Flashback: Beijing Blog #6

[This is the last Beijing blog. I can’t remember why we stopped after only four months of our twelve months there.]

6 Nov 2005

It seems appropriate to write our next Beijing update on a day when pollution levels outside are “level 5” (the highest is 5) – and you are recommended not to go outside!  Even though Beijing is known as the most polluted city in the world, this type of pollution has not been common place during our stay.  Photos show the view from our apartment on some beautifully clear days, as well as the soupy days like today.  While the government is happy to boast 200 clear days a year, they have a website showing pollution measurements [no longer active] illustrates the big spike in pollution we are having right now.  We currently aren’t feeling any symptoms, but when the recommendation for level 5 states: “The aged and patients should stay indoors and avoid strength draining; the ordinary should avoid outdoor activities.”, it is a bit worrying!  However, when it is clear, the days are beautiful.  The mornings and evenings are starting to get cool and you need a jacket – with the days still being warm.  Ponds have been drained in anticipation of freezes, but it hasn’t happened yet. 

We have now been here for nearly 4 months, and we are amazed by how much we have already seen and done – without feeling we are stretching ourselves.  Indeed, one reason we want to get this update out now is because we have exciting things happening for the next 3 weekends – plenty of fodder for another update!  Since our last update 2 months ago, we had 3 “outings” – so let’s cover them first.

We took a 4-day cruise on the Yangtze river through the Three Gorges.  It was about a 2 hour flight from Beijing to Yichang (most impressed by the domestic Chinese air carrier – though they do use 737s), and then we cruised up-river.  The first day, we saw the Three Gorges Dam (when completed, will be the largest in the world), and then steamed through a series of 4 locks.  The dam is highly controversial because of the flooding that it has caused behind the dam – raising water levels 80 metres.  1.3 million people have had to be relocated, and many historical artifacts are now underwater, lost for ever.  However, it is estimated it will produce 11-15% of China’s electricity needs – which is key as China is the world’s largest producer of greenhouse gases and related – and its economy is still growing at a tremendous rate.  In any case, the controversy leads to interesting discussions, and locals weren’t afraid to share their opinions!  On the other days, we took a side trip up a tributary in much smaller boats, and visited a Pagoda and market, and had a good tour at Chongqing (the largest city in China with a population of >24 million) where we got off the boat and flew back to Beijing.  All very enjoyable and relaxing  – perhaps because a large part of the time we could spend in our room, with the kids trapped – while still watching the scenery float by!

On Samuel’s first birthday, we had decided to do a couple of tours that might appeal to him – visit the Pandas at the zoo, and then the Summer Palace which has a fun boat ride.  Unfortunately, the weather was not cooperative, and it was a wet and miserable day.  We did manage to see the rear-end of a panda, though Samuel was far more interested in the plush ones at the shop, and Bailey was far more interested in umbrellas!  After that, we headed to the summer palace, but it was very misty, and the kids got wet, then cold, so our visit there was brief!  We had our worst meal in China at a tourist restaurant geared to tour groups, and then saw our highest prices so far at a tourist pearl factory!  But all in all, the day was actually a lot of fun.  It’s odd how these things work out.  In the evening, Samuel opened his presents before we went to eat at our favourite local Chinese (A Home Away From Home), before returning home for his fun Ice Cream cake – with which he made a suitable mess!

Our third trip was to the Great Wall.  We went to MuTianYu – the second closest to Beijing, to avoid the crowds.  It was still fairly busy, but the weather was beautiful, and we went with another couple of families which was fun.  The wall is in a very hilly region, and it involves quite a bit of trekking to get to it – even when there is a cable car!  The wall is certainly quite a sight – and we look forward to visiting other parts of it. 

Both of us are taking Chinese lessons – Janet 3 sessions per week at 3 hours per session, and Peter 1 session at 1.5 hours per week, supplemented with some CDs.  We both are learning slowly, but are starting to be able to speak a few more words – but still a long way from conversations.  Just when we think we might start being able to distinguish the tones, we get told an equivalent of a tongue twister – but I guess it’s more of a tone-twister. “Ma ma chi ma ma ma ma ma ma ma” (with the right tones, of course) means “mother rides the horse, the horse is so slow, so the mother scolds the horse (we actually recorded it).  At least now, we can discuss our children, and ask locals about their family.   

After a couple of false starts, we now have an Ayi – Ling Xia.  Mainly, she babysits while Janet is having her language lessons, and perhaps every other Saturday night so we can have a date night.  However, we’re already feeling a little protective – as she almost treats the kids (especially Samuel) as if they are hers.  I think this is more a reaction from her that it is her job to look after the kids so that when she is around, she feels obliged.  It’s not something we want to get used to though!

For the rest, I think it’s more fun just to put down many of the one-line anecdotes which we are already treating as a part of every day life:

• Drivers are always honking their horn through impatience, but very rarely in anger.
• The food shops smell funny.
• A cell phone worked fine on the Great Wall, which was in the middle of nowhere!
• It’s difficult to find a good photo lab for developing film (but I think we have now!)
• You have to strap your children into their stroller – not so they crawl out, but to prevent locals just picking them up!  After 3 months, we have run out of patience with people wanting to take photos with them.
• We have 3 light switches next to each other in a few rooms.  When you turn all of them on at once, you trip the circuit breaker, and blow a bulb.
• Friends say “I promised myself I would not give in to the Chinese fashion styles, but have failed”, as she is wearing pink with orange and red.
• It’s quite common close to the large hotels to see Western couples with a Chinese baby that they have just adopted.
• When you see a Western man with an Asian woman (who generally looks younger), you assume it is a short-term relationship (though in many cases it probably isn’t!)
• When we go cycling with our bike buggy for the kids, we will get comments from almost everyone we pass.  At least we’re visible!
• Sit-down toilets are few and far between, and are generally labeled for either the handicapped, or “old man”. With this in mind, the Beijing Tourist Bureau rates their facilities, and a 4 star rating is something to be proud of!
• If we go outside with our children with some leg-skin showing, numerous local women will fuss at us, pulling up the child’s socks, or their trouser legs down to cover it.  This is when it isn’t even that cold outside yet!.
• When you go to check into a hotel, 3 different people will check you in – one taking your credit card, a different one giving it back, and a different one giving you your key!
• A friend has such a small kitchen that she comes to our place to cook us dinner – just for the joy of using a larger kitchen.
• A batch of brownies turns out a bit hard – so much so that we break a plastic spatula trying to serve them…
• Mustn’t forget – we’ve finally persuaded Samuel to take his first walking steps!  Still not too interested in talking though.
• Many local restaurants and supermarkets will deliver – if you can actually tell them what you want!

I’m finishing this note the day after I started, and it is now a beautiful clear day.  We’re waiting for our groceries to get delivered, and then we’re heading shopping.  In fact, they’ve just arrived!  I’ve included links to many of the pictures on our webpage, but if you want to take a look at all of them, the address is www.cajunlimeys.smugmug.com [no longer active].   We are constantly updating pictures to the kids galleries and adding new galleries as new events occur in our lives.  Enjoy!

Peter, Janet, Bailey and Samuel