Dining in Beijing

Speaking only a handful of phrases in Chinese makes buying food a bit of a challenge. Sometimes you cannot tell if what you're looking at is chicken, fish or pork (the other white meat). While we've been able to find a few restaurants with English menus, and they are certainly more popular in touristy areas, most of the time we are resorted to pointing and saying "chicken?" to see if that is what we're ordering.

Several restaurants in the mall across the street from our apartment have wax food replicas displayed in a window at the entrance. Still, we find ourselves pointing to order. Noodle and Rice dishes are popular, along with soups, and most times we drink tea or water with our meal. There are a wide variety of teas served but we see Jasmine, Oolong, Green, Black and Chrysanthemum quite often. Oh, and if you order water at a restaurant, make sure to tell them "ice water" else you get a cup of warm, not room temperature but warm water!

Prices at restaurants vary of course but we've been able to eat most meals for well under ten dollars, many times only three or four dollars. Import beers are more expensive than their domestic brands: Yanjing and Tsingtao, which are anywhere between 1 dollar and 4 dollars depending on the establishment.

Peking Duck
Beijing's most famous dish, Peking Duck, is all of what they say it is and then some. I've had the pleasure of eating twice since I've been here and we're planning to go again this weekend. Let me explain what I know of how its served.

First, the duck is cooked hanging in an open oven and different restaurants pride themselves on what kind of wood they use as that impacts the flavor considerably. Nicer restaurants will serve you a plate of the skins that capture most of this flavor as a way to showcase the quality of their duck recipe.

As an appetizer, there are wide varieties but it is common to eat duck heart, liver or feet. I had the pleasure of trying the duck feet marinated in some sort of mustard sauce, all I could taste was mustard but the texture... well you can imagine.

The duck is carved and served on a few small plates in slices. Now here's the best part: you take a thin flower dumpling shell, some veggies and onions, pieces of duck and some plum sauce and roll it up in a sort of mini burrito.

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I'm playing a bit of catch-up as usual with this but there are more posts coming about our weekend trip to the wall.

Week 1 in Beijing

Following a week of living in Beijing, we have some general observations...

First of all, there are a lot of people in Beijing. The population figures don't really hit you until you're walking around can see the 14 million who call Beijing home. Within the city, many people walk or ride some sort of bicycle to get around and bike lanes are well utilized even by the occasional taxi.

Public transportation is certainly the preferred method for most commuters. The subways, taxis and busses are all fully populated at most times of the day, especially the subways. The cost is a flat rate, 2 yuan ($0.29) no matter the length of the ride. People pack the subways during rush hour to the point where there is no need to grab a bar or handle to brace oneself, personal space does not exist on the morning commute. Taxis are a minimum 10 yuan ($1.43) and a 20 minute ride costs around 40 yuan. While many Chinese use the city busses, if you don't speak Chinese, it can be very challenging to know when to get off or even read the route signs.

We travel to the Distribution Center by company shuttle. We see several similar shuttles on the way to work in the morning, it would seem that many companies use this method to transport employees from the city center out to the business districts. Havi sends two shuttles, one each to the east and west, each taking about 75-90 minutes to complete their route. Our stop is the first in the morning and the last in the evening.

Once we arrive at the DC we are more or less on our own. The work day lasts from 9am until 5:45pm with a short lunch break in the middle. It seems that few of the employees take much more than a half hour to eat their lunch and then they diligently return to work. All of the Havi DC employees we have talked to have been eager to help and very hospitable. The DC is out in the business district where many new buildings are being constructed but there are few restaurants, save for a 10 minute walk to Subway. Considering that the boxed lunch provided at the office leaves something to be desired, we have had our share of BMTs.

Next Installment: Grocery & Dining

Catch-up and the end of my "vacation" travels...

So my limited internet access coupled with some other things kept me from an update. Also, the blogspot website is blocked here in China, so I've been trying to find a way to still post and have obviously done so if you're reading this. There's a tool on facebook called "Mirror Blog" that allows you to blog from your facebook profile. So now that my lengthy excuse for not updating is finished...

As I said before, Tokyo is MASSIVE. We went up to the observation deck of the Sunshine City Tower (60th floor) to look out the windows and take some photos. A few of them are on my picasa web album.

