Working vacation - in Beijing, China!

[Kimberly Renee]

I'm excited :) I'll spend 11 days in Beijing during the Chinese New Year/Spring Festival. I'm sure I'll have a blast and make lots of memories! Working during the day with 1 or 2 days free to sight see at the great wall and maybe the forbidden city.

A co-worker is going with me and it is not yet known if I'll have my own room, which may hamper the level of under dressing I'll do (I have no illusion about going out en femme, it won't happen). It'll be cold and we'll be working outside so at the very least I'll have fleece lined leggings and a women's thermal top under everything else.

Anywho, thought I'd share my exciting news with y'all :D

[busker]

gung hay fat choy
and have a nice trip.

[JadeEmber]

Awesome! Should be interesting. Sorry to say, the pollution in Beijing is pretty ridiculous at the moment, so hopefully that won't be too much of a problem.

[flatlander_48]

(I have no illusion about going out en femme, it won't happen).

Excellent thought. Don't do anything that is illegal, could be illegal or even remotely LOKS like it might be illegal. They have no idea of the concept of Due Process.

I lived in Taiwan for 6 years. Talking about the reletionships between the Mainland and Taiwan can evoke some strong emotions. I would imagine something similar happens on the Mainland. Avoid this and other political discussions.

Anyway, have fun and stay under the radar...

[anastasiafantasia]

Sounds like a great trip.I would love to get a chance to visit Beijing just to be able to scope out how different it is and maybe sadly increasingly similar with the effects of globalisation.Enjoy and report back sometime please.I would love to hear what it was like.

And yes, don't forget to wrap up warm!;
)

[Beverley Sims]

Beijing is a great place to walk around, the underground is the best way to get from point to point.
Signs are in English as well here.
They have trolley buses with batteries in them to make short trips between the wires.
Once you get out of the CBD English is not a second or even a third language at all.
The wall is a great place to walk and if you can get a regular bus service out there you do not have time constraints in walking the wall.
I have a photo of Tienanmen Sq looking towards the forbidden city taken from Mao's Mausoleum and you can see Mao's picture clearly
A photo the next day of the wife standing 12 feet away was hardly visible. That's pollution.
Food is wonderful, mostly Chinese, you can get Mc Donalds and Coca Cola in 6 1/2 oz glass bottles also.
Strawberries are available in the markets and they are delicious, even if they have a unique way of fertilizing their vegetables.
Check it out but there is good public transport from the Airport to the City as taxis can cost a mint.
Have a great time.

[Kimberly Renee]

Back in the USA. Going to put together a full report in the next few days. Initial response is that as a vacation it was a bummer. Too cold to want to do anything and because the Spring Festival is a national holiday, many businesses and even tourist destinations were closed or closed early as people stayed home or went to visit family.

With 1 or 2 exceptions my colleague and I stayed in our (seperate) rooms when not working. I started the trip with a cold and he ended the trip with a worse one. The work was fun and we both enjoyed that part of the trip, but it was outdoor work so we didn't have the energy or desire to stay outside during the evenings. It's possible that we will return later this year and hopefully make up for lost time.

More to come ...

[mikiSJ]

How are your lungs? I could never go to China for all of the pollution and what it would do to me physically!

[Kimberly Renee]

Don't have any complaints, yet. We walked almost everywhere, averaging 3 miles per day. My feet and knees were killing me!