Life in Beijing- the Indian way :)

Chinese New Year 2012- Year of the Dragon

2012-01-29T22:51:00.000-08:00

We had a very long weekend here in Beijing for the Chinese New Year and for a change we stayed back in Beijing. Every holiday we have visitors or we are usually travelling, but this holiday we decided to stay put in Beijing and make most of the very quiet Beijing.
Beijing brought in the Year of the Dragon with a bang, quite literally. On the eve of the Lunar calendar New Year there were splendid fireworks all over the city. Every alley, every street had people out in the cold bursting crackers all the way in to midnight. This time of the year is when Beijing is most colorful, when the streets are colorful filled with red lanterns and lights.

We decorated our door with a red diamond-shaped sticker which has the Chinese character “Fu -福” meaning luck/prosperity which the Chinese usually hang upside down to represent “ Dao -到” meaning arrive – hence symbolizes “Prosperity has arrived!”

Over the holidays we attended the Temple Fair at Ditan Park and enjoyed a nice Chinese lunch at Jindingxuan, a four storey very popular 24 hour restaurant chain at Ditan.
(Read review here: http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Asia/China/Beijing_Shi/Beijing-1024960/Restaurants-Beijing-Jin_Ding_Xuan_Restaurant-BR-1.html)

Popular dishes during the Chinese New year are Noodles which represent longevity and Dumplings as they resemble the Chinese gold ingot. Also abundant at this time of the year are the Mandarin oranges which are really sweet and quite addictive.

Our favorite day of the Chinese New Year festival is the 15th day , which is celebrated as the Lantern Festival when everyone celebrates by eating “Tangyuan- sweet dumplings”.This day also marks the end of the celebrations.

It’s really cold in Beijing these days and we are all hoping for an early Spring.

My older posts on Chinese New Year -
http://sandra-jacob.blogspot.com/2011/02/chinese-new-year-fireworks.html
http://sandra-jacob.blogspot.com/2011/02/year-of-rabbit.html
http://sandra-jacob.blogspot.com/2010/02/year-of-tiger.html

P.S We've completed three long wonderful years in the Jing... We are officially the "Beijingers" now :-)

2012 - A new year

2012-01-17T20:17:00.000-08:00

Wishing you all a very Happy Chinese New Year, this year according to the Chinese Zodiac belongs to the Dragon. The Dragon represents the Emperor as per Chinese Mythology (the Phoenix represents the Empress) and hence the dragon is a sign of courage and wisdom and also is believed to bring good luck.

Keeping the Chinese superstitions aside, I hope 2012 will be a blessed year for friends, family and everyone around.

Speaking of family, my Mum and Dad visited us for about a week , end of December. We brought in 2012 in Shanghai on a very crowded Bund. There were no fireworks, which was quite disappointing, but we braved the cold to wait for countdown to midnight that was ticking on a screen on the Oriental Pearl Tower.

We had our last meal of 2011 at a very nice Yunnan Restaurant in Shanghai called the Lost Heaven. They plan to open up at Qianmen, Beijing later this year.

The Shanghai Bund- Night View

Laser light works on New year's eve

It's 2012!

Lost Heaven Yunnan Restaurant, Shanghai

Sharing a few pics taken on my phone from the trip to Jundushan Ski resort in Changping, Beijing. Skiing rates start from 100 rmb for two hours and include the ski equipment.

Ski equipment

Jundushan Ski Resort, Changping

Looking forward to the loong weekend, a very quiet and empty Beijing. Wishing you all a very Happy New Year again!

Interesting Read - Baby boom in the Dragon Year
http://chinachallenges.blogs.com/my_weblog/2011/12/the-dragon-year-baby-boom.html

Season of Hope and Giving

2011-12-15T21:51:00.000-08:00

Keeping all the festivities of Christmas aside, to spend a few hours to celebrate what Christmas is really all about ....

As young kids, we've enacted the Nativity scene many a times... and as we grow older we forget the true meaning of Christmas.Not only religous aspects of it, but also what it really means... Christmas is really a season of love, of giving and of hope...

Every year our church organizes a trip to Renqiu to vist a home for the orphans and the elderly.

Renqiu Home decorated for Christmas

Those few hours we spend there is not a big contribution, but nevertheless, it is in some way meaningful as it is really heart warming to watch the faces of those little kids light up with joy and those lovely elders who have the most precious smile ever ...

Precious Smile, one of the elders at the Renqiu home

Christmas gifts for the children

The Renqiu home

***This only is charity, to do all...All that we can...-John Donne***

Hot Pot for a Cold Winter Evening and Bringing in the Christmas Cheer - Part 2

2011-12-06T06:25:00.000-08:00

Remember how I mentioned we've been having Hotpot to keep ourselves warm this winter?
Well, another kind of Hot pot we are love is the Dry hot pot - " Ma la Xiang Guo" Which literally translates to Spicy hot pot. We always order " Wei la" which means Spicy taste - and the person taking our order is always surprised as they usually don't have too many foreigners asking for really spicy food. My mouth's watering just at the thought of it as I am writing this...It's really addictive

Malaxiangguo@ Novo, Wangjing

Yay! It's snowing! Just flurries though, that melt away the next day. It's lovely to walk out in the morning and have flurries fall over your face...reminds me of words of the song from Sound of Music...
**...Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes...These are a few of my favorite things...**
We were wondering if it'd snow late this year like last year thanks to the dry weather in Beijing, but one fine morning, we woke up and drew our curtains to see the lovely sight of everything covered in snow. It was like icing sugar was dusted all over the city...

View of our Compound , First snow this year

The only way to survive Beijing winters are wearing thermals, over that your clothes, over that your woollen sweaters and socks and over that the Down jacket, wrap your neck in a muffler, wear a nice thick cap, put on your boots and though you feel wobbly all over, you're all set to go out and face those chilly winds! Well I think about it this way, atleast people won't notice the calories I've put on having those Christmas treats! I can hide under the thick jacket and get away with it! :-)

Hmm, Christmas treats, was wondering where we'd pick up our Christmas goodies this time - the German Bakery at Liangmaqiao or at our regular favorite Comptoirs de France..
Then, Abhilash went and bought me an oven... which means I've no more excuses and will have to bake some Christmas treats this year! I've already started experimenting...

Chicken Rost for dinner

Cappucino Chocolate Chip Muffins

Skiing is one Winter activity that I haven't tried yet , and am looking forward to trying this year. Abhilash went for a team outing last year and promised me he'd take me this year...
Here are some popular skiing resorts that you'll can try as well...

Duo Le Mei Ski Resort - http://www.duolemeidiski.com/en/gongyu.asp
Nan Shan Ski Resort - http://www.nanshanski.com/web_en/content.asp?id=31

Looking forward to a nice White Christmas. Till my next post, Merry Christmas and God Bless...