We also got to see some of the May Sumo tournament. The crowd had their favorites, but mine was Katooshu. He's a Bulgarian (yes, Stefan, you read correctly) wrestler who came to Japan a couple of years ago and is quickly rising in the ranks. He ended up winning the tournament!

We also went to Shibuya to see the large amounts of people that cross the street every 3 minutes. My last sight-seeing stop in Tokyo was the Eastern Palace Gardens. Since the Imperial Palace is closed to the public (except on holidays) we decided to visit the gardens instead.

(of course this is all out of order but back to Kyoto...)

I rented a bike for $7 / day and rode around town a bit. It was quite wobbly but it was better than walking. I rode to the Sanjusangendo Temple where there are 1,001 Buddha statues in the same room. All of the statues were around human height and were arranged in a VERY long hall. The pictures with all the orange are from the area outside though I could not take photos inside.

My last night in Kyoto I met a couple of Australian fellas and we went out to an Irish Bar. It just so happened that at the bar there was a blues group who plays once a month and they were very good.
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The team is now in Beijing and we are doing well. We'll have a project update soon.

More tomorrow...

Well, its been a very busy few days since I left Kyoto.

As a result of the early departures and long sight-seeing trips (and a lack of internet in my hostel room in Tokyo) I will be posting a massive update tomorrow afternoon once I arrive in Beijing.

In short though, I have seen the following (and then some):

• The MASSIVE size of Tokyo from an observation tower
• Shibuya crossing - the one where every 3 minutes, half of Tokyo crosses the street
• 1,001 Buddha statues, in one very large room
• A fantastic blues group in Kyoto
• 600 lbs of muscle, fat and bones crashing together several times in a row
• 25% of Tokyo's subways
• Eastern gardens of the Imperial Palace
• A partridge in a pear tree

Kyoto: Day 2

After a quick breakfast at a local Starbucks knock-off cafe, I used my all-day bus pass I purchased at the Hostel front desk to head out to Kinkakuji, the golden pavilion. I had never heard of it until a man on the flight over suggested it to me. It was truly a sight to see. A temple built in three different styles:

• Kukkyo-cho (3rd floor): Karayo - Zen temple style
  
• Cho-on-do (2nd floor): Buke-zukuri - style of samurai house
  
• Ho-sui-in (1st floor): Shinden-zukuri - palace style

I was joined by two ladies from Australia, who were very good at photography I might add, on a tour of the Kinkakuji grounds. After leaving Kinkakuji, I took a bus to Nijo Castle.

Nijo castle was the official Kyoto residence of the first Tokugawa Shogun, Ieyasu, and was built from 1603 - 1626. It is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Walking through the large castle with two palaces, I felt as if I was stepping back in time. The Ninomaru Palace interior was quite interesting, though I could not take pictures. The floors were called "nightingale floors" which squeaked like a bird with each step so that any intruder could be heard. There were several rooms fit for the shogun's business and entertaining visitors. Doors with red sashes marked the bodyguard's entrance to both the meeting room and the shogun's office.

After walking through Ninomaru Palace I saw the inner palace or Honmaru. Though visitors were not allowed inside, the gardens surrounding it were beautiful. After a quick peak from the guard tower, I hit the gift shop and left the Castle. After another couple of hours of walking around Kyoto, I found a few gift shops, ate dinner and retired for an evening of reading on the balcony of the hostel.

Photos Updated: Click Here

Shinkansen to Kyoto

I woke up yesterday morning and took the Shinkansen, or bullet train, to Kyoto. (pics start here)
It was an easy 2 hour trip and very comfortable with more leg room than the plane. I did find the directions to get to the Hostel in Kyoto helpful but it was hard to find the signs and trains I needed because many signs were not in English. It wasn't too bad though and it was a very short subway ride to Shijo station and the hostel is right across the street from the subway exit.

The beds are even more interesting than the last hostel (pics later) as I am sleeping on the bottom bunk which sits on the floor and the top bunk is maybe 2 feet up, if that. They could probably put a 3rd bed on top they are so close together. There are 5 tightly packed floors with an interesting bathroom (pic). I went to dinner and had some curry noodles with beef (pic) and hung out with some backpackers on the balcony and listened while some marching bands played "Its a Small World After All" down the street.

Today I'm planning on seeing the golden shrine, Kinkakuji and then maybe a buddhist temple or something else. But first, its time for breakfast!

Man my feet hurt!

