I visited Beijing for a week last chrismas with Ann. When I was a kid and I hated travelling, Beijing was known as Pekin and I only knew about it because I liked to read Tintin comic books. Pekin was an exotic city on the other side of the world where lots of Chinese people lived and they were all day smoking opium. I finally went there 20 years later, and yes, there is a lot of people but no opium anymore.
Jumping on Tiananmen gate
Beijing’s airport, avenues and Chinese national buildings are built for giants. Beijing’s buildings look like the ones you can find on any other asian big city but the main avenues are wider so you don’t feel tiny sorrounded by tall buildings the way you do in Seoul or Tokio.
Lots of people live on this city. Really a lot. But Beijing’s winter is cold. Really cold. Maybe that’s why the amount of people on the streets was not overwhelmed: Chinese people stayed warm at home! Ann felt the same way, she even said that seems like there are more Chinese people in Toronto!
New year's eve 2009! Ann and I had dinner with some Couch Surfers followed with party on 798 district of Beijing.
The city is very easy to navigate for foreigners, all signs are written at least on Chinese and English. The people speaks basic English but they have a very thick accent. Ann had serious problems with it and I could barely understand anything!