Hot Pot for a Cold Winter Evening and Bringing in the Christmas Cheer

2011-11-30T04:19:00.000-08:00

Just like we kick started last year's winter, this year too we kicked it off with Hot Pot...
This time, we didn't go to a fancy restaurant, but tried out the popular chain Xiabu Xiabu - where you are cramped with a 100 other people and fuwuyuans taking orders yelling on top of their voices so you hear them. It's an experience in itself.
Do ask for an English menu, they have one!
Ordering Hotpot -
Step 1. Choose a soup. You'll have a choice between Clear/ Spicy/ Hot and sour etc
Step 2. Choose the veggies Chinese cabbage, spinnach, mushroom...
Step 3. Choose your meat Mutton, beef, Sea food
Step 4. Choose your sauce - Peanut sauce, Chilly sauce etc...
Step 5. Wait till soup is hot and bubbly, add in choice of meat or veggies, wait till cooked, dip in sauce and eat... Yummm....

Perfect for a cold winter evening.

Though Beijing winters are dry (everything you touch is STATIC!) and grey... there is something about this season that can't help but make you feel merry! We did go again this year for the German Embassy Christmas Bazaar, we had to queue up for an hour and a half before we got in! We had our share of Gluhwein and Stollen and carried the Christmas cheer back home and put up our Christmas tree...

Christmas at home

German Embassy Christmas Bazaar 2011

More on Christmas and how we are coping up with Beijing's winter in my next post!

TCM and balancing the Yin and Yang

2011-11-03T22:58:00.000-07:00

The weather over the past few days have been terrible! In the papers, on the news, all you can read or see is about the pollution levels in the Jing. We've had smoggy days for over a week with less than a km of visibility. I think the year we came in which was the year after the Olympics was when we enjoyed Beijing weather the most. Now with winter setting in, shorter days, lousy weather...you can't help but feel grey!

Recently,we went to a Chinese spa for a massage, asAbhilash was complaining of shoulder and backache. The lady there suggested he does Huo guan (literally means "fire cupping"). She said it would be good for him and it'd help in blood circulation and would give him relief from pain . Abhilash agreed to go through the experience.
She took a small cup, lit a small ball of cotton dipped in alocohol , lit it with fire , put it in the cup and then put it on his back. Though it sounds and looks painful, Abhilash said he didn't feel a thing. The air inside the cup when heated and then applied to the skin forms an airtight seal, as the air cools it forms a vaccum which enables the cup to suck in the skin. After a few minutes, she removed the cups and analysed the clots on his back.
She said the more purple it is - the more "impure" that portion of your body is.

Abhi and the Huo guans

We usually were quite apprehensive on trying traditional chinese medicines when given a choice over our regular western medicines.
Last year when i had severe throat ache, a colleage recommended watermelon spray. I tried it and though bitter, it did give me some relief.

There is a very useful blog by a Western Doctor in Beijing. Check out his post on tried and tested Traditional Chinese Medicines.
http://www.myhealthbeijing.com/2010/08/what%E2%80%99s-your-favorite-chinese-medicine-here%E2%80%99s-my-list%E2%80%A6/

It's when the weather is changing , that we are most likely to fall sick...
The Chinese believe it's always good to balance the Yin and Yang, balancing the good and the bad in everything. Precautions are always better than cure, so whatever your choice of medicines may be...
stay warm and take care. More soon! :-)

A perfect Sunday and the Jianbing

2011-10-18T22:05:00.000-07:00

A perfect day would be a bright blue sky Sunday just like the one we had last weekend.

Brunch at Blue frog. Shopping at Village. Catching up on some reading at the Bookworm.

Buying roasted chestnuts (yum!) from a street vendor. Having them while taking a long walk to enjoy the colors of autumn at sunset.

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Thattu Dosas v/s Jianbing

We just got back from our vacation in India about two weeks ago. This time, I got to try the "thattu dosa". Thattu dosas made by street vendors are hot dosas they serve with omlette and coconut chutney. The taste of these dosas beat the dosas at any other restaurant hands down!

In Beijing, similar to the thattu dosa is the Jianbing. It's made with flour. It's spread on a hot plate, an egg is broken on to it, some scallions and cilantro sprinkled, it's flipped and some spicy chilly sauce spread, its folded, then a crispy fried dough placed in to it and its folded once again. On our way back home from work we stop by and pick one of these and it's the perfect snack for the autumn- wintery evenings.

Thattu Dosa- Authentic South Indian Crepe

Jianbing - Chinese Savoury Crepes

Mid - Autumn Festival

2011-09-07T20:12:00.000-07:00

Autumn's slowly setting in - no more sultry humid days. The weather's cooler and slowly we'll have the colors of Autumn everywhere.
According to the Chinese Lunar calendar, Mid - autumn festival falls on the 12th of September this year.

Every Chinese person you come across, will be carrying bright red colored boxes filled with mooncakes to gift friends and family.
Mooncakes , also called Yue bing was traditionally cake with egg yolk at the centre which represented the Fullmoon. On this day, they say, it's when the Moon appears the largest.

Apart from the traditional red bean filling, you can also find - chocolate, strawberry and even coffee flavoured mooncakes at supermarkets. Coldstone and Häagen-Dazs also serve ice cream moon cakes -sans the cake ofcourse! :-)

On the mooncake there are traditional chinese characters imprinted which is usually the mark of the bakery it's prepared at , but now keeping up with Modern china, these days you even get Angry bird mooncakes!

The new obsession for the Chinese is the Angry birds game. Footpaths are filled with stuffed toys, mouse pads, fridge magnets, tshirts, what not!

But, did you know that the Chinese claim that the birds resemble an owl shaped brown vessel that is on display at the Shanxi museum?

Hope you all fill the awesome weather and have our share of mooncakes, as we are off to India on a nice long holiday! Can't wait :)

**Picture source - Internet

Seen in Beijing

2011-08-21T20:04:00.000-07:00

1. Colorful Kites

2. Rabbit in 24kGold - Rabbit Year Special

3.Beautiful evening sky, Autumn's almost here

4. When it rains, it pours! Line 15 Subway Station

5. Soo Addictive! Lays - Hot& Spicy Hot pot flavor

6. Ever smiling Chinese Fuwuyuan

7. Women's Federation Passage way? Whatever!

Once in a blue sky

2011-08-16T02:37:00.000-07:00

Once in a blue moon? No! for us Beijingers it's once in a Blue Sky...

Loving the weather today...Bright , sunny...Perfect :-)

Talking about Blue moons... Have you'll seen the Smurfs yet?

Chinese Valentine's Day

2011-08-07T19:34:00.000-07:00

The story goes that a fairy , one of the daughters of a Goddess came down to earth, and a poor cowherd who was mesmerised by her beauty asked her to marry him. They both were happily married and had two children. The Goddess who was then very angry asked her daughter to return to the skies and paint colorful clouds which was her duty. The cowherd was very upset and used the magical hide of his ox and travelled to the skies with his two children.

The goddess who was still angry used a hairpin to create a river in the skies, which became the Milky way. On the 7th day of the 7th month of the Lunar calendar the magpies who feel sorry for the lovers fly over to make a bridge over the milky way so that they can meet for atleast a day.

This year the Chinese Valentine's Day was on 6th of August, a weekend.
There were cuddling couples everywhere, girls blushing - their cheeks the color of the roses they just received.Shops everywhere selling flowers and soft toys. Firecrackers in plenty for the weddings that were specially scheduled on this lucky day for lovers.

Riots in london, Famine in Somalia, Stock markets crashing! We could do with a little love , no?

