28 April 2011

"...if it makes you happy, then why the hell are you so sad?"

That's right, people. I'm quoting a Sheryl Crow song.

I'm in a post-mini vacation, post-tour guide slump. A little more than 24 hours ago, my parents left this fair city to return home to NJ. On the first day of my parents' vacation, our three friends returned home to the US after their Beijing vacation. For 18 straight days we have been up, down and all around this place, showing off what we love most about it. And now it's just me and that sad feeling like it's Sunday night and I've not done Monday's homework. If being with friends and family makes me so happy, then why am I so sad?

Here's a few pictures until I have more time to post a proper, upbeat blog about our three week adventure:









08 April 2011

Beijing Huan Ying Ni!

Our first set of friends is arriving in around 48 Beijing hours, so I have compiled a list of things our guests can look out for during their first visit to China. Let's call the list "The Charm of the City" because without these little peccadilloes, Beijing might just be another old city. OK. Another old city, minus the thousands of years of history. The great food. The cultural icons. The impromptu street performances. The shopping. The old men doing early morning tai chi... .

Should we assign points for items spotted from the list?

Before I start listing, I've written a little poem to inspire you (although it's not a haiku).

This isn't meant to discourage,
Be brave! Be spontaneous! Be Beijing!
And then you'll find your courage.

In no particular order:

1) The "3 S's" - Staring, Spitting, Squatting. Not mutually exclusive. I'll break it down for you:

Staring - You are a foreigner in Beijing. Expect the Westerners to go out of their way to ignore you, and some of the locals to get a good long look at you. You can try staring back, but then that just gets awkward. If you are lucky, the staring will lead to requests to have your photo taken with the stare-er. Popular spots for these pictures are usually around Tian'anmen Square and the Forbidden City. Don't forget to smile!

Spitting - This morning experience is the perfect example. A heard a loud and long huck-cough-sputter behind me, just to turn around to see one of the elderly, 90-lb women who lives in my building let a big wad-o-spit-and-whatever-else loose onto the sidewalk. Then with in her modest voice, she exchanged morning pleasantries with me. You might find you want to try public spitting while you're here. Go ahead, work up some saliva and give a good paaah-tooey out the side of your mouth. It's gross, it's unavoidable, but sometimes it's liberating. Just try to aim away from others when projecting your phlegm.

Squatting - The ladies have it more difficult than the men folk around here as far as public toilets are concerned. Have you been working out your thigh muscles? Just like any other international city across the world, Beijing has its fair share of squatting toilets. I know of no other country than the US that does not have a similar system. I do love spotting Western toilets although, because generally the doors are labeled "For the Weak Only." So my advice for the proud and strong is to carry around extra packs of pocket-sized tissues and hand sanitizer.

2) This is a nice segue to a discussion about the the plumbing system in Beijing. Don't flush TP down the toilets. Never. Ever. Don't do it. Anywhere. Not in your hotel WC. Not in the restaurant bathrooms. Not in the public restrooms on the street. And especially not in my powder rooms. No one wants the responsibility of cleaning up the results of a clogged Beijing toilet. Also, sidebar, you will be happy to know Z and I have solved the mystery of the unpleasant odors emanating from our drainage system. Everything's as fresh as a daisy now.

3) The crowds, the crowds, the crowds! I'll leave you with that tease, and let you come to understand for yourself how 22 million people can fit into one city.

4) When crossing the street bear in mind that all persons and vehicles simultaneously have the right of way. This includes, but is not limited to pedestrians, bicyclists, taxi drivers, official government and public safety vehicles, old men with carts of sticks piled 10 feet high, the average everyday driver with a brandy-new license and an eagerness to drive, those on the road without licenses, that guy over there with the steel drum of hot sweet potatoes...So, how did the chicken cross the road? First, he looked left, right, then left again, then right again. He checked the traffic light, he inched his way to the middle of the road dodging bikes and beeps looking left and right again. Then, he spotted the old Beijing lady with the cart full of fresh groceries, kept his eye on her the whole time, and gunned it as soon as she stepped off the curb.

5) You can leave your sleep number bed at home. Sturdy, back building, hard mattresses are where it's at in BJ. That doesn't mean that the sheets won't be comfy-cozy, or that you'll even have a bad night's rest.
Just remember the first time you plop down to take it a bit easy.

6) I am doing my best to ask for Beijing's cooperation with the weather and the pollution. If only I knew how to fax a "Please Stop" memo to the drivers of the nearly 12,000 new cars on the road every day. If we ask very nicely maybe the factories will shut down for a week or two. Instead let's just think sunshine and lollipops until you arrive.

