Reply to: Has anyone been to Beijing?

[Paddy]

I was given a fried egg a bacon breakfast with chopsticks in Beijing. I asked for a knife and fork and they shrugged their shoulders so I drew a picture of a knife and fork. They thought I was tying to write Chinese and a group of them tried to work out what I was writing.

[scooterscot]

I've been to Barlinnie -

[tay]

I liked it.

Do bother.

[King Cnvt]

Man with one leg should not enter arse kicking competition.

[Lucy]

The fish follow the trawler if the captain is wise

Are you the trawler or the fish?

[sasguru]

The fish follow the trawler if the captain is wise

[Lucy]

It sounds awful, I adore HK, maybe I shouldn't bother.

[mrdonuts]

authentic and repulsive/inedible

they were probably taking the cn ut out of you, probably fed you pickled dog tulip

[Unwitting Catalyst]

you mean the chinese food is authentic unlike the chicken curry served down your local

try the gong de lin restaurant near the forbidden city

No doubt you go in and order in fluent Mandarin, being a bit of a Tim Westwood.

[Fishface]

the wierdest thing I saw there is an Argentine restaurant on one of the outer ring roads.

It has an obelisk a 3rd size of the one in Buenos Aires in the car park and the maitre'd wears military uniform of the argentine army in the 70's.

twighlight zone

[King Cnvt]

authentic and repulsive/inedible

[mrdonuts]

you mean the chinese food is authentic unlike the chicken curry served down your local

try the gong de lin restaurant near the forbidden city

[Unwitting Catalyst]

Beijing - well worth a peek in

The city is gearing up for the olympics and many of the old hutongs are "redeveloped" (i.e. demolished and replaced with modern hotels / offices). The city is very badly polluted. There are sections of the Great Wall about 90 minutes from the city with cable cars - well worth a visit. I went last January. It was very cold but there were no other tourists there - one of the most memorable things I've ever seen. Visit an internet cafe - they are incredibly smoky and full of young people playing video games. There is a world-famous Peking duck restaurant, where they serve the greasiest duck in the world. The standard of English in the big hotels is good

[Fishface]

Beijing is a big dirty city and quite boring - I go alot - HK is tonnes better.

the is an area called Shaitain where all the bars are and expats hang out with golddigger local girls.

Hotel bars are another place with their cabaret.

Chinese food there is not what you expect - ask for NO duck skin or you will get a plate of greasy slivers yeuuch - you will be pleased to see a starbucks.

Its hot and humid now or maybe a big sand storm brewing.

Be careful of the tea shops - mega expensive for some *unknown* ;-) reason.

People hack up and spit everywhere - its gross - even inside offices.

All the historical places are nice.

The Silk road market or any other market is full of counterfeit crap - its very difficult to buy something truely chinese.

and in the morning old people walk backwards listening to the radio with one arm in the air.

[Bagpuss]

it would but Abu Hamza has trouble using a keyboard