P.s Even the papers are saying "All is well!" :-)

http://www.china.org.cn/english/culture/137956.htm

More from my Foodie Diary!

2011-07-19T19:50:00.000-07:00

More stories from our gastronomical adventures in the Jing...

FLAMME (@ The Village, Sanlitun) :We had heard both good and bad reviews for this place...
Finally one week night we thought we'd finally give this place a shot.

For starters we ordered the grilled mushrooms and sauteed asparagus in aioli sauce. For main course - the chicken rosemary and a grilled salmon. We thought the food was pretty good, though I thought the chicken was a bit too salty for my taste. Service was nice, the staff is quite friendly. Our bill came up to 300rmb (including one cocktail).

We were too stuffed to order the dessert...I am still drooling over the thought of their chocolate cake with molten lava centre! The next time I go I have decided am just going to have that for maincourse!

DONGBEIREN (Dongzhimen) : A small cozy restaurant in Dongzhimen , right opposite the main Bus Station.
We love this restaurant , but the last time we went was one cold winter night last year. You are greeted by a baby doll in a cradle at this Manchurian Restaurant. This place is the only one we've found so far that serves the Kerala Parotta.
Yeah! We couldn't believe it ourselves the first time we went there!Our very own Kerala Parotta at just 5rmb. We ordered the Beef n Potato Stew and the Egg plant noodles.

This place is also quite popular for their dumplings. We took away a portion to have at home.Though the staff doesn't speak English the menu is bilingual.
Be prepared to sit in between a noisy crowd! We were too hungry to be bothered - and I think we're just used to it now! :-)

We were set back by 75 rmb for dinner (including 1 rmb they charge for the plastic box for takeaway)

Indian food in Beijing

It's only when you're away from your country you realise the small things that never mattered when you had them, are what you miss the most!

And when we get to see them here, we are so excited and happy...Like Indian Magazines, Indian sweets... the other day I was happy to see Okra (Bhindi) selling just for 12rmb a jin at the market!

Though we have Indian food at home, when you're looking for comfort food you always end up eating out at an Indian restaurant.

We love the food at Tamarind( At Marriot North east, Sanyuanqiao) We think it serves the most authentic Indian food in town and the prices are just the same as that of the other Indian restaurants.

We ordered the mushroom kurkure and Murgh malai kebabs for starters (yumm...) Garlic naan and Mutton kheema for maincourse and we loved the complimentary kulfi given by the very generous Chef Kurli.

They are also having a promotion till the end of August and have "The Mumbai Beach Snacks" Pav bhaji, Chaats and Bhel puri on their menu.

For those of you who crave some good south Indian food in the Jing,head to the Indian Kitchen at Liangmaqiao.

Summer Fruit!

2011-07-11T08:41:00.000-07:00

Summer's here and we are loving the litchi/rambutans!

A weekend trip to Datong - Shanxi , China

2011-07-11T06:59:00.000-07:00

We took a flight Saturday morning to Datong. Reached at 8.30 in the morning.

Our plan was to check in to the hotel and find a tour company through the hotel to take us around

We got in to a RED taxi , a smiling old man as the driver, who showed us some catalogues on sightseeing in Datong.He agreed to take us to the Hanging Monastery, then the Yungang Grottoes and back to the hotel for 400 rmb.

We thought it was a good deal, because we read that the Monastery was quite far from the city and this also meant we could use the Sunday to just relax at the hotel before getting back to Beijing.

Hanging Monastery (Xuan Kong Si): The temple is quite far from the city centre. It took us an hour and a half by cab from the Airport.

A Hanging Temple! You would wonder why would anyone in the world build something like it! Looking from below it really looks like the temple is hanging in the air.

The climb is quite steep, more difficult with the narrow steps.It's really a wonder that the temple survived for so many years.

We stopped for lunch at a local restaurant and then continued our journey to the Yungang Grottoes.

Yungang Grottoes (UNESCO Heritage site):

The Yungang Grottoes in itself is worth the trip to Datong. Large Caves carved out to house the giant Buddhas. We took the shuttle van to the entrance of the caves.

We entered the 5th and 6th caves - photographs are forbidden, but the security guy told us he would step out for 5mins and allow us to quicky click the pics we like.

We then walked ahead to the other caves. Each one was better than the other. We were in awe of the place.

We were heading to our taxi when it started drizzling, we then headed to our hotel(Tiangui) .

Sunday morning we were lazing around, Breakfast was included with the room fare so stuffed ourselves and just went for a walk around the hotel area.

Our train to Beijing was at 2.30 in the afternoon. We got on the train and had Cup Noodles for Lunch. The scenery on the way back is beautiful. Hills, grass, the blue sky.
The train journey is about 6 hours and we reached Beijing west at 8.30 in the evening.

A good break, Datong is a nice place for quick weekend trip.

P.S : If you are the adventurous type, you cant try out "tutou"Rabbit head which is quite a speciality here. We didn't dare! :-)

Our fav Chinese dishes

2011-06-13T23:00:00.000-07:00

I had some an awesome lunch today! Sichuan style food. I see Sichuan food and I become a glutton and stuff myself until I feel am about to pass out! Am serious!

It’s then I thought I don’t actually have a post on Chinese food…not an extensive one atleast.
Here are a few dishes that we love to eat that I’m sharing.

Chao fan (Fried Rice)
Chao mian (Fried noodles)
Jiaozi (Dumplings)
Baozi (Steam bun usually stuffed with meat)
Gongbao Jiding (Kungpao Chicken) Dicedchicken, stir-fried with dry chili peppers and peanuts. Sweet and Spicy Flavor
Mapo Doufu (Spicy Beancurd)
Suanla Tang (Hot and Spicy soup)
Gan Bian Si Ji Dou – (Fried beans with Red chillies and ground pork)
Chao Qiezi (Stir Fried Eggplant)
Man tou (Fried buns usually served with condensed milk)

The above are the dishes we usually order while eating out.

Most restaurants have a pictorial menu so it’s pretty easy to order. Please remember to specify if you're vegeterian as most of the veg dishes also might have some minced meat or may be cooked in fish oil.Chinese restaurants are usually crowded and noisy and will also have a lot of smokers! So be prepared.

Another thing you find unusual is the staff get the menu and will stand watching over you until you place an order…You can ask her to come back after 5 minutes else, just pretend she’s not there while deciding what to order :-)

A lot of people have asked me if I can cook chinese food, and am a bit ashamed to say I can boil up some Frozen Dumplings or make that packet of Instant noodles… Well, what would you do if you had a choice between popping into that restaurant around the corner and have cheap and yummy chinese food, and gathering all those ingredients and sauces and making a total mess?

Happy Eating :-)
P.s All the above drool worthy images have been taken from the internet.

Taste of Spain

2011-06-13T00:27:00.000-07:00

We had a taste of Spain last weekend here in Beijing...
Nali Patio had hosted a Flamenco night with Spanish dancers,musicians and food. The event was by invitation only and we had a friend who got us passes. The Spanish restaurants at Nali (Fez bar, Migas, Agua, Carmen etc...) served Tapas.

