Getting to Beijing was pretty easy. I left my room at 11am and headed to BCN airport for my 3:50pm flight. (You'll notice that I don't mess around anymore with flight times. Thank you, Seville.) The flight to Frankfurt was as pleasant as can be. I sat next to a lovely Spanish couple heading to Istanbul for the weekend with whom I discussed the best restaurants in Barcelona and the sights I shouldn't miss in Beijing. My window seat came in handy when we passed over the Swiss Alps, I only regret not having my camera on me because they were spectacular.
The flight from Frankfurt to Beijing was a quick 8 hours, most of which I slept through. As it turns out, my fellow GBHP-ers on Continental got to choose from over 300 movies to watch, as well as video games, TV shows, and music channels. My Air China plane was a little less equipped, offering only Mulan and The Forbidden Kingdom with Jet Li, Jackie Chan, and a whole cast of Chinese martial artists. Still airborne, I already felt in the thresholds of the communist regime. So I took an AdvilPM, came to only for meals, and landed in Beijing the next morning.
I had to wait a few hours before reuniting with my friends, so I celebrated globalization and went to Starbucks. I ordered a Green Tea Latte, which I figured was the most Chinese thing on the menu, and listened to my podcast. I learned Xiè xie (Thank you), Nǐ hǎo (Hello), Zie jian (Goodbye), Qǐng gěi wǒ zhège/nàge (I would like this/that), Fúwùyuán (Waiter), and Dùi bù qĭ (I'm sorry). I was ready.
Then GBHP's flight landed, and I spent the next week talking/catching up. It's among the best feelings in the world to see great friends after a very long time only to find out that getting along is just as easy as it always was. I mean, I didn't expect anything less, but the confirmation is always nice.
On the first full day we went to the Great Wall Mutianyu in a blistery cold snowstorm. It was the first snowstorm in Beijing since at least January - evidently, record-smashing snow just follows me wherever I go - but the weather made the site only more magnificent. You know that massive fantasy fortress you dreamed of as a child? We had it. With snowballs. As usual, my poor extremities had the hardest time retaining heat, so dinner at a hotpot restaurant (like fondue) was very welcome after the long day, after which most of us retired for the night.
J.Vo, Me, and Sidney at Great Wall Mutianyu, (C) Jim, who took 2800 photos with his new DSLR camera.
The next day we saw Tian'anmen Square, Forbidden City, the Drum Tower, the Old Hutong neighborhoods and the Houhai Lake area. Tian'anmen Square was kinda just concrete. I mean, it was awesome because of its history, but not all that aesthetically pleasing. Similarly, the Forbidden City was pretty outstanding in size and architectural splendor, but the extreme winter winds made it more of a test of endurance than a effortless afternoon of sightseeing. Of course, after a quick stop to buy hand-warmers (aka hot tea), we went onward to take a rickshaw through Old Hutong. Hutongs are narrow streets or alleys that divide the siheyuan courtyard residences that historically housed high-ranking officials of the Ming Dynasty. Now, however, the hutongs are in poor condition and are reserved for Beijing's poorer populations. We were lucky enough to have a peek inside one before heading to the Drum Tower. After a brief but intense drum show, we welcomed our dinner feast in Houhai, a lake in central Beijing that also boasts Beijing's best nightlife. So obviously we didn't go home after dinner. Best thing about Beijing night life: bargaining. Don't want to pay 20 kuai (USD $2.94) for a beer? After a few minutes of effective haggling, you can get that price down to 10 kuai per beer. We also had power in numbers. Traveling in packs meant we brought a lot of business to whomever offered the lowest price. Huge thrill.
Windy at Tian'anmen Square, (c) Jim.
GBHP Rickshaws through Hutongs.
The next day was the best, by far. If you think spending a day listening to lectures about China's history and business in China would be boring, you haven't met a certain managing director for a venture capital firm, neither of which shall be named in this post. Let's just say, he overstepped his 75-minute time limit by an hour and a half, and it became very apparent that he didn't really want to teach us anything, he just wanted to talk to Americans. Poor guy needed to get out of China pronto. He did have some inspiring quotes to share with us, though - none of which has any relevant application to business or life in China. In short, he was the biggest inside joke to ever happen to GBHP 2011 AND 2012 combined. Oh, dang!
