Blogs from Chaoyang district, Beijing, China, Asia

Hi Everyone, I really must apologise for taking such a long break from this blog. The problem is that I am having so much fun living in Beijing. I never imagined that there would be so much to do year-round. I have a weekly two-hour one-to-one Mandarin class, plus a taije class once or twice a week. Almost every week, sometimes even twice, I go to Chinese films in one of three or four venues that play films made by Chines directors, not Hollywood-style, with subtitles in Mandarin and English and often a Q/A afterwards with the director. On the weekends when I’m not travelling I go hiking to the mountains and villages outside Beijing with the Beijing Hikers or the Culture Yard. I’ve also made a real effort to visit some of the popular tourist ... read more

OK.. I have to get better at doing this blogging stuff.. so here goes... As for the heading... Beijing is a big, busy place. Yeah, I know, chronic understatement. Think of it as the whole population of Australia living in one big city. And with so many people all in the same spot, there just seems to be more people than space sometimes. But the place where it is most evident is on the roads. Yesterday, I found myself stuck in Gridlock traffic, kilometers away from the center of Beijing at 3:30 on a Saturday afternoon. The only time you may experience that back home is if you are leaving a major event (ie. concert, sporting event etc...) but this was just a normal sleepy Saturday in China. It was while I sat in the traffic ... read more

Well, It was great to see Chinese New Year, but boy am I glad that is all over! In truth, the New year only last for 1 week, but unofficially, the fireworks continue for another week. It has been amazing to see, the night sky awash with fireworks... but it really plays havoc with the sllep patterns. The fireworks have to be loud, to scare away the demons, devils or whatever.. and they go all night. So, I have not been getting much sleep. :o( On the work front, we have no relocated to the permanant office, which is nicer than the temporary place we were at. I have a lot to do here, training over a dozen people to perform a challenging role, and I only have a matter of weeks to do so. This ... read more

Hi folks.. Survived the first day at the office.. Its going to hurt working these hours until I get used to it. And there are a few things I am going to have to work on getting accustomed to. Pets in the hotel... Not used to seeing dogs and cats in the lift. Road laws... There aren't any Keanu Reeves... Living next door (Yep.. He's here filming a movie living in the same apartments as I am) Dairy Products... What the??? Dont seem to exist here. Im stuck with that horrible powdered creamer crap in my coffee... :o( Bread... see above Firworks... Chinese New year last week, and the local have only this week to use any left overs before they are banned for another 50 weeks. Each night, it sounds like a war going on ... read more

Well.. here I am. Arrived at some god awful hour this morning after the flight from Singapore had technical issues and we had to change plane. Ive unpacked, the apartment seems to be great for a family looking to spend some time in Beijing. Big enough for all of us... (when all of us arrive) and enough room for everyone to have their own space. Looking out the window of the apartment... It looks like there is a nice park down there.. Only problem is, it is surrounded by a huge fence, and I cant see any gates. I can also see a Bus depot. That has no fence and is easily accessable. :oP Its actually quite cold here. It was -6 when I got in last night, and still not over 0 degrees.. no snow ... read more

A few snaps of the apartment... read more