I woke up early on Thursday and at about 9am, took the subway to Akihabara to see the technology scene. Akihabara is full of electronics malls where you can literally shop on 7 floors full of everything from TVs to mobile phones to PC Peripherals. I went inside one, Yodobashi Akiba (pic) and surprisingly only spent a couple of hours there. I know you're all shocked. The top floor had several restaurants, including an Indian place, but I ate at the rotating sushi bar (pic) instead. I had bluefin tuna, maised tuna, tempura, something else and Salmon Roe. All in all, alot of sushi for under ten dollars (1000 yen).

After Yodobashi I decided to take a stroll... I walked down streets at random, basically following the shiny lights and street vendors. I ended up in Ueno Park about 2 hours and 3 km later. I walked around the park (pics) and then a lake inside the park, Shinobazu-ike, which was another 3 or 4 km. By 5pm I was exhausted and took the subway back to the hostel.

I spent the rest of the day reading and hanging out in the lounge and went to bed early, too tired to go to Shibuya crossing or the bar.

Day 1: Out & About in Tokyo

I went to bed at about 8pm, had to catch up on sleep. I had a mental debate with myself at around 7:30pm last night as to whether I was more hungry or more sleepy... I decided on sleepy, so I had a fiber bar and hit the sack. The bed is a standard bunk, in a room with 8 beds, I slept pretty well with my headphones in. Apparently my iPod has a sleep timer & an alarm, I beat the alarm this morning but the sleep timer works well!

Now, the bed isn't small but the showers are! I could barely stand all the way up, its like a small capsule that is probably only 6 inches wider than my shoulders on both sides. My head was inches from the top but at least the shower head was removable so I could wash my hair. The toilet is also a bit odd but more or less the same as we are used to. I've got free internet, I'm in the lobby now but I can get a decent signal in the room upstairs. Overall, this hostel is pretty nice.

For my first day in Tokyo, I have some loose plans:

Morning: Check luggage @ Hostel Front Desk

Find breakfast!
Tourist center - buy Japan Rail pass for trip to Kyoto

Afternoon: Visit Tokyo

Akihabara -Technology Center
Ueno - Tokyo National Museum

Evening: Walk around in Tokyo

Shibuya - I have to see this scramble crossing
Bar23 - A backpacker's bar, should be interesting!

Pictures to be posted later!

Takeoff!

Flight departs Cincinnati for Tokyo (by way of Chicago) at 8:14am this morning!

Update: Arrival
Safe and sound in Tokyo.
Some pictures I took today: photos
I will post all of my pictures here.

T-Minus 5 Days...

Well, we're down to 5 days to go, there's still plenty to do but I'm getting there.

Things to Do Before Departure:

1. Get Chinese Visa - Check!
2. Finish final papers / exams - Check!
3. Contact bank so they don't cancel my card for international charges - Check!
4. Pack
5. Collect books & movies to take on the plane - halfway there...
   
6. Pick some hostels in Japan - Check!
7. Setup blog - Check!
8. Setup Skype account - Check!

Once in Japan, I plan to visit Kyoto and maybe Kobe if I have time, then I'll finish up with 4 days in Tokyo before departure to Beijing.

Some of my classmates will be blogging their experiences, I'll post links as I get them. For now, here's the link to Andy & Ryan's blog for their trip to Europe.
http://dillardmcmullen.blogspot.com/

T-Minus 10 Days

I am 10 days away from my second trip to Asia. I'll be visiting Japan for a while with my friend Antonia and then I'm off to Beijing for my Global Consultancy assignment with Tal & Marnie.

General Trip Timeline:
May 13/14: Fly Cincinnati to Chicago to Tokyo
May 14: Recover from Jetlag
May 15-22: Tokyo, Mt. Fuji (maybe), Kyoto
May 22 - June 24: Beijing, China

Things to Do Before Departure:

1. Get Chinese Visa - Check!
2. Finish final papers / exams
   
3. Contact bank so they don't cancel my card for international charges
4. Pack
5. Collect books & movies to take on the plane
6. Pick some hostels in Japan
7. Setup blog - Check!
8. Setup Skype account - Check!

In Beijing, we will be staying at Beijing Century Towers in a 3 BR/ 2 BA apartment. It has a kitchen so we'll be able to cook most of our meals and I've read that there is a market right across the street!

About this blog:
Tal, Marnie & I will be posting to this blog while in Beijing to document our trip.