Visit to Beijing - part II

Beijing was pretty hard to get around if you don't speak Mandarin. So yes, it was pretty difficult for us. :-) It's a good thing that I am good with maps (unfortunately, my GPS did not have any maps for Beijing) so we did not waste any time getting lost in the city. Most of the time, we would take the subway. Their subway system is really good. It cost only 2 yuan per person to go between any two stations in the city, regardless of the distance. Much cheaper than cabs, which were not very expensive, but definitely cost more than 4 yuan for a round-trip.

We enjoyed Beijing food, dumplings being our favourites. Some of the other food that we saw but definitely avoided were skewers of non-traditional 'animals': scorpions, sea horses, cockroaches, and all kinds of other insects. For some reason, I did not feel vary adventurous in the food area on this trip. I was really trying to not get a food borne disease, and I succeeded. That is, until I got back home, and then I was out for a week. Well, better to be sick at home than while traveling.
Shopping was pretty good in Beijing, if you know how to drive a good bargain. Silk Market and Pearl Market are two popular places where you can find anything counterfeit. Last year, when I was in Shanghai, I definitely bought more than I did on this trip. But I realize now how much I overpaid last year as I did not know the unwritten rules of these markets. In Shanghai, I was always happy if I got an item for 1/3 of the initial quoted price. Now, if they did not go down to 1/6 of the initial price, I would not buy. The amazing thing is that they would still sell items even at 1/6 of the price.

For example, we tried to buy a watch for Carla and the lady started off at 250 yuan. Well, she would only go down to 150 yuan. Using a patented technique of pretend-that-you-are-disinterested-and-start-looking-at-the-neighboring-stall I offered 35 yuan. She first pretended to be insulted, but as I started walking away she yelled "Give me money" which I took as "We have a deal." :-)

All in all, the trip was a great success. We saw a different culture, had a great time, ate great food and would definitely like to go back again for a visit.