We also enjoyed the show featuring Flamenco dancers and musicians. There was also a fusion perfomance with Chinese musical instruments

Last Friday night, we headed to Saffron, a Spanish and Mediterranean Restaurant at Wudaoying Hutong near the Lama Temple.We ordered the Bread basket with hummus, tapenade , guacamole dips and for maincourse Abhi and I shared the Lambshank with Couscous.

Food is excellent, but they could do with more pleasant service. We probably should probably go back sometime during the day to enjoy the outdoor seating.

798 Art District, Beijing

2011-06-08T23:48:00.000-07:00

Finally we made a trip last Saturday afternoon to the 798 Art District. It's so close to where we stay and it's surprising how we have never been there yet!

798 was ealier home to some of Beijing's large factores and it has now been transformed to a neighbourhood for artists. The easiest way to get there is to take a cab. Most taxi drivers are familiar with the place...You cannot miss the large 798 board at the gate. We went in and walked towards the intersection and turned left where there was a very attractive wall with some amazing graffiti...

We just wandered about peeking into any gallery that caught our eye...

We then entered a small alley and we were greeted by a huge warrior fending off a pack of wolves with his sword. This alley also had an exhibition of wierd looking caged beasts...

798 also has a number of boutiques and kitsch stores and has a lot of cool arty stuff that may tempt you into an impulse buy!
We walked into this store that had some old toys and some really cool tshirts - I managed to click a pic just before the guy told us we weren't allowed to take any pics inside the store!

The weather was pleasant and it was nice to spend a late afternoon just meandering through the galleries - a welcome change from the bustling crowds in Sanlitun.

Useful info:
798 Art District (Dashanzi) 大山子艺术区
朝阳区798艺术区

Pace Galleries of New York www.pacebeijing.com 5978 9781
Dong Books and Café 5978 9602

Ullens Center for Contemporary Art (UCCA) 尤伦斯当代艺术中心(8459 9269) www.ucca.org.cn

Switch Cafe - Salads, Pizzas, Sandwiches 5978 4916

May holiday weekend

2011-05-03T19:50:00.000-07:00

The three day - May holiday weekend ...

We started the long weekend by celebrating the Royal Wedding on Friday. I was teasing Abhilash and telling him he wasn't half as romantic as Prince William was on our Wedding Day and his excuse was that William knew he was on Camera and is being watched by a million people around the world! Bah! Men!
Wouldn't you agree that it was ah-so-romantic when William looked at kate and whispered "You look beautiful"! I almost cried!

Saturday there was a terrible dust storm. It was grey and gloomy throughout the day. So we decided to stay indoors. We played Wii all day and did a Movie marathon in the evening.

Sunday was bright and sunny and after church we walked down to Xidan for some window shopping and stopped over at Din Tai fung for Lunch - ordered Dumplings for maincourse and Almond tofu in shaved ice for dessert. Yum!We then headed to Houhai for a walk around the lake.

Houhai's so much more crowded now than before , there's a lot of construction work happening too... We miss the Old houhai. Nevertheless, it's still nice to watch people out boating or flying kites or justtaking the Rickshaw tour.

Monday afternoon we headed out to the International Flower Port in Shunyi to see the tulips - we didn't seem to get a cab to go all the way out there as it's on the outskirts of Beijing , so hailed a "Black Cab" and showed the driver the address and got him to take us.The entrance to the park is 80 rmb and though a little expensive was quite worth it. The garden is filled with tulips - of all shapes and colors.We went around late noon and it wasn't too crowded. It was a nice,bright sunny day - perfect to get some lovely pictures of the colorful tulips.After our day out we headed to Sanlitun to unwind- headed to the Fisheye Cafe for Cupcakes and Coffee. Chilled out for a bit and then headed home to gear ourselves to get back to our mundane routine.
Pictures of the Tulips @
http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/sharing/shareRedirectSwitchBoard.jsp?token=524954013213%3A32167702

We're Saving our holidays for our trip to India , which means nothing to look forward to until October :-(

Smiling Old man in Sanlitun-interesting read

2011-04-26T01:08:00.000-07:00

I read this article on Global times and wanted to share it.
Any of us who have been to Sanlitun would have run into this ever smiling Old man. Infact when I read this article and ran into him last weekend, I told him I saw his photo in the paper, he asked me "Really?" and laughed. He has the warmest smile ever... Do read...

Source: http://beijing.globaltimes.cn/people/2011-04/647619.html

Many of the Beijingers both native and foreign who have shaken hands with Xiao Bao over the past 17 years might not remember his name, but will probably never forget his smile.
Cheerful and polite, the 74-year-old is especially well known by revelers in Sanlitun, where he hangs out every day and night, selling his handicrafts made from woven palm leaves and wheat husks. As Xiao approaches with his basket full of handmade frogs, dragonflies and lanterns, all giving off the scent of flowers, it's very difficult to resist buying one from him.
"Ten kuai" ($1.5), he smiles, spraying down his crafts with water to keep them fresh while spreading warmth across the bar street.
Welcomed by waiguoren looking for a photo and a hug as a Sanlitun memento, Xiao was also scouted by Motorola and a TV channel for ad campaigns.
Age has only given him wrinkles, and while approaching 80, Xiao keeps fit. Smartly dressed as usual, his blue zhongshanfu and cap combined with sneakers, Xiao shared his tales of people in the streets of Beijing over the past two decades.

How did you learn to make these crafts?
I use to be a math and Chinese teacher at private middle school in Zhumadian, Henan Province. But teachers didn't make much money back then and I needed to support my wife and five children (three sons and two daughters). My son had to build his house and the others had to get married. I moved to the capital city of Henan, Zhengzhou, and became a trash collector there. One day I bought one of these crafts in Henan and I taught myself to make them.
In 1993, I decided to come and sell them in Beijing to make a better living. My wife joined me in 1994 and I taught her how to make them as well.
What type of materials do you use?
I make the green pieces with palm tree leaves I order through the mail from Hunan or Hubei provinces. The others are made from wheat husks, which I keep them in a bag with some flowers; that's why they smell so good.
The green ones only last a couple of months during the winter if kept in water, and "die" in summer after 20 days because of the heat. It takes 10 minutes to make one piece.
Where do you sell them and for how much?
I always sell in Sanlitun and sometimes at Chaoyang park, because I live nearby. I come between 3 and 5 pm. Then I go home, take a rest and come back at 9 pm and stay until midnight. Usually I sell 10 pieces in a day; on Fridays and Saturdays I may sell 20 to 30.
Summertime is always better; the weather is nice and more people come out. Foreigners pay more attention. Ten yuan a piece, sometimes just a bit less for Chinese people...now foreigners are going to be mad at me, but they can always bargain.
Tell me your best memories of working in Sanlitun?
Late one night, a foreigner said he wanted to buy all my crafts! He didn't need so many but he bought them all. I didn't even know how much to tell him…said he could give me whatever he thought was fair and he gave me 1,500 kuai. I was very touched.
I have many foreign friends and know people from all over the world. Jia, from the UK, and Lei, from Sweden, always buy something from me and sometimes give more money than they should. Some people offer me food or buy me a drink, but I don't drink and I seldom smoke.

