Good Times!

I am finally sitting down to get in some great blogging. It is now Monday morning in Beijing, and I’ve had my weekend of fun living the fabulous lifestyle of Darah and Marshall. As much as I can say that it was part of the strategic plan to arrive on Friday morning, it just sort of worked out perfectly! Darah just got a job working full time and Marshall is currently in business school here so I was able to get acquainted with the city while they were on their weekend break. Beijing is an interesting place. And while I know I haven’t seen it all, I feel like I got a pretty good glimpse of the many classes of people that live here. We’ve had dinners that range from regular western prices to dinner last night at a local restaurant in an alley where our billed totaled US $3 (and that was because we order a Sprite with our meal and over-ordered! It is a city of large buildings where the high-rise lifestyle is the norm for most residents. Darah and Marshall live in a 20 story building that is one of the nicest in the area that they live in. Let’s just say that every morning there is a Bentley waiting out front picking a resident up for the day. It is in a neighborhood that surrounds itself with 2 of the largest universities in Beijing and although there are many students in the area, there are few living in their building. They are on the 16th floor in a corner apartment where the views are amazing. They are on the northwest side of the enormous city and my room looks out over Tsinghua University (where Marshall goes) and out toward the mountains where the Great Wall lies. It is too far to see the Great Wall but it is neat to have a bedroom full of windows looking out onto the city and mountains surrounding. Not many people speak English in the part of town where I am staying. Although most of the signage, restaurant menus and even ATMs are also in English, many of the people do not speak the language. I find it intriguing but also difficult to communicate. I wish I knew even a few phrases that would be helpful for the week. So far, I have only learned how to say hello, thank you, how much, and don’t want. In another part of the city, where most westerners live, the local eateries, bars and clubs cater to them. You’ll see the nice American style dinners for the same prices (maybe a little less) and the local night clubs charging the same prices for drinks. On Friday night, a club was re-opening and we Darah and Marshall know one of the partners in the nightclub. We got into the club no problem. I was definitely one of the few blondes there until we headed to the VIP area where I was in the majority and the Chinese were the minority. I told Darah that I didn’t feel at all like I was in Beijing. She pointed out that the reason you didn’t see many Chinese in the VIP was because the drinks were priced so high, that many Chinese can’t justify spending that much when you can go to other clubs/bars in other areas of Beijing and drink all night for $5 total. It made sense. I am sure we’ll be visiting one of those places before I go.
The food here is amazing. Every meal I’ve eaten has been wonderful. And I haven’t gotten sick once. This morning I am eating an American breakfast at the café connected to the building I am staying at. It is nice and convenient and very tasty. I’ve also been enjoying my Thai Iced Tea. Here, they call is Iced Milk Tea. FUN! After Darah and I hiked the Great Wall and took the awesome toboggan ride back down the village, we hit the dried fruit stands for some samples and then bought some dried kiwi. It was so cool! Last night Darah and I went to this hole in the wall Chinese place and ordered water dumplings. This menu was NOT in English and we ended up stuffing our faces with the 50 dumplings Darah ordered (even thought she tried to only order 25). They were amazing! On my first night here, Marshall took to me this place called Noodle Bar. It was tucked away and surrounded by art galleries to the left and right. The food reminded me of Pho. We each had a bowl of noodle soup with beef broth. The noodles are actually made right in front of you and then you have sauces you can mix into your broth to create your own taste for the broth. In terms of the drinks, beer is very popular here. I’ve also indulged on a few lychee martinis when we’ve gone out. My best drink experience was having a beer with Darah on the Great Wall. There are local vendors at random spots of the Great Wall selling snacks and such. Darah and I each sipped our warm beer and enjoyed the view from one of the wonders of the world. The club scene here, well, the westerner club scene is pretty much the same. The music is either hip hop or house, both very good. Lots of people dance with a different flare to it. I like it. I’ve also had the opportunity to meet some of Darah and Marshall’s friends that live here. They are so very nice, well cultured, intelligent, and know how to have fun!
The people in Beijing are also very friendly. My favorite manner of respect is when someone hands you the bill, or their business card, or something… they hand it to you with both hands while looking at you in the eyes while leaning forward and slightly bowing. It is a very nice sign of respect that I would like to take back to the states and implement myself. J Then there are certain mannerisms the Chinese lack, but just make the culture that much more interesting, and entertaining. When you get off of an elevator or subway, those getting in don’t wait for anyone to get off before they charge ahead. So you charge too. It’s not rude here to do that, or fight for a seat on the subway, you just do it. And there really isn’t a thing called personal space here. There are just so many people everywhere that they are used to being shoulder to shoulder. There are lots of street vendors everywhere, selling all sorts of things, from jewelry, to pineapples on a stick, to illegally copies DVDs, illegally printed best-selling books, fruit, etc. Everything is negotiable and it’s an art! It you don’t negotiate, it’s an insult to the vendor. I am sure I’ll have lots of great shopping experiences to share later this week! Our relaxing Sunday ended at Oriental Taipan where I got a 90 minute head, neck, shoulder and foot massage for $20. I was in heaven and am sure I’ll be heading back before I head to Cambodia. It was a nice treat after hiking the Great Wall the day before. Also, I have kankles right now. Oh yes, my ankles are so swollen and won’t go down. I think it’s from the long flight, but who knows. It was a nice treat and way to end the great weekend!

Today I am going to take a taxi (which are very inexpensive btw) to Darah’s work. I’ll take a tour of Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City along with the Confucius Temple. Funny Story. I just paid for my amazing American Breakfast but couldn’t explain to the Chinese waitress that I was ready to pay. She had to get 4 more waitresses before one of them understood my English somewhat that I was ready to pay my bill. I am laughing out loud right now at this experience. This is the kind of experience I wanted to have. And I am totally getting it! I LOVE IT! And now I know that mai dan means “check please”!