Made In China: 北京 Edition Vol. 2

So what do you do when you land in Beijing by yourself in the middle of the night???  Well apparently whatever you want. A good friend of mine said " Its a strange thing to travel by one's self, there's a lot of time spent thinking, and a lot of forced interaction."  I however found it to be one of the most insightful experiences since the duration of my time in Asia.  I took a train from the airport to the city center where I planned to start my journey. Along the way I was helped by various Beijing'ers and others who just wanted to practice their English. This was a bit different from the "Gawk and Awe" approach that is usually reserved for the people of South Korea. Much like southern China I found that the people from the north can be just as warm and welcoming as those in Guangzhou.  At one point while wandering the city center, I  was approached by a guy who offered to help. (I guess I must of really looked lost). About 2 minutes of the usual  "where are you from" icebreaker stuff, I found myself in a really interesting debate about the NBA/ Lebron James situation and why even a stranger from China thinks it was unethical and  an over all a poor choice for LBJ.  Did I mention that their English is a bit better over here??  Also it should be noted that China has a huge  passion for the NBA. Their most famous "National Brew" has the NBA logo printed right on the bottle.  I suppose you can thank Yao Ming for that.

After an insightful conversation with this nice guy,  I offered to buy him a Tsingtao.  I then made my way to my Couch Surfer Adam's  place.  Adam had been my only contact in Beijing....and Adam was a complete stranger.  In an earlier post I explained the concept of Couch Surfing. If you missed that or simply don't want to go back  and look for it: Click Here. This being my second time surfing (and first time alone)  I was still a bit nervous.  But much like the Lebron hater I had randomly met on the street, Adam did a fantastic job welcoming me to Beijing.



So How much does a Polar Bear weigh you ask?  
Well, enough to break the ice, thanks to some of the local brew and
some intense conversations concerning the strange place that is Asia. Adam and I hit it off immediately.  I stayed at his place for the first two nights of my Beijing experience.  I dug it so much that later in the week I went back, but this time, according to Adam,  not as a CSer  but as a "mate".   Adam was the first person I've ever met from the Isle of Man.    A strange little place with the locals as backwards and awkward as my home town of Alliance, Ohio.  After a few stories and Tsingtao's  Adam introduced me to Beijing's nightlife. The  atmosphere that first night can only be remotely compared to  my first time on Khao San Road in Bangkok.  I woke up the next morning with a headache the size of China.  I looked in my wallet and realized that my first night of China's  clubs, confusion, and craziness, had only cost me nine dollars.  It was then when I realized this trip was going epic.

Next up part 3: The Great Wall