Spring in the 'jing (aka Beijing 90210)

As one of fellow travelers in Beijing said, "Being in China is a constant internal battle between your eyes and your mind." For the last week, we've been visiting my best friend from college, Courtney, who works for the State Department at the US Embassy in Beijing, and we've had to do a constant reality check to remind ourselves that we are actually in China! WOW! It is a shock to the system to be in a country so dramatically different than ours (politically, culturally, materially, environmentally). But simultanously, because of the complete distinction from our normal Western lives, it has been one of the most unique experiences we've had so far on our great adventure. Let me first put out there that we were pretty spoiled during our Beijing week. We stayed with Courtney in her gorgeous apartment, with plush white towels, a luxurious bed, a beautiful kitchen and bathroom, and a wonderfully helpful concierge at the front desk. Not to mention that Courtney had every day of the weekend and every evening of the week scheduled with fun social activities for us with her friends, and even in the downtime, getting to hang out with Courtney was a big bonus. So our first China experiences were a bit atypical for normal backpackers. The first weekend, we visited some cute neighborhoods of Beijing, the Olympic village, and a cool open-air market (with TONS of crazy and fake Chinese goods), then we went on a really neat, four-hour hike along the Great Wall of China (from one restored/tourist part of the wall, through a non-restored part, to another restored area... see our pictures to the right). Each night, we got together with Courtney's friends to enjoy ex-pat life (a social scene somewhat akin to Beverly Hills 90210... hence the second title of this post). We had a great blend of traditional Chinese eating experiences (Peking duck, dim sum, "hot pot") and non-traditional ones (Mexican and Indian food). A few "notable" food experiences: Courtney took Amit to her favorite "meat on a stick" stand on a side street near her apartment and got Amit lamb kabobs for $0.15/kabob; despite dining with four fluent Chinese speakers who were ordering "vegetarian food" for me, I still managed to have at least 3 different accidental mouthfuls of non-vegetarian food (oy!); at our Peking duck restaurant, Amit (as the honored guest) got to eat the duck's head. We also went snack shopping, a very interesting experience in a country that only carries a few (unhealthy!) American snacks and where we can't read what the packaging on any of the Chinese snacks! So here's what we ended up with: dried yams that we thought were dried mango, cookies that ended up tasting like Saltine crackers with vanilla and chocolate cream in between the layers, and some peanuts coated with spices and flavoring that said on the package, "Have these, and the world will bring you endless pleasure." What an auspicious label for a snack!!! Some other (often funny) experiences from our time in Beijing... Amit and I were stopped about a dozen times during the week by local Chinese tourists who wanted to take pictures with the funny-looking, tall, round-eyed Westerners. Frequently, the entire family would want to take individual pictures with us, and then they would want to take a picture with every possible combination of family members, so we would pose for about 6 or 8 pictures with each family. We thought about starting to charge... a good way to pay for our adventures! Although you don't see tons of children in China (population control successfully implemented), the babies you do see wear what are called "split pants." I'm sorry I don't have a picture to show you (although it would have been embarassing to take one!), but the name says it all... there is a big split in their pants in between their legs and their parents hold them out over the sidewalk, butt facing down, when the child needs to pee (or otherwise, I guess). We have been told that it is cleaner and cheaper than diapers... but a little awkward for tourists, who are constantly being exposed to little Chinese tushies! Finally, the transportation and general road rules in China are even crazier than they were in South America or Israel (where we were shocked at how aggressive the drivers were!). In China, might makes right... the buses are the kings of the road, followed by the vans, large cars, small cars, bikes, and then pedestrians. So you actually have to do more aggressive walking than you do driving! NO ONE yields to pedestrians, even if we have the right of way or a walk sign! And to ensure that everyone is aware of this pecking order, ALL of the vehicles honk as loudly, obnoxiously, and often as they possibly can. They honk to get you out of their way, to tell you they are coming, to tell you they are going, to try and sell you a ride, or just to say hi (well maybe not to say hi, but it seems like they are always honking!). So the roads are pretty crazy and LOUD places! I don't think we'll trying renting a car here! There are also these funny little vehicles on the road in the cities that Courtney affectionately calls "Death Boxes." I have a picture to the right... they are motorbikes or bicycles with VERY small passenger seats enclosed in a box on the back... and these are just one of the many funny bike-based taxis around the streets (I will work on capturing more pictures of these crazy vehicles). The good news is that despite this craziness, we have managed to stay safe and healthy, see all the great sites of Beijing, and make it to our next destinations (Pingyao and Xi'an). But I won't ruin our transit adventure or our newest exciting sites in this post... you'll have to hold tight for the next one! Please leave us comments when you can. We miss everyone at home (and friends around the world!) and want to hear from you. And we hope you like the new header picture... this one is from Iguazu Falls (we figured we would stay with the waterfall theme). Lots of love and happy Mother's Day to all of our Moms and Grandmas! - Dena & Amit

The Olympic Village Our first request for a photo with local Chinese tourists (this is when we still thought it was a novelty!) Funny Chinese traffic signs Amit and Courtney with meat-on-a-stick Posing on the Great Wall of China (look between us to see how extensive the wall is!) Cool shot of the Great Wall Another cool shot (we didn't realize how many steps we would have to go up and down as we walked along the wall) Posing on the Wall again (our Wall hike was one of the neatest things we did in Beijing) Courtney and Amit on the unrestored part of the Wall Eating Hot Pot (you cook your own veggies and meat in a boiling pot of spicy broth) The Death Boxes Posing at the Summer Palace (the summer home of the Emperors, right outside Beijing) Beautiful colors on the buildings at the Summer Palace A cool pagoda at the Summer Palace Mao outside the Forbidden City One of the many huge stone courtyards of the Forbidden City in Beijing