Beijing

Water Cube and Bird's Nest

Excellent adventure! If you're in the city, bring your bathing suits to this indoor water park that's perfect for the tots. You can also check out the Olympic pool and watch the teams practice while a highlight real of Beijing 2008 plays above. Snacks (pocky!) are available.

I didn't actually go into the Nest but it's super cool to look at and they have fun things to do in there, too. Both attractions are right next too each other so pick one or both and make an afternoon of it!

Hotel Kapok

Located only a 15 minute walk from the Forbidden City in one direction and DaDong in the other, Kapok was lovely to come into after a long flight, nervous cab ride (did he really know where I needed to go?!), and the bitter cold.

My late night dinner of wonton soup was delicious, the staff was accommodating, and the rooms were comfy with a contemporary flair. Interestingly enough, the bathrooms are all glass with no doors but have every toiletry you may have forgotten at home and the beds, though hard, are actually really comfortable. What's also great is that it's cleaned all day long... They're just all over the place wiping it down, vacuuming it up. Breakfast can be added for around $10, it's only a $10 cab ride from the airport, and the rates are extremely reasonable.

Dadong Restaurant

Recommended by Michael's wifey (they used to live in Beijing), Daily Candy, and Tollbooth Tom, DaDong has been noted as arguably the place in Beijing to dine on Peking duck.

Chef has figured out a way to cut down on the fat content of the oily skin therefore making it healthier for his guests. Douse it with all of the pickled accoutrements including onion, radishes, and garlic; dunk it in sugar; and wrap it in the pancakes provided. Yummers!

You will find many places in the city to get this special delicacy but don't go anywhere else but one of DaDong's two locations.

A Communist Manifesto! (of sorts)

We've arrived in China! It's really cold here... and communist. Upon arrival in Beijing, I wasn't quite sure how to act or what to do. How do communists communicate? How do they interact with each other? Am I, as an American, allowed to reach the outside world? Will they know I'm trying to get on Facebook at this exact moment to see? Where is a plug to charge my quickly dying phone?!

Needless to say, without talking to anyone, you'd never know there was a difference in our two homes. The streets are immaculate, there isn't a problem with homelessness, the people are jovial and helpful to naive tourists (such as myself). But that's when you don't talk to people. When you do, you realize there are cameras everywhere watching everything; you notice police cars patrolling, lights ablaze, called to nothing in particular; and the government owns many of the shops and, therefore, jobs (Huuuuuunger Gaaaaaaames) (or 1984 depending on your literary choice). The news is regulated and filled with propaganda... To this day they don't even really know what happened in Egypt last year (?!). And social networking? Well, China has an internal, government-regulated site but who wants to dish about the Kardashians with the Chairman looking? Oh, wait...

I learned about these things from Tom, my soft-natured but wordy (love him) driver who took me around the city. At 32, he can't get a job because the government won't allow it... Both his father and his aunty were killed in 1989 at Tiananmen Square, demonstrating for human rights, for freedom. (China bills human rights as unnecessary propaganda.) That was over 20 years ago; Tom was nine years old. Due to his connection to the rebellion, he now works as a freelance tour guide, reporting to no business but working hard. He learned from his mother not to be lazy, to love his family, and enjoy life in this moment. No one is a hero, he says, and I guess he has the experience to back that up. It makes me wish we had an exchange program for the Occupiers. If they liked it better in a place so unlike our own, where they'd be hard pressed to find someone who made anywhere near $250k a year, maybe they would stay...

Tom was filled with lively stories for the duration of our eight hours together. A lucky arrangement by the hotel (they didn't think they could get someone who spoke English), he was knowledgeable about everything Beijing and all that is China. We had some broken English laughs on the way to the Wall where he let me know (twice) that his favorite thing about being a driver is, um, getting to touch the hands of the toll booth girls when exchanging money (?!) (not out loud, Tom!). I'm guessing the sweet guy may not be a Ricky Martin type with the ladies...

And, needless to say, the Wall was magnificent. I'm not sure words (and this one will surprise you!) can aptly describe the feeling of climbing to and standing on those towers. Hundreds of years of history... Wow! Spectac. (jar) (New Girl fans will get that) Though it was devastatingly cold, the sun was clear and the view was long. I had to just stand there a while to take it all in... And to catch my breath because this girl is out of shape and staving off a cough. Please. Those steps are inTENSE! Feeling adventurous, and prodded by Tom, I took the toboggan down the mountain. Yes! I luged down! Not unlike an Olympian!

Insider's tip: When visiting the Great Wall, you have two options for getting to the top - you can hike or you can take the tram. BUT, whatever you do, make sure you take that toboggan down the hill. Self-regulation allows you to not go out of control and as fast or as slow as you want. The idea that you are sledding down an actual World Wonder? That allows you to be a hit storyteller amongst your friends...

Our next stop was back in the city to check out the Water Cube and Bird's Nest at Olympic Field, where that homely and double jointed Phelps fellow won all those medals. Thank you Michael Nixon for the excellent suggestion! (I hope all of you have friends as gracious and cool as mine...) It was truly an experience to see such a stadium and how they've kept the space alive and usable.

Following the viewing, Tom took me to a partner company's tea house for a Chinese tea ceremony. Did you know that the Chinese were drinking tea 2,000 years before the Japanese? Me neither! It was a great experience and, being that I am in a tea family, more than one souvi was purchased here. Let me tell you, tea is really good for you. It helps with weight loss, and ugly teeth and eyes for the smokers, and raccoon (or panda as Sophie says) eyes! Sold.

Tom promised me one last viewing experience and it was awesome! He took me to Jingshan Park to get a twilight/sunset, mountain top view of the Forbidden City and the whole of Beijing. Whoa. It was the best way to see the palace by far. By far! Sadly I don't think my pictures capture its intricate magnificence. It was like you could dance from rooftop to rooftop in the light of the full moon if given the chance... This is an unmissable pit stop on any tour of Beijing.

After a drive to see Tiananmen Square and the old palace gate lit up, night was falling and time for Tom to drop me at the hotel. I had only one more plan and that was to experience Peking duck at Dadong restaurant. Thankfully, it was only 15 minutes from Hotel Kapok, where I was staying. Delicious! And, I have to imagine, so fattening.

All in all though, for one day in Beijing, it was fun-filled and action packed. I don't think I could've asked for more...

Bye Bye, Beijing, I'm Bangkok Bound!

Today I woke up early to pack up and take a walk to the Forbidden City to see the grounds and check out the square in the daylight before my afternoon flight.

The palace grounds were magnificent and of course, expansive. For those wondering, as I was, the name "Forbidden City" comes from the days when the emperor lived within the compound and no one from his constituency was allowed inside; it was a city inside the city. Needless to say you don't come to Beijing and miss this. Duhzies.

A quick viewing of Tiananmen made me wonder what it was like those twenty something years ago when martial law and machine gun tanks took out hundreds of people and the last vocal uprising China's people dared in the hopes of freedom and democracy. I found it fair cause to be thankful for what I have, which is everything, and those who fight for my freedom to speak out about anything I desire (yep, that's you, Matt!). It's always nice to have brief reminders that there's no place like home, there's no place like America.

Well, after a bit of a runaround, thankfully Air China came through for me again and got me on an earlier flight to get me into Bangkok for dinner. This is extremely important as I have a real hot date there tonight...