What about one of the worst?
I don't like to remember this. Maybe I shouldn't say…many years ago, the city inspectors who worked for the government threatened me, they said I had to stop selling here, otherwise they would take me away. If they got hold of me my family would have to pay to set me free. I had to stay away from Sanlitun for a while.
How do you communicate with foreigners?
I smile and talk with them; but some speak Chinese very well. Many people hug me and want to take photos with me. Two foreigners from Mexico and the US wanted me in their video.
Did you know some people ask me to be on TV?
Really? What did you have to do?
It was some years ago. Motorola wanted me to be in an ad. I had to chase a girl that was holding a mobile phone in her hand. I had to smile and ask her if she wanted to buy some crafts. No, she didn't buy any, because it was all about the phone.
Another company took me to Guangzhou to be in a TV show. It was fun, I had to sit on a boat and look through a telescope. They paid for all expenses but very little in salary.
When you're not selling your handmade pieces in the street, what do you do?
I go to schools and places like shopping malls to teach students and other people how to make these handicrafts. I don't have much free time, but sometimes I watch TV and read the Beijing paper, my eyesight is still very good (despite the ear plug).
How have Sanlitun and your life changed since you started selling here?
Sanlitun was just one bar street, and that was it. But many foreigners came and now it's so busy and flourishing…so many shops, restaurants and people. I used to eat one bowl of noodles a day when I came; I didn't have much money because I had to give it to my children. Now that I'm old and more people buy my crafts, I can eat whatever I want; I don't like meat though (frowns), but I like porridge very much.
If you could make one wish, what would it be?
This job is very good for me, because every day is the same. It's not only a way of making money, but I meet nice people and it's also good exercise. I ride my bicycle here every day, and then I walk a lot. I feel good, I'm old and happy, that's enough.

Wang Yanxing contributed to this story.
verapeneda@globaltimes.com.cn

Easter - April 24th 2011

2011-04-25T01:35:00.000-07:00

Easter marks the end of Lent. On Easter Sunday, Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
There are so many traditions that we follow on Easter - it feels almost like Christmas!
I remember when we used to be younger and at home we'd get one chocolate easter bunny just for ourselves and we'd be high on all the sugary treats mom used to bake!
It's on special occasions like this when you miss home the most.

So to feel at home I headed to Sanyuanli and stocked up my fridge with some heavy duty non vegeterian stuff and managed to cook up a Kerala Style Mutton Curry just in time for breakfast on Easter morn.
We then headed to South Cathedral for mass and it was such a blessed service with so many people and the awesome choir!
After mass we headed to Rumi Persian Grill at Sanlitun for lunch and then treated ourselves to Chocolate Easter Eggs we bought from Comptoirs de France.

Where is the time flying? Can't believe its almost May already! Looking forward to just relax this May holiday -three day weekend!Summer is on its waaaaaay!Yay! :-)

Spring in Yuyuantan Park

2011-04-12T19:29:00.000-07:00

I couldn't help but share [read show off ;-)] the lovely pictures of the spring blossoms we took with our new DSLR. We headed to Yuyuantan Park in the west of Beijing to see the lovely colors of spring. Was a fantastic day!If you want to go...mid April/May is the best time. Take Subway Line 1 get off at Military Museum and follow the crowd :-)
***Peach,Cherry,Crabtreeapple and Apricot Blossoms

Sprrrrring Time

2011-03-25T02:13:00.000-07:00

"Spring is nature's way of saying, 'Let's party!'" ~Robin Williams

It's finally sunny and bright.

It was the perfect weather for a picnic last weekend - Abhi and I headed to Chaoyang park with our mini picnic basket and went for a nice long walk around the park...Though not too many blossoms yet...

I'm observing lent this month- staying away from meat - 40 days up until Easter. It's not easy being in the Jing especially when all you can see around is the irresistable Chinese food!
Talking about food - the foodie in me can't help but blog about two places we tried out last month.

Baoyuan Dumpling Restaurant at Liangmaqiao - This place is a dumpling haven! From the regular dumplings to exotic ones to colorful ones.
Abhilash and I shared 36 dumplings(12 dumplings in one portion) just between the two of us and it cost us just 50kuai! The restaurant also has a regular menu and you cannot help but notice the staff and their colorful ponytails. They are quite friendly and do speak a little English - Don't worry,you'll survive! the menu has English :-)

Stumble Inn at the Village- It looks a lot like one of our previous fav place 'Rickshaw' with the pool table and the dart board. Now that Rickshaw's closed down you'll probably run into us in here.
We loved the Beer batter fried Fish and Chips and the Jenga Chunky Chips. They have an event everyday and we usually drop by on Fridays when they are serving free shots on the hour every hour :-)

My next post will be after Easter...So here's wishing you all a lovely Spring!
Am gonna be keeping my camera handy - will def post the pics :-)

Time's on a jet plane :-)

2011-03-20T22:23:00.000-07:00

In two weeks, we complete Two years and Two months in the Jing! Looking back at all the pictures...Seems like yesterday! Everyday's been a wonderful experience!

Cheers to many more happy memories in the Middle kingdom... :-)

Spring time activity - Strawberry Picking

2011-03-14T19:20:00.000-07:00

What an awesome start to Spring Time- We went Strawberry picking!

There are many farms all over Beijing and each season the fruit varies.

We decided to go to the Tianyi Strawberry Farm, North of Beijing. We took a taxi all the way (A more economic way would be to take the Subway upto Tiantong Station on Line 5 and then hire a cab)We asked our cabbie to wait for us to take us back- (getting a cab to return home may be a problem)

You will find many farmers on the way waving their placards trying to get you to visit the farm, just make sure to bargain for a decent price (we realised we could bargain when last year we passed by the Sunflower and Lavender farm on our way back from Mutianyu- the lady said 50 RMB per person and finally let four of us enter for 50 RMB!)

At the Tianyi farm though, there is no entry fee. At the reception they have a price chart, and they'll ask you to pick a category.The categories are based on different price and range from 20 to 120 RMB. We randomly chose the 60 RMB variety.They keep a 100RMB deposit and provide you small baskets.

Each farm is like a mini green house. We alternated between picking strawberries to take home and tasting them (I kept counting - One for the basket,one for me!)They only charge you for the strawberries you carry out in the basket so you can have as many as you like at the farm. The manager at the farm proudly told us that the farm's strawberries are organic and the farmers do not use any fertilizers or pesticides. He also told us the sweet ones will be the smaller,darker colored ones.

The market there also sells Strawberry Jams and juices and has stock of other Organic stuff.
It was truly a fun experience having our second favorite fruit (Mangoes will always take first place)fresh from the farm!

Additinal info:Tianyi Strawberry Farm:-6172 1718 ext.22 or 13426089606

Other Farms: Chawu Strawberry Farm Tel: 8968 6526Yuxiang Picking Farm Tel: 6259 0135

Strawberry Did you know facts-

eight medium strawberries contain only 45 calories, yet provide you with more vitamin C than one orange?

strawberries are packed with fiber and are high in folate and phytonutrients that will boost your general health, lower heart disease and cancer risk, and improve your memory?

