Beijing At Last !!!

Beijing At Last !!!
There is some writing that hasn't gotten published yet (and some that hasn't gotten written yet), but I don't want to get too Blogged down (sorry :>). I wrote this once, then lost it in cyberspace. If my tenses get a little confused it’s because I actually re-writing this on day 3.I left the house at about 9:30 PM on Wednesday night and arrived in Beijing at 5:30 AM on Friday morning. It wasn't a bad flight. I was working on my body clock (set my watch to Beijing time, tried to stay awake until Beijing bedtime, took my melatonin, & etc.) and staying healthy. So far so good. Siri Dyal and Carla picked me up at the Airport. This was my first time actually meeting Carla. She is sweet, pretty, bright, artistic; a real delight. This was also my first time seeing Siri Dyal in his China element. He is also quite impressive. After strenuous negotiation to get a cab fare close to what it cost for him to get to the airport, he was paid a complement by one of the participants. Something to the effect that he speaks Mandarin like a Beijing Cab driver. I took it as a complement anyway. I think it was. Apparently, there is a Beijing accent that is to Mandarin as a strong New York accent is to American English. While training formally in Mandarin in school, Siri couldn't always understand the local slang. That has changed. Wow what a day we had! I am so happy to be here. Wondering why it has taken me so long to get here. For some reason, I was feeling good (not fatigued from the travel). So, after a quick trip to their apartment (A lovely place in Embassy, Central Business District) to freshen up, we were off to Grandma’s, a Westernized restaurant for pancakes. (I think that in addition to just liking pancakes, the idea was for me to transition slowly into China.)
A lot of our getting around was by walking, a lot by taxi and some by subway. IT is the first day of National Days (think the 4th of July). There were flags everywhere, red and yellow flowers everywhere. Lots of people were in from the countryside for the holiday in Beijing. Places that were normally busy, were not. Places that were normally not busy were, a holiday.
From the restaurant, we walked to a nearby park, “The palace of the Sun”. It is quite beautiful, flowers, trees, ornate pagodas on small hilltops, a large climbing wall, exercise equipment (like we might have in a gym, though not electronic is everywhere, used by young and old), people doing tai chi. The weather is gorgeous. The day before, it has rained. Today, the air is cool, the sky blue, you can see forever; very unusual in Beijing.
After the park, we walked and took the subway to Tiananmen Square. It was packed. Whenever we stopped, people wanted their picture taken with us. It was quite a scene. My turban and beard was quite an attraction. They couldn’t believe that I was from the US. Everyone was friendly; there were many smiles and much laughter. Siri thought that I could have covered my travel costs by charging 1 Yuan for a picture.
The plan was to then take a quick walk through the Forbidden City and have lunch in an old section of town. Because of the holiday crowds, it wasn’t quick, nor did we wind up where we had planned – certain accesses were closed to direct the visitors.
We did however make it to lunch; I am quite in love with the food here (pancakes excluded). Vegetables I’d never seen or heard of (4 cornered bean), prepared in ways I’ve never imagined – lotus root with apricots. The whole meal experience is quite delightful. It is always served family style. Although you have your own small plate in front of you, it’s just used for a kind of resting/dripping place for the food on its way from the bowl to your mouth. In effect, everyone is eating out of the same bowls. Siri Dyal told me there was some rationale about hygiene and chopsticks, but he couldn’t remember what it was. There is lots of reaching and interacting. There is no serving large portions and wolfing it down as we do in the US. Neither is there waiting to be served as in India. Eating with chopsticks slows things down. Towards the end of a meal, my manual dexterity and endurance starts to flag, sending my food in unpredictable directions.
After a nap, we’re off to see a Chinese Acrobats performance and then to meet some of Siri Dyal and Carla’s friends for a real feast at a restaurant run by Buddhist Monks (their specialty is vegetarian food is indistinguishable from well known meat dishes – Peking Duck, pepper steak, kidney, fish, sausage. It was very yummy, and a little weird. Some of the diner is spent discussing how mock meat fits into Buddhist philosophy. The closest we come has something to do with illusion and the nature of reality :>). The acrobats are entertaining, sometimes impressive, but Siri’s friends are the real show (for me). I begin to feel like I’m in a Hemingway novel. This is an eclectic group – an editor for a travel guide and magazine, a sports event promoter, an English teacher, a musician/bar owner. Some are friends from Siri’s School days, some are rock climbing, athletic event friends, some are business relationships, all are friends. All are “expats” living abroad, pursuing their dreams, having a love/hate relationship with China. Some have Chinese girlfriends. One is getting married soon. They are all nice, interesting folks.
Back home at 11:00 PM; in bed at midnight. In some small part of my mind I am thinking that today has been a test, scheduled from dawn to very late. “Can the old man keep up?”
I am thrilled to be here! I am exhausted… I am pleasantly surprised and how BIG a day I’ve had and how easy it was. Being with Siri Dyal and Carla has been a real joy.