beijing photo diary. part 1.

Ornaments at Behai Park | Inside the Forbidden City | Qianhai Lake | Details at the Summer Palace | Lakeside at Behai Park | The closest thing Beijing will ever get to New York | Kunming Lake at the Summer Palace.

There are some things that are better said captured in photo rather than film. The same can be said vice versa. These are snippets of my life in Beijing thus far, taken on my trusty Olympus Pen who has held up surprisingly well, making this city seem more exotic and alluring than it really is. I wanted to snap simple details in these scenes like the lake in Behai lined with willows, the decoration on old style buildings and temples and the Russian street somewhat reminiscent of New York (or so I like to think). I know what you're thinking. It's missing two of the most important aspects of a trip away (for a blogger anyway): food and fashion.

In terms of food, trust me I'm eating a lot and it's ridiculously cheap but for the most part, pretty poorly laid out. I eat out of tiny plastic bags or on sticks (hello street vendors) while the cafeteria serves up large portions of food that are just piled on a plate. The most attractive things I've eaten thus far have been salad and pasta, neither of which are of Chinese origins.  So no points for presentation but an 8 for taste, 10 for price and 11 for oiliness. You probably won't recognise me when I'm back.

And as for fashion, living out of a suitcase for a month warrants a heavy rotation of nothing but plain tee shirts and shorts. I have no iron and everything has to be hand washed and hung on a chair by my window. It averages around 30 degrees daily (except the past few days it has been raining) and I'd much prefer to sweat it out in a grey muscle singlet rather than a silk shirt that crinkles once washed, am I right? Let's just say I'm starting to understand why college kids wear thongs, shorts and a hoodie regardless of the weather. Guilty as charged. 

2 comments Beijing , China , travel , travel diary

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