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Other entries in Peking

It's Hot.

Has it only been a few days?!? I've done a lot in that time. A few highlights:

• After watching Anthony Bourdain of No Reservations-fame wax poetic about a certain roast duck here in Beijing, I was inspired to track down the exact place where he said it was THE best and sure enough, it was one of the best things I've ever eaten. The meat is hard to describe, but delectable is a good staring point. It came with some bok choy and mushrroms, cucumbers in garlic sauce, an egg roll and peanuts boiled in vinegar. The last one sounds weird, but it too, was great. A word in general about the food...Wow! I have had one amazing thing after another, even without that duck! The vegetables in particular, are so fresh and full of flavor. It's really incredible and the price couldn't be better.
• The Great Wall: It sounds cliché to say that this is one of those things that has to be seen with his own eyes, but clichés be damned because despite all the pictures I'd seen, holy cow! I signed up for a tour today to see the Wall. I normally hate anything tour-like but sometimes, it really is the best way to go. This company was good- we weren't dragged to go shopping or anything like that. We went to a part of the wall that is nowhere near as frequented as the part that most tourists visit. It could not have worked out better. Stunning is a word that leaps to mind. And humbling, as well. Because that little part I saw was a blip in the grand scheme of things...it measures 3,000 miles. When you are on it and see the enormity of it, you can't fathom that the thing would reach from one coast of the U.S. to the other were it laid out end-to-end. We were also fortunate in that it was an incredible day. Heck, the sky was blue for a good part of it. But man, was it hot and humid...yes, Bangkok-like.  Today was one of those days where you find out if your deodorant lives up to its advertisement. And to top it all off, to get down from the wall (I took a furnicular car to get up) you can take a tobagon to zoom down in a matter of a couple of minutes. It was like the Matterhorn ride at Dismalland, I swear.
• The Forbidden City: Truth be told, a little disappointing. Don't get me wrong, the place is incredible. It is enormous. It is a staggering thing. But you can't actually ennter any rooms and after a while, a lot of it looks like the rest of it and you find yourself wondering if you hadn't already see that part. Oh, and despite the fact that I got there before the gates even opened, within 60 minutes I think all of Beijing was there with me.
• Traffic: It can't all be positive. I thought that Mexico City had the worst traffic but the ride back to my hotel today from across town sealed the deal on Beijing. Honestly, I think the new blood sport in this country has to be driving. Not only are there far too may cars on the road but the drivers here have to be the worst drivers I've ever seen. The rules of the road are apprently a suggestion, not so much rules. And while I say they are so terrible, I have to admit that given the general disorder, not to mention the staggering number of people on bicycles and pedestrians...it is nothing short of a miracle that I have yet to see even a fender-bender. So as bad as they are, they make it work. Where I would drive in a heartbeat in Mexico City, you couldn't get me behind the wheel of a parked car in this town.

Enough for now. I'll do one more post from here on Saturday before I hop on a night train for Xi'an and those Terracotta Soldiers.

Stay cool.

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