Last weekend we decided we needed a break from tourist
activities, so we experienced Beijing nightlife Thursday and Friday night from
around 11 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. Need I say
more? It was such a blast, and there are
a number of different bar/club hubs, but we went to the east side of the city which
is dubbed Sanlitun. Sanlitun has streets of bars where a lot of
foreigners go to find each other. I think that is my favorite part of
traveling; you just never know who you are going to meet. One second I was
talking to someone from the U.S. and the next Ireland and the next Nigeria. It
is so fun and exciting to hear everyone’s story. Anyway, we did that and ended
up at KFC both mornings since we were starving. Outside of the bars there are a
lot of vendors/street food, but nothing like the stereotypical ‘late night’ in the
U.S. Unless you crave bugs, vegetables and fish in the early hours of the
morning, KFC and McDonalds are you best bet.
On Sunday, Liz and I decided that getting out of the city
and the pollution would be a good change, so we signed for a hike 3 hours
outside of the city in Cypress Falls. The first hour of the hike was fine, but
I started feeling ill about half way up the mountain, and by the time we got to
the top I was very sick. On top of vomiting 4 times before getting to the
bottom of the mountain 3 hours later, it poured, so our entire group was soaked
for the 3 hour bus ride back to Beijing. I think that this might have been one
of most difficult days of my life. I thought that I was going to either pass
out from dehydration or slip and fall down the mountain. I am positive that I had food poisoning
because it was so abrupt, and the next day I felt much better, but if you ever
come to China I recommend bringing antibiotics and probiotics for digestion issues
and WATCH what you eat very carefully.
Work has been the same old routine – I do have two more
articles that were published.
Last night, we went needed a change from Chinese food so we
went to a Mexican place called La Bamba, which was excellent. We decided to
walk around after dinner, and we passed a massage place in the process. On a whim, the three of us decided a foot
massage would be good and it was fairly inexpensive so we went for it. If I
only knew what I had signed up for….. This was definitely the most painful foot
massage I have ever had, and the guy who rubbed my feet kept talking to me in
Chinese (I am pretty sure inappropriately). So, in addition to my foot massage,
which consisted of a lot of hitting, suction cups (increased circulation???),
and hammers, I was hit on for 60 minutes. I posted a few pictures below in an attempt to
help you understand this ridiculous experience. On the bright side, the three
of us were laughing the entire time because there wasn’t much else to do.
Other than that, not too much is new. It took me a few days
to recover from the food poisoning, so this blog is a little late, but keep
your fingers crossed that I don’t get sick again. Love Kristen.
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