What? Were you expecting a "Top Ten List?"

06 April 2011

Surprise, Surprise!

Here's the good news...

With a new travel visa in hand, I can stay in Beijing without having to leave the country every 30 days. What a relief. Everyone, let's take a deep sigh together. Aaaahhhhhhh...

Our early March trip to Hong Kong for Z's participation in a Fulbright sponsored conference, was overshadowed by the stress and costs of having to obtain a new travel visa for me. We eventually got things settled (remember us having to swear an affidavit that Z and I are married when we got back to Beijing?), and I received my new visa just last week. I try not to calculate in my head all the different ways we could be spending the money it cost us to obtain the new visa. I haven't been in the mood for writing until now mainly because I've been nervous about all the red-tape and bureaucracy that comes with travel living in another country sometimes. Through the end of July when my visa expires, I can continue on my path of Beijing life. You might be thinking, "What happens at the end of July?""Are you returning to the States, will you stay in Beijing?" All good questions. We don't know yet. That's a post for another day.

For now, let's get back to the Beijing path of life. I have been looking forward to spring in Beijing, ever since the fireworks promised it was coming. With the heat turned off on March 15, the warm weather couldn't get here fast enough. Hong Kong was a little reprieve for us from the harsh winter weather of Beijing. But Hong Kong was also a bit of a tease; tempting us with its tropical foliage, its sunshine, its alfresco ease of an evening drink with friends. So what, the Hong Kong subways don't smell like hot stale breath? So what, the streets are perfumed by sweet fragrance and the skyline is blue? So what, the strawberries are in season and ripe for the eating? So what, there is haven of Western goods (if you've got the cash to spend), and a Marks and Spencer around every corner? So, what?









Colonialism is bad. Colonialism is bad. Down with imperialism. Oh, for the sweet smell of paradise. The palm trees. The simplicity of grocery shopping. The sandwiches. The hop-skip-jump of the metro system. Colonialism is bad...I'm sure one day we'll be back to Hong Kong. It is beautiful. There was lots on Hong Kong's islands we did not have the chance to explore. I still want to see the Big Buddha and the pink dolphins, and I still want to eat more dim sum lunches. Perhaps when HK is handed back over to China in 2014 we can visit without the hassles of return visas. 2014 is a mere three years away. As the mainland influences more of the culture and policy of HK citizens, perhaps also, more people will learn to speak Mandarin over Cantonese and I will be able to understand more around me. I thought I would never be able to understand the difference between the two languages, but I could hear it right away in the tones, clicks and drawn-out vowels I don't hear when listening to others speak Mandarin. 

The second half of that trip we were in Macau, the other special administrative region of China. I relaxed a bit more and took a lot of pictures of the Portuguese influence on Macanese life. There's no elaborate subway system in Macau, you have to get around on foot, by cab or bus. Besides the stretch of flashy casinos and lights, built for risk-taking tourists and Macau's main economic source, things seem a little more at ease and cozy on the island. The architecture, for the most part, does not topple over the city the way it does in Hong Kong. All around we were washed in the pastel colored Portuguese colonial homes, juxtaposed against Chinese door gods and incense offerings. The hybrid of English/Cantonese/Mandarin/Portuguese makes for interesting cuisine, sightseeing, and strolling. I don't know that we would have chosen to go to Macau on our own accord, but I am glad we had the opportunity to visit, and I'd recommend it to anyone who happens to be nearby.






















And like that, it's April. This month promises to be extraordinary. It's six days in and Spring has finally arrived! I am looking forward to the many visitors we have to receive in the coming weeks. We've already started out the tourist season right, with a planned visit by my uncle, and a surprise visit by my aunt! Uncle M travels to Asia for business frequently, and he made a special stop on his tour this time around to see us. But the top prize for long-distance travel goes to my aunt. The night M arrived, Z and I met him at his hotel, and we all kicked back in the lobby lounge area for a drink before we headed out for dinner. Instead of the seeing waitress, imagine my shock when my aunt strolled over carrying the tray of drinks.  It was a great start to an unexpected week of learning more about Beijing and one another. Our first visitors of the 2011 brought the sunshine and a promise for a spectacular spring. I got lots of practice speaking Mandarin in the markets, and learned how to introduce my father's younger sister and her husband as my gugu and gufu!





sunshine...

...and happiness

sweet milk tea, bullfrog, pig ear and thousand year egg was on the menu that day

our new friends with Aunt K and Uncle M 

lao beijing


if you come for a visit, be prepared to have your picture snapped in front of the lobby Christmas tree 
surprises all around!

1,000 Words




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