Things from Beijing

I thought our blog audience might want to know the things I wanted enough to import from Beijing to our home.

Here is what I got from Ikea: (not pictured is small blanket)
Butter knives, small spoons, fitted sheet, straws, tea infuser, coasters, kitchen timer, and two boxes not made from wicker. Wicker is one of the few things Alvin is passionate against. He often is heard saying, "I hate wicker." Unfortunately, many of the boxes in our city is made from wicker or wood sticks weaved together (which Alvin also hates). Good thing for Ikea who allowed us finally to have boxes not made from wicker.



I went to an import store to pick up some western goodies. The most unique thing I bought was the lemon extract. Lemons are hard to find in the open market, and they are very expensive in the supermarket.



Here is what Alvin bought at Starbucks:

Home Sweet Home

I took a bus and then roamed around this (Sunday) morning, because I knew that there was a Starbucks in the area, and I've been itching to just spend a few hours there. Found it, and realized that - if I lived in this city - I would probably come here at least once or twice a week.

I have heard that one of the most appealing aspects of Starbucks is its consistency - drinks, ambiance, music - so that it doesn't matter what city in the world you are in, you can still find a Starbucks and feel like you're back at home.

You wouldn't be able to tell, from the picture I shot, if this was in LA or Dallas or London or Beijing. It was nice to be home for a little while.

The Beijing Adventure Continues...

Today was another day of adventuring, spent almost entirely on my feet. The hope was to find a good scenic spot for some pictures, but to go somewhere that isn't on the standard list of tourist spots. I ended up taking a subway/bus ride to the western outskirts of Beijing, to 香山公园 (xiang shan gong yuan). This is supposed to be much more beautiful in late October, when the leaves turn orange and brown. But, I was determined to check it out anyways.

Little did I know, it was going to be a hike. And actually, I think this hike up to the peak was much harder than either of the Great Wall hikes I've done.

There was the option to take the cable car (ski lift) up to the peak, but the starting base was at a different location than the entrance to the park where I came in. Then, up at the top, it was already too late to take the lift back down, so that meant hiking back down too.



The hike up took me about an hour and a half. The hike down only took half an hour. But up at the top was a pretty grand view of Beijing. It's crazy to see just how big this city is.



Then, for the evening, I slowly made my way back, stopping at Pizza Hut for dinner. The menu for Pizza Hut here is crazy. Seriously, it looks more like a menu for Chili's or TGIFriday's. I passed on the calamari, the waffle fries, the shrimp scampi pasta, the clam chowder bread bowl, and the stuffed filo dough. Yes, those were all on the menu. Instead, I did a personal pan pizza and a grilled chicken salad. After a long day of hiking, this hit the spot.

The nightlife in Beijing is active no matter what part of the city you're in. Here's just one area where I was walking by, filled with inline skaters (and people renting out inline skates), musicians, street food vendors, and people taking leisurely strolls.


Also in the area were people selling kites. I had never thought about what it would be like to fly a kite at night... especially a kite with lights! Here's a shot of a kite salesman (and his girlfriend?) trying to attract business.



Half more day here. Sunday morning will (I hope) be the long-awaited 4-hour marathon at a Starbucks.

Adventures in Beijing

We're here for the weekend... to stop by the embassy, adventure around, and to see some friends.

So, for breakfast, our first stop was a restaurant that we don't have where we live...




And then, after our appointment at the embassy, we headed to a very popular spot in Beijing - IKEA. I wish that I had brought my camera up to the 3rd floor cafeteria. It was packed. At least a few hundred people. Every table taken. What was on the menu? Sino-Swede fusion. Swedish meatballs with mashed potatoes. Tuna pasta salad. White rice with braised beef and vegetables.



Then I ventured off through another part of Beijing on my own. Went to a huge bookstore with 5 levels - it blows Borders out of the water. I will write another post on that one altogether.

I think I like this city. Yes, it is huge. And yes, there are people everywhere. But it's got both the culture/history along with the new and contemporary cool feel.



The plan for Saturday is to adventure more... take some good pictures, and find a Starbucks to lounge at (and do language study) for a few hours. Can't wait...