Let's talk more about Beijing..........

Before I get started with the discussion of Beijing, I want to talk a bit about my feelings upon arriving in Beijing.

Of course, I was thousands of miles from home and in one of the most mysterious countries in the world. The first night I felt very alone. This was mainly because nothing was familiar. Oh, yes, there were the ads for American products. McDonald's is big in Beijing, but nothing else was the same. I didn't even know how I would pay for things. The monetary system is soooo different. But you know, everything worked out just fine.

Beijing is in the midst of a major reconstruction for the 2008 Olympics. Everywhere that we went there were huge cranes. Along with this modern equipment, however, there were many workers using picks and shovels.

I can describe many things for you, but the one thing I have no way to compare for you is, how people in Beijing drive! I like to call it organized chaos.

The pedestrian does not have the right-of-way in Beijing. When asked this question our guide simply replied, "If the driver were to stop for the people, he would never be able to start again".

The one thing that I never did see was anyone getting upset at the situation. "Road Rage" is not even in the Chinese vocabulary. They simply take things is stride. We can learn much from them.

There are so many stark contrasts in the city. On one hand you have the large sky-scrapers and on the other hand you have the hutongs. The sad part is that many of the historic buildings were torn down during the revolution. Now they are beginning to renovate the ones remaining.