China is the most interesting country that I have ever been to. Okay so I have the time - why not list all the countries I have been to? America, Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom, Ireland, Spain, France, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Hungary, Czech Republic, Greece, Lichtenstein, Monaco, Italy, Sweden, Denmark, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, Russia, Mongolia, Belize, Jamaica, various Caribbean Islands….and something tells me I am forgetting something? Was it necessary to make this list? No - but I was just curious myself to see where exactly I have been.
Okay, back to the point. My feelings were very mixed when I arrived in Beijing from Ulaan Bataar. The sky was extremely hazy from air pollution for two solid days. There were people everywhere. The signs in the street were loud and obnoxious. There are speakers everywhere in the street loudly shouting in Chinese in what I am assuming is an advertisement to come into the store. I had frustrations getting anyone’s attention at the train station and was not able to get the train ticket to X’ian like I wanted to. I was getting bumped into on the metro, harassed by the rickshaw drivers and I had to struggle with chopsticks to eat all my food which took an enormous amount of energy.
But then blue skies appeared on the third day. The poor air went away for a few days and I got to see the city for the beauty that it is. I started to open my eyes to what was going on around me and see that the people are so interesting to watch here. I could sit in any public place for hours and never be bored at all there is to see.
Beijing definitely has an “east meets west” kind of feel. It is the first city I have been to outside of America that reminded me of New York City. There are quite a few tall modern buildings that glow at night and makes my heart ache for Time’s Square. The city really went through an effort to make westerners feel welcome during the Olympics and it shows. Most of the signs involving transport have English underneath them which has been a life saver. The metro is extremely clean and efficient - and will even take you directly to the airport which is a traveler’s dream. Westerners stick out like a sore thumb - no doubt about that. I get stared at quite a bit, especially on the days that I wear dresses and show my legs or arms. Part of me thought about trying to blend in with my clothes, but what is the point really? The fact is, I am not Chinese and will get stares no matter what I wear. My poor blonde friends from Sweden and Norway got the most stares out of us all. I have had Chinese people come up and ask if they could take a picture with me and my friends in it. Sometimes they look at me and laugh and I wonder what amuses them so much. When I see another Westerner we usually make eye contact and perhaps nod, an almost acknowledgement that we are in the same boat together.
There are many Chinese tourists at the moment in Beijing due to the approaching National Holiday. I watch massive lines of them visit Tiananmen square in tour groups. They all wear the same hats or jackets and follow their leader who is always waving a flag. I have learned to avoid these flags at all costs or I will suddenly find myself swept up in a long line of Chinese people. There were so many of them at the tourist spots that I visited . Tiananmen Square in itself was such an experience for me. I stood there, stared at the gigantic portrait of Mao and felt like I was in a movie. I had seen this place so many times on TV and now I was here. The same thing happened to me when I entered the Forbidden City.
Step off the main roads in Beijing and you definitely feel the Eastern presence. There are lanterns hung everywhere. You can buy scorpions and bugs in the street to eat. The alley ways are filled with the people sitting around and going about their quiet lives. Even the most posh places have the squat toilets in their bathrooms (which I hate hate hate btw). There are many gardens in the middle of the city that are so quiet and beautiful with the long trees blowing in the breeze and the sun shining on the water like diamonds. It reminds me of Central Park in a sense that there are places you can go to escape the craziness of the city but whenever you want you can get right back in there again. I could have spent days in these places just writing in my journal and thinking - especially at the Summer Palace.
People spit everywhere in the street. And they are noisy about it as they hock those loogies up. It’s quite disgusting really but I have learned to watch my step and back off. Babies don’t wear diapers. They have a slit in their pants where they just do their business in the street - like a dog. People will say hello to me all the time and I can never tell if they are trying to be nice or if they are trying to sell me something. Usually it is the latter. I’ve had people come up to me as I was reading a map to try to help me. They seem so nice at first but then they try to get me to ride their rickshaw or buy their souvenirs. The people are usually really nice and willing to work with you though if you need to communicate. I felt such hospitality by all of the workers at my hostel. People are constantly cleaning the city on the inside and out - and yet there are some places that smell so bad. You never know when it will be but all of a sudden you will get a sniff of the sewage and you just want to spew. This is even in the nice parts of the city. So far, every single Chinese piece of candy has been extremely unappetizing to me. My one girlfriend and I bought a ton at the market for kicks and through out most of the bag. The regular food is absolutely amazing though. Imagine Chinese food at home but about a million times better. I am now a pro with the chopsticks by the way - although rice with sauce on it though is still quite the problem. When the only thing between food and your stomach is two pieces of wood you learn to get over it. The buses are slightly crazy because they always have a worker riding on the bus with the driver that is constantly yelling and announcing the stops in Chinese. Sometimes they will jump out into the street and yell some more and I have no idea what the heck they are doing. Stepping into any store is quite the adventure as the employees will pounce on you and get you to buy anything. They are willing to negotiate often but giggle if you suggest a price that they think is unreasonable.
I hope that you don’t interpret this information in a negative way. I have enjoyed every minute of all these new things. I have obtained such an education from this place. I have also felt so welcome and happy here and I am very curious to see if I am going to get the same feel from Shanghai. I highly recommend Beijing to everyone - just do it!
