After returning back to the hotel from work, I witnessed a rare sight outside my window - blue Beijing sky with whispy clouds and a clear horizon that allowed me to see the full expanse of the city and the mountains beyond (I didn't even know Beijing was surrounded by mountains).
As you may have seen from some of the news reports, pollution is a significant issue for the organizers of the Beijing Olympics. Despite the government's measures to curb pollution in the city - including removing half the cars from the road, seeding clouds to induce rain, moving of polluting factories and reduced operating time for remaining manufacturing - last week's air quality in Beijing had not seen any major improvement. But the last couple days, thanks to some rain (natural or man-made, I'm not sure), the miasma that usually envelops the city has been non-existent. Colours jump out in vibrant display, freed from the heavy haze.
Not wanting to let such a wonderful Beijing evening go to waste, Jessie, Catherine and I went out for a walk. We originally wanted to take a pedicab tour of some old hutongs that was recommended by our Lonely Planet guide but we were unable to find the location (I am finding the Lonely Planet China to be not very impressive). Instead, we decided to walk over to Tiananmen Square. We were greeted by a large crowd of people surrounding the world's largest square; turns out we made it in time to watch the lowering of the Chinese flag. After the flag was removed, we made our way into the Square itself to take some photos. The place was full of people with everyone also out enjoying the wonderful summer evening. People were taking photos in front of the Olympic decorations and the Forbidden City. Chinese people sat in groups on the concrete. It all felt very Chinese, and a sense of excitement was definitely in the air with the Olympic Games fast approaching (I took a photo of the timer at exactly 7 days left till the start of the games).
After Tiananem, we took the subway to a Mexican restaurant by the Silk Market recommended by Jessie. We sat outside on their patio and enjoyed an excellent meal of nachos, tacos, burritos, chimichangas and drinks. The best moment was probably after we finished our meal and the live artist began playing Heart of Gold by Neil Young - in Beijing, eating Mexican listening to Neil Young (talk about globalization).
It was evenings such as these that have me so excited about living in Beijing for the next little while.
G
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