P.S: I am looking for some easy strawberry recipes. Do drop me an email if you have one to share :-)

Short and Sweet February

2011-02-21T00:43:00.000-08:00

When we thought winter's over and we are going to have an early spring, We were pleasantly surprised around the second week of Feb with the first snow of this year!

Feb is a great month to celebrate love. You cannot help but notice love smitten couples on the subway holding hands, or those red roses they are selling here,there and everywhere!
Feb is the month when Love's still in the air, just before the trees start to bloom and then it's just Pollens in the air! Haha!

This Sunday, we tried out a Greek/Mediterranean Restaurant - Athena. The 68RMB lunch buffet (which includes my fav- moussaka) is worth the money. The place is painted blue and white and reminded me of "Villa Donna" the hotel run by Meryl Streep in the movie Mama Mia!

We discovered another place to hang out in Sanlitun about two weeks ago. We found it by chance while looking for the Middle 8th Yunnan restaurant. The place is called Jazz Ya and is on the Bar Street Side of a small lane opposite the Art Gallery in Nali Patio.
This place is popular for the Japanese food , but also has Pastas and Chuanr on the menu. Food is average but it's a nice place if you want to hang out with friends, chill out and catch up on gossip.

Our fav spot to hang out this winter was the Bookworm in Sanlitun. I am usually just surfing the internet or looking around for a nice book to read; while Abhilash uses the time to do some pencil sketching.

Waiting for the weather to get warmer so we can't get started with some outdoor activities and burn off those calories we have been adding on since Christmas!

Useful info: http://www.bbc.com/travel/feature/20101118-the-worlds-greatest-bookshops
7th Best in the World: The Bookworm, Beijing, China

The Bookworm does everything a good bookshop should do - which is a lot more than sell books. Not only is it one of the few places in China where you can pick up books, it also has a lending library.The library is also the setting for a healthy program of events, from gigs to an annual literary festival.

This year the annual festival runs from 4th of March to 18th of March. Check - www.chinabookworm.com for more details.

Chinese New Year Fireworks

2011-02-10T22:37:00.000-08:00

Year of the Rabbit

2011-02-07T22:25:00.000-08:00

Another year completed in the Jing! How time flies!

This holiday we made a trip to Kuwait to visit my family. Caught up with some great Arabic food, old friends and spend quality time with the family.

We were welcomed back with a Bang! We came in just in time to catch the wonderful fireworks.

The Chinese New Year is celebrated in full grandeur. Most people travel to their hometowns to spend time with their family and is the only time you'd find empty roads and not so crowded subway trains in Beijing.
People hang/paint the character "Fu" which means luck upside down which then reads as "dao" which means "arrived" so it literally translates to "Luck/Prosperity has arrived"

People also have dumplings as part of the main course on this day during the family reunion. Crescent-shaped Jiaozi(dumplings) are a symbol of wealth because of their resemblance to ancient Chinese money.

Another tradition is bursting fire crackers - traditionally they were set off to ward off evil and is usually done on the 5th day of the Chinese New Year.

The temple fairs are something that shouldn't be missed during this time. Last year we caught up with the festivities at Dongyue temple but missed this year's fairs. At the fair you can play some games, buy some traditional chinese gifts-
like hand - made paper cut cards, bags, toys etc. You can also watch the Lion and Dragon Dance performances while at the fair.

On the 15th day of the new year the Chinese then celebrate the Lantern Festival which is what I usually enjoy the most. Streets are filled with colorful lanterns of different shapes and sizes. People also eat Tangyuan (my fav chinese dessert)
made of glutinous rice flour filled with red bean/sesame paste. I usually pick the frozen ones at the supermarket and boil them at home. This year the Lantern Festival falls on the 17th of Feb.

Hope you all have a "Fu" filled year. And remember, if it's your birth year - you might want to wear something red, like the Chinese, for good luck!

God of small things...

2011-01-18T21:57:00.001-08:00

The other day , I took a taxi back home from work. Abhilash was at home with fever and I wanted to rush and get home on time. It was already dark even at 5.30pm.
It was when I was in the cab I realised I may not have enough cash. Looked into my purse found two notes of 20 RMB, a 5 RMB note and I mentally calculated I'd have a couple
of small change crumpled in one of the pockets in my handbag.
I could have stopped at the ATM a little away from our complex as last resort,but then I'd have to walk back home in the cold. I was hoping we wouldn't get stuck in traffic coz the meter keeps running even when you're stuck!
I was about 200 m away from home and I told the driver to stop at the side wondering if I'd have enough money to pay him.
The meter was at 51 RMB. As I was counting my change, the guy said 50RMB would do- and that's exactly how much I had!
If the meter's 51RMB- it'd mean I had to pay him 52RMB. (with the hike in gasoline prices the rule is you need to pay an extra kuai for each ride that exceeds 3kms)
Wow! My prayers were answered. I paid him off and gave him one of my best smiles and got out thinking our God is definitely a God of small things!

It's a new year. Time for new beginnings. Time to look at the last year and thank God for small mercies.
We often remember him when we need him the most- when we're alone or scared or sick.

Being so far away from loved ones can be hard. It's been two years for us now , here in Beijing.
When we first thought of moving, we told everyone it'd be for two years. Time flies fast!

We've really been blessed - not "lucky" but blessed.

When good things happen to you, you never realise it can be a blessing. We just keep asking for more all the time, forgetting to thank.

Wishing you all a blessed 2011 !

Jingle in the Jing

2010-12-26T23:18:00.000-08:00

We kick started the month by having some Hot Pot at a local restaurant near our block.
We chose some beef meatballs, cabbage, mushrooms, spinnach and dumplings to cook in our Hot Soup, and for the dip we chose sesame paste and chilly sauce.
Trust us!There is nothing better than some steaming hotpot to warm you up during the cold spell!

Another sinful indulgence is the Ice cream hot pot @ Haagen Dazs -warm ice cream , fruits , waffles in a bubbling chocolate soup. :-)

This month, we tried out Niajo, a Spanish restaurant at Sanlitun's Nali Patio. We had the Roast Suckling Pig and Chicken Paella for main course and ofcourse Sangria!
Though expensive,it was the first time we were having authentic Spanish food- we thought the place was definitely worth going back to.

Our favorite hangout now is Apothecary (next to Niajo). Cocktails and dining. This place specialises in Japanese bartending techniques and its fun to watch these guys doing their mixology. They also serve Contemporary American Creole food.
We ordered the House made Charcuterie Platter (125rmb) and we also loved the sweet potato pickled fries (40rmb).

It's Christmas time! We ordered our Christmas Tree on taobao.com and put it up just in time for Christmas.We had friends over for brunch to kick in the holiday spirit.

After the Christmas mass at South Cathedral, we headed home. We spent the rest of our Christmas at home wishing friends and family over the phone.

We brewed some mulled wine using a bottle of Glogg we got for Christmas and 'twas movie night with good old movies on DVD.

Hope you all had a very warm and cosy Christmas...

With love from Beijing...

