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Robyn
And Ben
In Hong Kong

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Monday, May 07, 2007

Things you should know about Beijing

Things you should know about Beijing

  1. If you wish to cross the road DO NOT assume that the green flashing man means it is safe to do so. Cars ignore this green man and make you wish you took out extra life insurance. This is especially true when crossing TEN LANES of traffic!
  2. In Beijing taxi doors only open on the right.
  3. If a structure is more than a few years old it will be pulled down in preparation for the Beijing Olympics
  4. If a structure is new and shiny it will have been built for the Olympics
  5. Do not use pictures to order food, unless you are happy eating the stomach of a duck
  6. If you want to visit the great wall then be prepared to take a bus to the nearest town then barter with a complete stranger who owns a car to drive you there. Believe it or not there is no public transport route to the good parts of the great wall.
  7. Don't worry about visiting any theme parks in Beijing. Just take a taxi and get the thrills and danger for a fraction of the cost.
  8. Learn some of the language before you arrive. If I did not have someone who could speak Mandarin with me I would not have been able to even find a toilet without having to mime actions.
  9. Be prepared to be stared at sometimes.
  10. It is an amazing place.

I'm still in Beijing at the moment. I will fill you in on what I have got up to when I arrive in Hong Kong. Having a great time and it seems Robyn has some stories to tell me when I get back!

It's my birthday tomorrow!!!

bx

posted by robynandben at 4:57 PM

6 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

glad you are having a good time ben and yes I remember well that its your birthday tomorrow..... I would wouldnt I..... hippo birdy two ewes, hippo .........

3:21 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Happy birthday bro, well technically it is your birthday here as it is nearly 4 in the morning, check your bank account for your present, glad you are having a good time, miss you lots, Jack xxx

9:53 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday Ben. Glad you're enjoying Beijing. Is there a Starbucks?!
Cheers
Dave

10:58 PM  
Blogger robynandben said...

Funny you should ask - he bought one of those beautiful mugs like the HK one you got given by the nice Starbucks girl...except he paid money for it... R x

7:42 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

and that's why I learn a bit of the language wherever I go! Make a note for Malaysia....not to mention Beijing...AND NEW ZEALAND where they speak a dialect of "Strine" mixed with 1950's English I hear.
Love
Dad/Dave xx

10:19 PM  
Blogger robynandben said...

So I can get a Starbucks mug...? ;)

10:14 AM  

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