That night we went to Wangfujing Street, a street of malls, souvenir shops, and a long strip of open-air booths selling everything from candied fruit to sea urchins - all on a stick. To start things off, Jake bought a snake. That's about the time I left, basically because Jake bought/ate a snake. As well as a silk worm, which wasn't to his liking. I had a nice vegetarian meal at a restaurant nearby with a few guys from GBHP 2012, after which I deeply regretted not getting to know them last year. I truly enjoyed spending a week with the class of 2012 as much as I did with 2011.
Wangfujing's Delectable Offerings.
The Silk and Pearl Markets were next on the agenda, which meant more bargaining. The bargaining effect could easily have been the most exciting element of our trip. Imagine thirty some-odd college-aged business students with a passion for dealmaking in a country where goods are cheap and a great buy is only a haggle away. Result? We went to three markets and some of us went back for more. Silk ties, leather jackets, knock-off watches, pearls, jade, custom-made suits, prescription glasses - you name, we bought it. EVERYTHING WAS SO CHEAP. I proved myself to be a pretty masterful negotiator, following the advice of my management teacher last year: Never set the anchor price, don't talk too much, and always identify your BATNA ("Best Alternative To the Negotiated Agreement"), which in this case was the price the anonymous/non-existent vendor down the hall was offering. Win.
Thursday night we accompanied our friend Yves to a Dadong Roast Duck Restaurant in Jinbao Place, a very ritzy luxury shopping center that also houses a 5-star cinema. Yves' kind parents insisted that we eat the best of Chinese cuisine to fully understand the country's history and culture. Remember when I said my life's dream is to go to El Bulli? Well I could probably die happy now never having stepped foot in the place because Dadong was an out-of-this-world gastronomic experience. The food looked like art, the flavors were new, and the company was perfect. We were spoiled.
We sat in a private room at a table with a Lazy Susan that may have been 8 or 10 feet in diameter. The table was already packed with delectable little appetizers that looked almost too good to eat, including variations of a Chinese sesame ball filled with red bean paste, which is actually sweet! Of course, Dadong is best know for their roast duck, which is only 15% fat in comparison to the average 40%. Beijing roast duck is served on a plate with sugar, a BBQ-type sauce, julienned veggies, and a very thin pancake-like wrap with which to make a little duck burrito of sorts. The roast duck in sugar was a sweet and salty snack with lots of crunch.
I won't torment you with details of the rest of our dinner, but some of the highlights were pasta noodles made out of lobster meat, Eastern Star fish soup in a lobster broth, bamboo shoots, and two desserts. The first included a martini glass of tiramisu, candied cherry apples stuffed with chocolate, fresh melon and kiwis, and mango ice cream. Yes, yes. This is indeed my dream dessert. The other was a chocolate land mine filled with chocolate 'debris' and candies made of chocolate and pop rocks.
Dessert #1 had Mad Game.
The entire thing included maybe 30 courses, the majority of which I fear I've eventually forgotten, though the three shots of baiju may be more to blame than the passage of time for that. Gan bei!
The trip ended with a visit with a final company visit from The Nielsen Company's branch in China so that was obviously my favorite. Afterwards we booked it to the Summer Palace, a garden almost 2 miles in area, most of which is actually water. While the Great Wall was breathtaking, this was my favorite part of the trip if only because the weather was much more agreeable. It was a bit foggy, but I think this added to the quiet mysteriousness of the garden and Beijing, in general. Cameras always at hand, the crew got a number of Facebook-worthy pics before taking the subway back to the hotel to get ready for our traditional Chinese show and dinner.
Summer Palace. Note the brand new PRADA prescription glasses for USD $30.
The last stop on the Beijing whirlwind tour was obviously Olympic Park. I had been told that it's best to see at night, all lit up. So I stood in awe of the Bird's Nest and the Cube, where Michael Phelps made history. It would have been better to have seen the Olympics, but not a bad view overall.
Dan, Me, Jake @ Da Cube.
Saturday, I got up early to pack and sneak out before my GBHP colleagues to head back to Barcelona. 21 hours of total traveling with a -7 hour time change made for a late Saturday night and a disorienting Sunday, but I took the advice of my worldly Uncle Greg and worked out as soon as I could to get me back on track. Now, I'm just biding my time until Tuesday, when I finally get to spend time with my bff, Ryan. Greatness.
Gah. That was a long post. Thank you so much for reading through to the end - I promise never wait so long to blog again.
Hasta pronto!
<3
P.S. - Yes, the bathrooms in China were pretty miserable. And remember the nifty tissues that I bought in case I should ever be stranded hovering over one of these holes without toilet paper? Turns out I accidentally bought offensively fragrant lavender-scented ones - not helpful.
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