Autumn-Winter '10

2010-11-19T01:07:00.000-08:00

Last week we went to Baiwangshan, a mountain near Summer palace to do some hiking and catch some maple leaves before autumn ended.
The hike is a simple one and from the top you get a nice view of Beijing. Though most of the leaves had dried up, the weather was pleasant and we enjoyed the hike.
http://www.confuciusonline.com/scenery/travel/beijing-travel-scenery/3364

It's official - autumn's over. Central heating has started and most of the trees have shed their leaves.
The past week has been quite cold,but it hasn't started snowing yet.

Hot Pot is now the most popular choice while dining out.
{Source : Wikipedia
Hot Pot = Chinese fondue or steamboat, refers to several East Asian varieties of stew, consisting of a simmering metal pot of stock at the center of the dining table. While the hot pot is kept simmering,
ingredients are placed into the pot and are cooked at the table.}

We will be away from home this time for Christmas. We plan to make ourselves feel at home by putting up Christmas tree,stockings et al. Last year I saw some good decorations at Ladies' Street {Nu ren jie} .Another good place for Christmas shopping is the Tianyi market at Fuchengmen. Don't forget to bargain:-)

There are also a couple of Christmas Bazaars that will be this month. Like the German Embassy Xmas Bazaar and the Hilton Wangfujing Christmas Tree Lighting.

Looking forward to spend a "White Christmas" in the Jing!

Till my next post- Take care and Stay warm!

Interesting Read- China Daily

2010-10-14T21:58:00.001-07:00

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/metro/2010-10/11/content_11392905.htm

October is perhaps the most glorious month in Beijing. Beijingers will half-jokingly tell you there are only two season in the capital - the smoggy, sweltering summer and the dry, bitterly cold winter.

It is true that the mercury in thermometers in Beijing jumps wildly in spring, going from not much above the freezing mark to levels high enough to encourage shorts and T-shirts in a few weeks, if not a few days. And they drop just as far and as almost as swiftly in the fall.

But in between these extremes Beijing is blessed with two short, but absolutely fantastic, seasons. May, when the city's parks and gardens suddenly turn green and its cherry blossoms and magnolias bloom, is fantastic. But October, when the temperature is cool, but not yet cold, the leaves on the tree-lined streets turn flaming yellow and the skies are often clear and azure, is even more sublime.

The brevity of fall in Beijing only heightens its appeal. October can arrive with Beijingers still cranking the air conditioners in their apartments and it can finish with the city covered by a snowfall, and residents huddling under blankets, hoping the city will turn on the central heating a few weeks early. So, the weeks in between are precious and not to be wasted.

October is the perfect month for Beijingers to wheel out their bikes and go for a recreational spin up and down the capital's broad avenues. The excuses some residents offer for not biking in the summer (too smoggy, sweating so much your hair gets matted under your helmet and your pants get soggy) or in the winter (dangerous icy roads, frozen toes, the stinging wind biting your face) don't apply. Take your two-wheeled steed and slip down some of the city's winding hutong, sucking in some of the freshest air you'll inhale in Beijing.

Or wander around some of the city's parks - clear blue overhead and views of the western hills are a wonderful complement to lakeside willows. The elusive cool-but-not-too-cool temperature makes strolling a joy.

In October it's still nice enough to dine outdoors and it's a great time to sample the full range of Beijing cuisine. It's cool enough that sweat droplets won't be gliding down your face as you dig into a hot pot, but still warm enough that a chilled yoghurt-in-clay pot goes down with a refreshing slurp.

The markets around the city are bursting with fall produce. Juicy persimmons, pears and apples beckon from stalls or the back of carts and you can buy bags of them for next to nothing.

Although October is the best time to enjoy Beijing, it's also the best time to escape to its rural outskirts. Those bright azure skies look even better behind the Great Wall than they do downtown. The Fragrant Hills are ablaze not just with yellows and oranges but with the odd splash of brilliant red on maple trees. The weather and temperature are great for hiking and the views are splendid. Those not up for scampering along the Wall can easily find as much enjoyment in a simple jaunt or gentle bike ride through the countryside. Rural Beijing in October is filled with the bustle of harvest time - donkeys loaded with chestnuts clopping down the road, persimmons ripening to orange on the trees and trucks laden with produce headed to markets.

Beijing winters can be long, so before you retreat indoors take a moment, or better yet a weekend, to savor the nicest month in the capital.

(China Daily 10/11/2010 page)

Autumn Holidays

2010-10-14T00:39:00.000-07:00

Time's been flying so fast. The last post I wrote was in Summer and it's Autumn already!

We had a long vacation this time.With the mid - autumn festival and the National Day holidays falling in consecutive weeks,

we paired it up with our Annual Leave and took two long weeks off.

Abhi's parents visited us during the hols and other than doing the regular Beijing tour,

we also visited Shanghai and Hangzhou.

We took the day time speed train from Beijing South Station and reached Shanghai around 7pm.

We had three days to tour around-

The first day we headed to Oriental Pearl Tower, this is Shanghai's TV Tower.
The highest observation level is called the Space Module and is 350m high and will entrance tickets cost 150 rmb.

At 259 m high there is an outdoor observation deck that has a glass floor and it takes some time

to gather your guts to walk over it. This is the best part of being in the tower.

The tower also has a revolving restaurant that has Lunch and Dinner buffets.

After lunch, we took the Bund Sightseeing Tunnel to get to the other side of the Hunagpu river. The cost of

the ride is 45rmb per person.You get to board a cable car which moves along the tunnel

and the ride is just over 5 minutes. When we first boarded we saw the lights in the tunnel and were quite excited but

the ride was disappointing.What we got was a ride through a tunnel of flashing neon lights! So if you're visiting you can skip this and take the Metro ride to cross the river.

We spent some time walking around and taking pictures of the Bund and returned to the hotel.

The next morning, we took the speed train to Hangzhou- One of the most scenic cities in China. The train ride from Shanghai is a about an hour and a half.

We got off at west lake and the view is really beautiful, it was a nice bright day and weather was pleasant. We had hired a tour guide for the day who took us around the Imperial Garden. We walked around and had lunch at a small local restaurant.

We then took the boat cruise to view the scenic spot of the three pools-The image on the reverse side of the one Yuan note.

The three pools are three stupas in the lake that seem to float on the water. The cruise also gives you a view of the outer lake and Hangzhou's skyline.

The view is breathtakingly beautiful and just looking at the nature which is a sharp contrast to the high rise buildings and fast life in shanghai give you a wonderful feeling.

{ {In the evening, candlelight flowing out from the small holes in the stupas, reflecting on the lake looks like some small moons, forming a delightful contrast with the bright moon in the sky and creating magical images on the water
surface. This is how comes the scene of "one moon in the sky, three shadows on the lake." The scene is especially magical on the night of Mid-Autumn Day when the biggest and
brightest full moon is overhead. Three Pools Mirroring the Moon is surely a vision feast for Hangzhou citizens. Source- Internet} }

We weren't lucky enough to get a view of the lake during the night time since we had an evening train back to Shanghai.

We ended our Hangzhou tour by visiting a Tea factory where we saw a traditional Tea Ceremony.
**(If you're on a group tour just enjoy the ceremony and don't fall into the trap of buying the tea which is probably charged 10 times the actual price.)

The last day of the tour, we headed to the EXPO. It was crowded and we only got into a few pavillions. Took pictures of most pavillions, walked around and headed back to Beijing.

