Of China (part 2 - Beijing and Surrounds)

The first couple of days in Beijing were very much a time for adjusting to the ebb and flow of a new and quite different city.I am determined that I am going to avoid McDonalds for as long as possible, despite their localised fare. I’ll keep them as my backup...I found a restaurant in my wanderings, where no English was spoken at all. So I dived right in. Each table had a brasier and a soup base. Judging from observation of the other guests, I suspect I was supposed to do my own cooking. Happily, the lovely Chinese girl who was tasked to try and understand me, stayed and cooked for me. Nice. I think I ate too much. Braised vegetables, beef strips, and a selection of balls (prawns, beef and a couple of unrecognisable things). All delicious.I really enjoy getting off the main streets and wandering down the alleys. Here in the dusty crooked lanes, people actually live. Food is cooked, ingredients are sold, conversations are had. A lot more hustle and bustle than on the main streets, and more than a little curiousity about this foreigner in their midst. There is a very strong sense of community here.The stores are tiny and repetitive. Cigarettes and alcohol sold in one kind of store. Clothes in another. Street vendors on bicycles, motorbikes or horse and cart sell everything from nuts, to fruit, to crickets in cages.I was interested in the clustering of stores. One area sold musical instruments. The same musical instruments. Store after store after store. Another area focussed on rice paper, ceramics, and calligraphy. Another, antiques and souvenirs. I’m not sure in how this works in terms of income for each business, but it makes shopping fun for a tourist.Connecting with the Tour was fun. The tour leader, Clint (“like Eastwood”) was ably assisted by Ling Ling (who took photos and video to sell back to us later). We spent two days bussing around Beijing - Tian’an Men Square and The Forbidden City. We rode rickshaws through the Hutong district (where I ate a deep-fried scorpion!). We visitted The Great Wall and The Summer Palace. We waved at the Olympic Games Birdsnest and Aquatic Centre as we drove past (I am a little irritated about that actually as we were supposed to stop off for the photo opportunity). We have had a very full itinerary.We all have eaten well. In fact, I have noticed an increase in Chinese people wanting to rub my belly for luck. I will definitely have to get back into the gym on my return. Many businesses are set up as tourist traps - first feeding the punters then selling their wares to those with happy tummies.I have had fun exploring. I have had fun finding shops. I have had fun seeing new sights. Beijing is a little different from Auckland. Just a tad.Oh. And I ate at McDonald’s. On Day 4. Actually, it was pretty good. A very spicy version of a McChicken. Recommended.- S.