PRC Round II: Beijing.

The PRC just keeps getting better. Round 2, and what will be my last trip to China, was spent in the one and only capital city of Beijing. A city of old and ancient, bright and new, Beijing is unlike any place I've ever been before. The weekend was full of craziness and question marks, but two constants remained: smog and a lack of spoken English. The latter made for an interesting trip. Here are some highlights from the country I now consider near and dear. But maybe not so near--don't let the proximity of Hong Kong and China fool you; China is on a different planet.

• The Box

The hostel was an experience in itself--mixed dorm, shared bathrooms, 15 other students from UST, swanky common area, 8 cats, 2 awesome hosts, and the chillest atmosphere all tucked within a tiny alleyway under construction made for crazy nights and another awesome hostel experience (who needs hotels?)

• Summer Palace

One enormous park full of halls, temples, towers, unbelievable architecture, and an enormous enchanting lake (that an emperor once ordered 100,000 laborers to widen and deepen for his fancy ages ago), this was one of my favorite places in Beijing. We easily spent the better part of the day exploring the park and all of its offerings, including wandering into restricted territories on more than one occasion. I don't know any other capital that has this much space devoted to such an ancient park (complete with halls of benevolence, towers of buddhist incense, and the works).

• Silk, pearls, and knock-offs

What else is China known for if not for their extensive source of cheap goods, undistinguishable knock-offs, and relentless shopkeepers? I could have spent hours at the Silk Street and Pearl Markets, if not for the headache from the sea of products and slew of badgering women that line these huge markets. Picture this: constant "hey you, you pretty"s shouted at you, as these women grab your arm and vie for your attention to check out their fake Converses, Gucci, Marc Jacobs, clothes, accessories, and handicrafts, all identical to the stall next to it--all spanning 4-5 floors of huge market space. The women get emotional, angered, they hit, smack, and get all out hysterical at you to get you to buy their products. The strategy: start at 10% of their asking price. None of that 50% ish here. What's interesting: they ALL speak English. It seems all the English-speakers of Beijing land a job at the Silk and Pearl Markets, because they definitely do not appear elsewhere.

• Mao

There's just something about Mao. Okay, so he was singlehandedly responsible for the egregious economical reforms that led to widespread famine and the deaths of millions in the People's Republic, but hey, the PRC is celebrating its 60 years. Regardless, there's just something about Mao. People worship their former Chairman the way they worship a god. Besides the fact that so many visit his remains on display to pay their homage everyday, you can't turn a corner in Beijing without being offered some kind of Mao paraphernalia, from watches to hats, to alarm clocks and flags, you can't get away. We couldn't even get a clear picture in with the Chairman.

• Olympic Green

It's not all about the ancient in the PRC. The Chinese certainly didn't hit their peak with the Forbidden City, and I know they haven't topped themselves yet. Afterall, they can make it snow (they make it rain), clear the clouds, and control the weather. So the Bird's nest and the Cube are just another amazing feat to add to their repertoire. What did we do to celebrate the nest? We flapped.

• The Wall

The good wall? After a 10km hike along the Jinshanling portion, I deemed this wall Great. Jinshanling, over 3 and 1/2 hours outside of the city, was as non-touristy as it gets. We hiked for 4 hours, climbed slopes and unforgiving steps easily 1/4 my body height, with images of Mulan and flashes of LotR in my mind. Maybe the Wall didn't serve it's original purpose, but this was easily one of the most spectacular sites I've ever seen. The views were breathtaking and the wall a masterpiece. Jinshanling was well preserved, not restored, and definitely contained areas that showed the true age of the wall. The Wall continued to stretch up and down at least another 9000 some kilometers, but I can successfully say I climbed the Great Wall.

• Teatime in Houhai

On my last morning in Beijing, I went back to this lake area called Houhai that was lined with clubs/bars/stalls and little alleys full of shops--a real local hang out with very few westerners. I went into this shop on my own down a windy alley (picture Diagon Alley), and I was definitely the storekeeper's --the old grandpa man-- first customer of the day. We were having this conversation that was something like one word English, the rest in hand gestures. The shopkeeper was clearly intrigued by me: I was someone to him who looked Indian, sounded American, and claimed to be from Hong Kong. So as I was turning to leave the old shopkeeper pointed outside to the snow and invited me for a cup of tea. I sat down at a small tea table set up in his shop. He then proceeded to go through this elaborate tea ceremony with banging cups, pots, and bowls, and finally ended the procession by nonchalantly pouring a cup of steaming water on a large wooden frog with a wooden coin in its mouth facing me. The frog began to change color and the man spinned the coin and said "for you, lots of money and good luck in your future." The water boiled, he made me the best fruit tea I've ever had, we bowed to one another, and sipped our tea as we sat in silence, as it snowed, in this little windy alley.

Cheers, PRC. My dual entry may be up, but I will be back.

Richa