It's HUGE....like 22 million people. It can take hours to get across town. Reminds me a lot of NYC....although, not as lively at night. Could be our area too.
Traffic is horrendous. The government is trying to encourage public transportation and limit the use of vehicles to certain days (i.e. if your license plate ends is 0 or 6 you can't drive on Monday, etc. The use of cars has skyrocketed way ahead of the infrastructure to support it.
Driving, walking, biking - it's all extremely dangerous. Walking never has the right of way and drivers weave in and out of traffic like nothing I've ever seen. Little children on the back of bikes and mopeds - never a helmet.
Chinese tourists are everywhere. This is their summer holiday and Beijing is a popular destination. I've seen a few European tourists but none that I thought were American.
The food is wonderful!!! Everything from KFC and Pizza Hut to the local Chinese restaurants are fabulous. Even our hotel "Happy Hour" and breakfast buffet is outstanding!
Chinese are very sensitive about their skin....women almost always carry umbrellas to protect against the sun. They wear fake sleeves with short sleeve shirts to pull off once inside.
Children wear what is called "split pants"....pants split down the crotch with no underwear or diapers. The children just squat where ever, whenever they have to go.
Chinese rest in the "squatting" position....like in the middle of a sidewalk they'll just stop and squat to rest. My knees can't begin to get me there!
The Chinese love ice cream, t-shirts with American words (I've never seen one with Chinese writing!), blaring music and staring at Americans with a Chinese child.
There appears to be a lot of poverty in Beijing but also a lot of wealth. It's very expensive to live here (think NYC). The Chinese say Benjamin is very lucky to be going to America. He will "have a good life". It's confusing to me why they say that....do they not like their lives in China? What makes America different in their eyes? I need to remember and ask this.
It's more "democratic" and uncensored than I thought. With the exception of blocking Facebook and a few other sites (we access via VPN), it's virtually transparent. The guides don't feel it's an issue in their daily lives. It is what it is. They feel China is a rising superpower right behind the U.S.
It's expensive...our hotel, the area we're in is quite expensive. We paid $35 at Haagen Dazs for 4 scoops of ice cream! I paid almost $60 yesterday at Gap Kids for 2 small tshirts and 6 socks for BenBen! Yikes! Don't even get me started on Sephora!! WOW! Ran out of my Clinique soap...
The Chinese do not drink tap water or use it to brush their teeth. All water is boiled or bottled. We have a sock over our faucet to remind us not to use the water for brushing our teeth. Our hotel provides unlimited bottled water and coca cola light (we're on the "Club" floor - highly recommend!!!).
I walked a few blocks around our hotel yesterday, by myself, shopping. Not one person spoke to me. I was surprised. Greg was accosted by at least 4 people on his solo journey!! I went to a local grocery store - the Seaweed Pringles were tempting but I had to pass. Non-touristy shopping is very inexpensive: I purchased baby wipes, hair conditioner, a huge bag of animal crackers, a bag of chocolate teddy grahams, a bag of Ritz crackers and a sippy cup for less than $15.
I have only seen 2 pregnant Chinese women since we've been here....and we've seen a LOT of people. Our guides say it's very expensive to have even 1 child in China and many couples do not want children because they are selfish (being raised as the only child in their family). Our guide, Lily, has a friend that adopted domestically in China from a poor province where the family had a 4th girl and wanted a boy. I'm not sure the adoption went thru the legal adoption process. It sounded like more of a gift....?
No one speaks English and if they do, it isn't very good. The only people who really understand us are the FTIA guides hired by our agency.
There are dogs as pets here!! We were surprised....we thought they were all eaten in China.
It's very noisy and polluted....hard to see the sun through all the smog. The prettiest day we've had since we arrived was "Gotcha Day" - sunny, breezy - perfect day to meet our lil BenBen.
The streets are extremely clean. There are always people sweeping and washing the streets. BenBen likes this!
The dress / style....is very odd. It's hard to describe...lots of high heels, bright colors and mixed patterns. Definitely NOT traditional Chinese dress unless it's a tourist spot.
We were warned the beds in China are hard....ours is actually very comfortable!!! Perhaps a little harder than home but we're so tired at night it doesn't matter!
Chinese beer (Tsingtao) is excellent!!! Wine, not so much.
Nearly every Chinese person we've spoken to comments on Ben's light complexion. We think he looks just like them!
The Chinese people are fascinated by Sam....they love his light hair and handsome looks. They love taking pictures of him with their families. Sam is NOT a fan but he's going with it for now.
In China, people have either single or double eyelids (per our guide, Shirley). Shirley indicated Ben has single eyelids but will develop into double eyelids as he grows up/hits puberty.....hmmmmm. She indicated her two sons have single eyelids but she/her husband each have double.
There are no outdoor play areas for children. There is an "amusement park" for kiddos but you pay. No swingsets, playgrounds, etc. Our guide indicated children do not "play" in China...they study. There is a lot of pressure on children to study and go to University. "No time for play like American children"....
Shirley, our guide, is funny. When touring with the other families everyone was asking her what zodiac sign they were.....Greg, "1972?", Shirley, "Rat" (same as Ben's)....every other adult in the van was somewhere between 1972 - 1975. I whispered (sitting closest to her in the front, "1967?"....Shirley said, "Dinosaur"....LOL!!!! Everyone thought that was quite amusing!
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