Back from Beijing
High (and low) lights of my second time in this polluted metropolis (and subsequent travels to and from) include:
* Had the opportunity to travel on ANA from NRT to PEK. The comp upgrade on this leg was much appreciated (thank you, ANA counter personnel) and the service was impeccable. A nice surprise over all considering I have only sold them to travel agents [ah, I miss my former life] and have never had the chance to actually experience them--until now.
* Getting sick sick SICK my first full day in the city. Me thinks it had more to do with something funky I ate on the plane (I never should've been adventurous enough to try that scallop. Airplane scallops? Yeah, not so smart) than all of those Bacardi and diets with some coworkers the night I arrived. Really. So...I ended up missing out on the Temple of Heaven--but the upshot is I got more sleep in that one day than I got the remainder of the trip. Nice.
* Found a good (yes, really), hole-in-the-wall Italian restaurant about 5 minutes from China World Hotel. Noodles do come from Asia so I suppose it's no surprise they can make a decent lasagna.
* Happened across a fun Mexican restaurant not far from the hotel and right down the block from the Pearl Market. It had all of the staples for a good night: excellent guitar player/singer who knew all 60's/70's/80's/90's songs, good apps, excellent margaritas, and a plethora of outdoor seating on the one cool night in the hot-hot city. Oh, and the woman who owns the restaurant hails from Iowa; this was her haven for U.S. ex-pats (how many of them are in China, though? Besides her and her brother. It seemed like there was more to this chick's story).
* The show was really, really good. I- and all of my coworkers- should be really quite proud.
* Found what the locals consider to be "the best restaurant in Beijing." It's on the top floor of the Pearl Market (and is a name that is beyond my comprehension to spell or pronounce), and has excellent Peking duck in addition to an assortment of other tasty treats. The over all experience- including the food and presentation- remind me a lot of Jumbo's in Hong Kong, only on terra firma.
* The flight home yesterday had not one but two people pass out on either side of the bulkhead aisles. The woman who went down in front of me has been drinking, so she was dehydrated and inebriated and for awhile there she looked like she was going to puke (which would've had no happy ending for me). Luckily, nothing bad happened and she turned out to be fine. Not sure what the story was for the man on the other side of the plane, but he seemed fine, too, once they got him checked out and up and moving. Still...excitement.
No staying late for any sightseeing this time around. Already saw the Great Wall and some other interesting Beijing features. I was excited to get home, get rested, and call it a day on this mainland China business. This event was one that really kicked my ass.
Since returning, I have begun to catch up on my life here, complete with a symphony of cicadas throughout my town. When I left on the 1st, I literally watched the last stages of two cicadas birthing themselves in front of my building's front door. It was truly disgusting (Ok...and slightly cool. But really, more disgusting than cool). Slightly more than a week later, the shells have been swept away (or eaten?) and now the clumsy, flying creatures are harmonizing outside my windows and rustling around in my trees. Did I mention it was truly gross? Well, it is. And yes, I am a gigantic big baby for being so darn terrified of them. But I'm not keen on infestations from any creature, flying or otherwise. I hope they can get going with this mating thing and buzz off.
* Had the opportunity to travel on ANA from NRT to PEK. The comp upgrade on this leg was much appreciated (thank you, ANA counter personnel) and the service was impeccable. A nice surprise over all considering I have only sold them to travel agents [ah, I miss my former life] and have never had the chance to actually experience them--until now.
* Getting sick sick SICK my first full day in the city. Me thinks it had more to do with something funky I ate on the plane (I never should've been adventurous enough to try that scallop. Airplane scallops? Yeah, not so smart) than all of those Bacardi and diets with some coworkers the night I arrived. Really. So...I ended up missing out on the Temple of Heaven--but the upshot is I got more sleep in that one day than I got the remainder of the trip. Nice.
* Found a good (yes, really), hole-in-the-wall Italian restaurant about 5 minutes from China World Hotel. Noodles do come from Asia so I suppose it's no surprise they can make a decent lasagna.
* Happened across a fun Mexican restaurant not far from the hotel and right down the block from the Pearl Market. It had all of the staples for a good night: excellent guitar player/singer who knew all 60's/70's/80's/90's songs, good apps, excellent margaritas, and a plethora of outdoor seating on the one cool night in the hot-hot city. Oh, and the woman who owns the restaurant hails from Iowa; this was her haven for U.S. ex-pats (how many of them are in China, though? Besides her and her brother. It seemed like there was more to this chick's story).
* The show was really, really good. I- and all of my coworkers- should be really quite proud.
* Found what the locals consider to be "the best restaurant in Beijing." It's on the top floor of the Pearl Market (and is a name that is beyond my comprehension to spell or pronounce), and has excellent Peking duck in addition to an assortment of other tasty treats. The over all experience- including the food and presentation- remind me a lot of Jumbo's in Hong Kong, only on terra firma.
* The flight home yesterday had not one but two people pass out on either side of the bulkhead aisles. The woman who went down in front of me has been drinking, so she was dehydrated and inebriated and for awhile there she looked like she was going to puke (which would've had no happy ending for me). Luckily, nothing bad happened and she turned out to be fine. Not sure what the story was for the man on the other side of the plane, but he seemed fine, too, once they got him checked out and up and moving. Still...excitement.
No staying late for any sightseeing this time around. Already saw the Great Wall and some other interesting Beijing features. I was excited to get home, get rested, and call it a day on this mainland China business. This event was one that really kicked my ass.
Since returning, I have begun to catch up on my life here, complete with a symphony of cicadas throughout my town. When I left on the 1st, I literally watched the last stages of two cicadas birthing themselves in front of my building's front door. It was truly disgusting (Ok...and slightly cool. But really, more disgusting than cool). Slightly more than a week later, the shells have been swept away (or eaten?) and now the clumsy, flying creatures are harmonizing outside my windows and rustling around in my trees. Did I mention it was truly gross? Well, it is. And yes, I am a gigantic big baby for being so darn terrified of them. But I'm not keen on infestations from any creature, flying or otherwise. I hope they can get going with this mating thing and buzz off.
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