Comments on: Yes, You Really Do Need A Week in Beijing

By: Theodora

Theodora — Thu, 05 Dec 2013 06:57:32 +0000

In reply to jalakeli. Thank you! That's really good to know.

By: jalakeli

jalakeli — Thu, 05 Dec 2013 01:35:49 +0000

This post helped tremendously with our trip to Beijing in July, thank you!
We were there two weeks and very glad for the ‘extra’ time to rehydrate between adventures.

By: Theodora

Theodora — Sat, 13 Oct 2012 08:26:41 +0000

In reply to Vicky. It's fantastic, it really is. I do hope you enjoy Beijing as much as we did. (Oh, and avoid the tea scam. And the art scam. And the fake note scam...)

By: Vicky

Vicky — Sat, 13 Oct 2012 03:04:16 +0000

Just got to China – and are currently in Beijing. Very excited about spending 6 days here and being able to spread out the sights a bit. Heading to the Forbidden City today and highly looking forward to it!

By: Theodora

Theodora — Sat, 06 Oct 2012 11:37:58 +0000

In reply to John. Fantastic! And, the way this year is going, it sounds like about the right price for us. Thank you! The only problem is, Zac liked the place we stayed last, which had PlayStation and a flatscreen TV with extensive DVD library, although even in November the heating was, umm, Chinese.

By: John

John — Sat, 06 Oct 2012 07:19:26 +0000

Right. It is now Autumn. You are not here. If you like the wall you should check out Great Wall Fresh. Just google it. Went there last week. 50RMB a night for the room. Lovely food.

By: Theodora

Theodora — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 17:00:34 +0000

In reply to Sophie HeadingThere. Hey! That's excellent. China is amazing, it totally rocks. Beijing can feel bewildering at first, but it's a phenomenal city.

By: Sophie HeadingThere

Sophie HeadingThere — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 16:28:08 +0000

Wow, these pics are incredible! I am heading to Thailand soon for travel writing trips and hope to make it up to China. Everything I see and hear about Beijing makes me want to go there. Thanks for the inspitarion!

By: Theodora

Theodora — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 18:18:19 +0000

In reply to Elizabeth.

Wow! Maybe I just got unlucky in our third-city malls.

I’m kind of cavalier about safety after two years in Asia, so taxi drivers no longer scare me, although I didn’t drive in China as I didn’t buy a vehicle. But, yes, you certainly can’t expect things to work or be safe as they would do in the West.

I love China, though, and looking forward to going back in Autumn, hopefully for a six-month stint with Z in a Chinese school. Are your kids in a local school, or international?

By: Elizabeth

Elizabeth — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 18:12:22 +0000

Not in a million years would I board a ride in a Chinese amusement park … after two years living in China, I’ve seen first hand how shoddy maintenance can be (the kids’ playground in our complex should have been condemned) … we make sure not to walk on man hole covers, not trust railings, and keep our eyes wide open.
That said, we love China, haven’t had many bad toilet experiences (all the malls in our 2nd tier city have decent squats, generally fairly clean) … it is the taxis that bother us and far too often we are requesting “man yi dian” (slow a little) to no avail … however have mastered driving albeit VERY defensively.