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We finally arrived in Beijing. Clearing customs, getting cash and getting a taxi couldn’t have been easier. Total travel time was 30 hours door-to-door. The taxi ride from the airport cost less than the two beers we had in the hotel bar in order to wind down from our little jaunt. It worked for Catherine, but not for me. So I decided to go for a walk at 12:30 in the morning in a strange city where I speak about 15 words of the local language, and 2/3 of those are numbers.

Number of public restrooms seen within 10 minutes of each other – 5 before I stopped counting

Number of Snow White Persian alley cats roaming the alleys – 3 and how they stayed so white with all the dust is beyond me.

Number of Graffito – 0, despite long stretches of white/gray blemish free walls.

Number of Bicycles – hundreds in every configuration imaginable – three wheelers, six wheelers, new mountain bikes, old reliable flying pigeons uniformly gray.

Price of liter of water – 5 Yuan (about 65 cents)
Price of 20oz beer – 3 Yuan (about 39 cents)

The Hutongs, which technically means alley or lane but also refer to a neighborhood are amazing complexes some of which date as far back as the Yuan (1206-1341), Ming (1368-1628) and Qing (1644-1908) dynasties. In some ways they remind me of Venice’s streets and alleys without the dead ends and water. Many of these older buildings and neighborhoods are being torn down to make way for new high-rises and as part of the massive infrastructure build-out in preparation for the 2008 Olympics. While the Hutongs may look romantic, many residents feel no such sentimentality and look forward to being relocated to a high-rise with modern amenities. Others of course lament the loss of community and history. I’m just a voyeur peering into their lives for a few moments, what do I know?

Beijing seems to be a city that is relatively dark at least compared to Manhattan.  I could see stars and although there are plenty of streetlights there doesn’t appear to be the endless security lights, outdoor lights, etc that make walking in Manhattan a permanent twilight. Some of the alley’s I chose not to walk down were pitch black, as dark as walking from Mathew to Luke at Camp Chanco without a flashlight. I realize it’s a reference most of you won’t get, but for those few who do, it’ll be worth it. Lots of people were up at this time of night, there were several restaurants that meet the standard for a good Chinese restaurant – hot and crowded. I didn’t venture into any of them this time since I’m still fairly full from the endless meals on the planes. But I plan to try at least one or two of the establishments that looked promising.
I also got propositioned for massages by a several nice young women who didn’t want to take no for answer I finally had to resort to my pidgin Chinese declaring over and over – Bu Yao and Bu Hao (don’t want and not good) – and this was on the main road near the motel. Strangely enough, once I went into the alleys I was left alone. -t
 
A + 2 days; L – 3 days;