The official Spring Festival/Chinese New Year holiday has come to a close.
(Marking the arrival of the new year and spring.) Here in Beijing it certainly feels like spring even though I’m sure the temps will drop again before spring is official. Right now it’s 14C and so warm I had to buy a new coat. (Had to! Was forced!! So many cute spring leather jackets in the stores! I had to!) So it’s the end of the holiday and I’m still in Beijing instead of Linyi, where I should be. (To be precise I am having lunch at Element Fresh, a sandwich and smoothie type place. It’s so good that this is my third visit since Thursday!)
I have a few doctor visits to make (vaccines and such) before returning to Linyi on Tuesday morning. I’ve been going to the International SOS clinic, which is outrageously expensive but also super clean, efficient, organized and personal. They offer seriously great health care. (Yes, better than in the US, but for their prices, they should.) I’m squeamish about doctors and such so I’m pretty high maintenance when it comes to healthcare. (And as an RN I mostly avoid going to the doctor anyway.) Thank god for insurance.
After our less than relaxing holiday in Harbin and Yabuli (full intention to blog about it soon…), spending time in Beijing has been like a return to sanity. I don’t like to be negative in my trip reports, mostly because I’ve had few negative experiences. This trip, however, was full of annoyances and grief. Oh, if I had it to do over again…
So, back to Beijing. I initially planned to stay for two days and while away my time in various cafes. Last minute additions to my clinic schedule meant five days in Beijing. (That’s a lot of coffee!) I’ve already seen the Great Wall. I’ve been twice to the Forbidden City. What to do? Shopping for my birthday present seemed like a good idea. Laying down a G on facial skin care products for my nearly 34 year old face was very satisfying. A girl’s got to take care of the skin in a country with air as icky as China. (Thank god that G was in RMB not greenbacks! And if you’re reading this DH, it really is for my birthday.)
Other than a bit of browsing in the usual places, I did some window-shopping in a few expat-centric stores. If you are a Beijing expat and you happened to see a wide-eyed redhead wandering around your local gourmet supermarket, marvelling over such delights as dried lentils, natural yogurt and Skor chocolate bars, then you would know exactly how I have been entertaining myself the last few days! I feel like such a country bumpkin gone to town.
As for the DH, he’s back in Linyi, evidently gorging on sausages we bought in Harbin (The one success of our trip. They make good sausage up there.) The ski race he rushed back to compete in? He pretty much won. Pretty much? Confused? Yup, so is he. Seems the organizers weren’t crazy about the idea of a laowai winning a car (too much loss of face, I guess) so the rules were changed at the last minute. The rule change included the other prizes, a huge TV among them, and so the DH came home with another electric hot plate. The whole thing was not surprising or even unexpected, but annoying nonetheless. The foreigners are quite welcome when the TV station can get them to act the monkey and say something in Chinese on television, otherwise not so much. But we know who really won, don’t we?
So that’s that. Starting Tuesday I will have to go back to work and back to preparing lessons for a class I will teach who knows when. (Start sarcasm) I can hardly wait to get back to reality. (End sarcasm)
This afternoon I will spend some time in the Bookworm, and perhaps take a stroll near the Drum Tower down some small hutong lanes. There are blue skies out so best not to waste them!
Have a great week!
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Enjoy your time in Beijing – you’re right, it’s been oddly warm. Do you know, I’ve been here for almost 3 years and STILL haven’t been to the Bookworm. Okay, so I don’t know where you’re staying, but if you get bored of Element Fresh, go have a salad and latte at Chef Too. Or pizza at Kros Nest. Both are relatively near the US Embassy, taxi-wise. You could also go to Solana Mall, a big western-style mall next to Chaoyang Park. Too expensive to buy, but you can window shop. And then go down to the food court for excellent sandwiches at the greek place, or hot pot at Veg-On, and delicious inexpensive sorbet at the little shop in the food court. Seriously. Much better than another trip to the Forbidden City. Oh -and congrats to your husband on his almost-win.
Thanks Donna! I think you’ve just planned my lunch and afternoon for tomorrow! I read something about Solana but had completely forgotten about it. Sounds like it will make for good window shopping, something I should enjoy when the DH is not with me, since that is not his thing. As for the Bookworm, I like it because sitting in a room surrounded with books and good coffee is not something I get to experience too often back in Linyi!