Beijing and Beyond

This was my overall impression of Beijing: it was a great place to visit and tour around for four days, but I can’t say I had much of a desire to stay any longer.

I thing the main reason for this is simply the utter disgustingness of the air. Breathing is fine but we didn’t spot a hint of blue for the first three days, and when the sun and sky finally poked through on the last day, it was cause for celebration. It was strange to think that the locals just go through life without ever seeing beautifully bright or star-blanketed skies; I can’t imagine getting used to that.

But that being said, it was a blast visiting for a few days. The tourist areas were, for the most part, pretty cool (though I wish I had known some more of the history behind them); the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, Olympic Park, and the Summer Palace in particular did not disappoint. Haggling at the open markets is a priceless experience (no pun intended ;)) that everyone has gotta do at some point. Also, the bars and clubs we went to were quite nice, though I have to say, the beer leaves MUCH to be desired; they all seem to love this tasteless, super light Tsingtao stuff, and I cannot understand why. But it was at least very cheap (as was the case with most things)—about a buck fifty for a fairly large bottle at the bars we went to. Walking around the tourist areas of the city by Tiananmen Square sort of felt like being in Disneyland, and the tight alleys were much different than anything I’ve seen in the states. The locals were also a pleasure to converse with.

Though I’m not in much of a hurry to return, I had a great time with our group in the capital of China (btw fun fact: Beijing literally translated means North Capital). If you are looking for a different cultural experience with scattered Western oasis’s, this is a great place to go, but if you’re after a beautiful and luxurious vacation spot, maybe stick to China’s recently acquired island off the Southern coast: the irreplaceable Hong Kong.