Great first day in Beijing!!!
Oct 5th, 2007 by scott
Well, I really enjoyed my first day here. Because this is a Golden Week (when everyone in China is off work and going to tourist spots), I decided to spend a couple of days going to non-tourist areas. I walked approximately 10 miles today.
The first journey was to Xidan, a shopping area that is not as “touristy” as the better known Wangfujing shopping district, to buy a cell phone. I got by for a little while with my limited Chinese, but they finally had to find someone who spoke a little English. Unfortunately, I found out that the sim chip which was supposed to have $16 of time on it and be recharged automatically when it gets to $4 didn’t have any minutes on it at all. When I went to a different China Mobile shop, I found that I can’t even buy time for this chip in Beijing, since it’s a Shanghai phone number, even though both are China mobile. So, I’m in the process of emailing back and forth to Pandasim, where I bought the chip, to get this straightened out.
In the meantime, I stopped at a stand in Xidan that sold bowls of noodles for 3Y with various vegetables and sauces. There were a few round tables outdoors behind the stand where customers could eat. They seated me with a group of girls who I’m guessing were about 20 years old. I had my first chance to really try out my Chinese lessons, and was pretty successful! I, of course, told the noodle vendor “我喜欢麻辣面! (”Wǒ xǐhuān málà miàn!”, i.e., “I like (spicy) hot and numbing noodles!”) when she asked if I wanted the hot chili sauce there. So I got a few surprised looks when my noodles were brought over with a big mound of hot sauce on top. The noodles were really good and I was able to make some small talk, like (今天天气不好。 (Jīntiān tiānqì bù hǎo。), meaning “Today, the weather’s not good”), discussing about where we were from, how long I’m staying, etc. They didn’t speak any English, yet we understood each other, for the most part, for about 10 minutes.
The second walk was to a restaurant that was recommended by my Chinese tutor, Sophie. It is a large, noisy restaurant that has a staff to announce customers when they come in and when they leave. I had the jia jiang mian, that is also a bowl of noodles that comes with about 8 sides that are all dumped on top of the noodles and that you then stir up with your chopsticks. I wish I could describe the difference between the Chinese dishes here and those in American restaurants, but it is nice to finally find out what all my Chinese friends mean when they say that the food in the US can’t compare….and that’s just from two bowls of noodles!
I think if I lived here, I would lose weight, because the food is very tasty, but you naturally get more exercise and at least with what I’ve had so far, it has very little fat in the preparation.
It was also nice to not see a lot of foreigners (since I didn’t have a mirror). I don’t know quite how to describe this feeling, but it was nice just seeing daily life in a foreign culture. The rhythm of the walking traffic, bicycles and motor vehicles seems to be very well in synch here, though I did see one moped wreck into a bicycle (everyone was alright, but the bicyclist was not a happy camper). The buses are twice as long as they are in the US, with an accordion-like section between the two sections that helps when they turn. From what I saw today, it seems like Beijing is more like a big series of small towns (hutongs). This is changing rapidly, of course, as high rises come in and take over where many hutongs have been demolished. Besides the history, I’m sure it’s this small town feeling that many people miss.
Well, that’s enough for one post. Thanks for the comments! I’ll write again soon.
How many bowls of noodle did you eat in your first day? Did you eat anything else?
GLAD YOU ARRIVED SAFELY, YOU WILL FIND THAT YOU CAN LOSE WEIGHT………WALKING, WALKING, WALKING, PLUS I ALSO FOUND THAT IT ISN’T ALWAYS PREPARED WITHOUT FAT.
ENJOY!
Remember, I told you, no matter how much you eat, you will still lose weight because of the activity.
<p>Wenjin, I just ate the two bowls of noodles and nothing else, yet. I’m going to get a couple of ?? (baozi, or steamed buns) after I finish with this.</p>
<p>Hi Ann, you’re right about the fat, of course. But I’ve been eating steamed noodles, not fried so far.</p>
<p>Allwyn, Yes, you did tell me. Of course, walking all day instead of sitting at a desk can’t be too bad for your health!</p>
<p>Thanks for commenting. It is really nice having something to read, as well as write!</p>
<p>?? (zijin, or, goodbye) for now.</p>
P.S. I will take pictures, like I promised!
So what is the Hostel like? I checked out the link you provided, and it looks pretty nice. Is it touristy or more traditional for that area? So how does the food compare to the restaurant we always go to?
Well, the hostel is pretty cool. The standards are not up to what we’re used to in Western hotels, but it’s nice staying in the hutong (old style neighborhood) and there are people here from all over (I’m the only American, if you don’t count an old guy who’s an ex-pat in Japan). The courtyard is really nice and relaxing and the staff is very friendly. It’s more traditional, I would say, though hostels everywhere have common things like common areas for guests to get to know each other, internet connections, etc., which are not traditional, I suppose. I hope that answered your question.
As far as the food goes, the taste and freshness of the food are the big differences. It is much better than even Hua Bei (China Delight). When I can figure out how to put it into words, I’ll write a post about it. Have a good one.
Your blog reminded me a lot about China. You are a nice guide.
More photos!
How many more days are you going to stay in Beijin?
Take care.
Number 8 anonymous is Janet.
Hi Janet! I extended my stay here in Beijing so I will leave on Monday. The only available seat for the trip to Taishan on the weekend was a hard seat, plus I am really enjoying Beijing and want to enjoy the trip more than travel pack and unpack so much. So, I will not go to Qufu after all.