrian, Vietnamese, Thai, Tibetan, etc. etc. The list just goes one and on.

Surprisingly, quality of food is not sacrificed at the expense of variety. Each one of these restaurants serves delicious options that resemble the original recipes.

The majority of these restaurants are located in “western islands”, which offer menus designed for westerners, and priced accordingly.

However, prices are still affordable, which gives you room to venture in a flavorful food feast, even if you are traveling on a limited budget. On top of that, in China, every dish comes with an interesting story as a side dish. Regardless of whether you like the food or not, the adventure is guaranteed.