Back to the Jing, and back to reality. The holidays was such a good getaway from routine life. Slowly getting colder.
Sweaters and mufflers are out...Soon we will have long grey days... But the optimist in me is already feeling Christmassy... :-)

Summer, Sand and Sports!

2010-06-29T07:42:00.000-07:00

So it's finally Summer...

When we were having those long cold winter days, we were hoping the sun would just come out and shine! Now we wonder if those days of wearing layers of clothes to keep warm were better than scorching hot days we are having in June!!

It is a common sight now the beer bellied men with their tshirts pulled up chest high sitting on a small stool under the shade of a tree having a bottle of local beer in one hand and a ciggaratte in the other.

I started working full time this month and I've been trying to cope up with being busy all day. I don't miss my lazy old days..not yet! :)

Beijing had a few showers in the beginning of the month but the temperature is on a rise and July will only get hotter.

We couldn't do too much this month coz we had become big fat couch potatoes switching between Wimbledon and the FIFA World Cup.

We visited an orphanage in Hebei province with a group of people from Church. The children here are physically/mentally challenged. It was a touching experience to see their joy when the recieved the gifts we took them. The sister who runs the orphanage was kind enough to prepare lunch for us and we gorged on some home grown water melons and yummy dumplings.

This month,we tried out a Tex Mex restaurant at Solana called Casa Latina; though this restaurant just opened up early this year it won the award for best Tex mex. We were not disappointed. The atmosphere is full of fun, they have live performances on stage and the food is delicious. The 99rmb set meal is a steal.we loved the Nachos with guacamole which we had for appetizers which was the best we've had so far!

We are trying to make the most of the sunshine while we can...(it's not too often we have those sunny bright days)
....So like Lou Bega sings its " a little bit of Sandra in the sun".....Cheers! More later :-)

Fun in the Sun!

2010-05-25T03:46:00.000-07:00

This month my bro made a trip to Beijing to spend two weeks with us and it was my 6th trip to the Great wall in a year! phew!

The sun's out and it's the perfect time for all those outdoor activites.

We began the month with an Outdoor BBQ at a friend's place.

To enjoy the greens,the flowers, birds and the bees- We headed to the Botanical Garden one weekend, just in time to enjoy the cherry and peach
blossom flowers and the beautiful tulips. The tulip garden is so beautiful it's like a dream.
To get there take Subway Line 4 ,get off at Beigongmen and take a cab.
http://www.kinabaloo.com/botanical_garden.html

Around the world in 60 minutes- The World Park is a good day trip. Hire a mini car inside the park and take a tour of the wonders of the world. They also have ethnic dancers and other performance throughout the day.
To get there Subway Line 4, get off at Gongyixiqiao and take a cab
http://en.beijing2008.cn/67/70/article211987067.shtml

Cycling in Houhai-We've been to Houhai in all seasons and can never get enough of it. Whether it's ice biking in winter or cycling in summer. Head to Houhai this summer, hire a bicycle for 10kuai/hour (2 seaters -20kuai and 3 seaters - 30 kuai) and take ride around the lake and you can also cycle and explore through the 100 odd year old Hutongs.

And for all of you who are looking for some fun outdoor activities try out:-

Happy Valley Amusement park http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/beijing/happyvalley/

Paintball:http://cityweekend.com.cn/beijing/listings/sports/shooting_archery/has/olympic-sports-center-paintball-strike-range/

Kangxi Grasslands (Day trip) http://cityweekend.com.cn/beijing/listings/parents-and-kids/family-fun/has/kangxi-grasslands/

Outdoor movies : http://cityweekend.com.cn/beijing/articles/blogs-beijing/film_stage_blog/watch-movies-outdoors-this-summer-in-beijing/

…And it’s April already!

2010-04-27T04:32:00.000-07:00

Wow! Time does fly! April already!

I’ve just begun Book 3 in my Chinese classes, and the book has no pinyin! So finally I’ve begun to read and write Chinese. It takes so much of your effort. I try to recognize the characters when I read the text the first time, and I’ve to read it again to translate it in my mind and again a third time to understand what it means! But it’s been exciting so far.

Every time I watch an English movie I try to read the Chinese subtitles and feel very proud of myself if I can recognize a few familiar ones….

Talking about movies,

Clash of the Titans on 3D was such a disappointment. Abhilash was keener on watching the movie (Yes! I prefer the rom-com type clichéd movies! ) we headed for a late night show at Mega box. You can manage to watch the whole movie without those geeky 3D glasses. The caramel popcorn we bought was the only reason we sat through the movie.

This month we tried out two new restaurants

Ibn Batouta , a new Moroccan Restaurant started near Sanlitun. Small, cozy restaurant
We took the help of the owner to order our dinner.
We ordered some salad for starters; Tagine chicken and Tagine fish(the owner explained Tagine is the name of the vessel in which the dish is cooked in)Cous Cous for main course; and mint tea to drink. I loved the Tagine fish; the fish was well cooked and was nice and tender. The Cous Cous was also pretty good.

Teppanyaki@Sanlitun:Tairyo
Voted Outstanding Japanese in Beijinger’s2010 Restaurant awards, we couldn’t wait to try out the newly opened branch at the Village. They have an all day buffet (all you can eat and drink) at RMB 198, but we preferred to go ala carte and order the Beef and Garlic Fried rice, Sea food fried rice, Chicken Steak, Prawns and some veggies. The chef who cooked our food was (we guess! ) a newbie and though nervous served us a really good meal. Dinner should put you back by around 80-100RMB per person.

After months of dull,cold days…the sun is finally out! It’s bright even at 7 in the evening :)
Green grass and blossom flowers. It’s drizzling…smell of the earth…
Al fresco brunches and outdoor barbeque picnics…
That’s exactly what we shall be doing for the long weekend in May. Will keep posting.Thank you all for the kind comments, do keep writing in.. :-)

Jinan and Tai shan Spring Weekend

2010-04-23T05:49:00.000-07:00

We did a trip over the second weekend this month. We headed to Shandong Province with our friends Arthur and Nancy. We took the evening train from Beijing South Station to Jinan. The train journey is about three hours. We checked in at Home Inn and crashed for the night.

Day 1:
We headed out early morning. We first hit a local restaurant and had dumplings for breakfast and then walked over to stroll around DaMing Lake.The lake is the largest in Jinan, and is one of city's main natural and cultural landmark.

Spring is actually the best time to visit. It’s colorful with blossoms of every color. Our favorite was the pink cherry blossoms from Japan. We took a stroll around the lake and then headed to Baotu Spring Park.

Baotu Spring is said to be the best among the 72 natural springs in this city.Spring water flows in from underground and the water is ideal for drinking and making tea. To the centre of the Park is a square where we can see water “bubbling” from underground and just watching it makes you wonder at the beauty of nature.

We then took a walk around the city and went to see the Black Tiger Spring. The water of spring emerges from a limestone cave. From the mouth of the cave, the water flows out through stone-carved tiger heads into a square shaped pool. The name of the spring is said to be derived from the shape and color of the rock, which resembles a black tiger, and the sound of the water gushing past the rock is like the roar of a tiger. The locals come down to draw water into large containers. When we asked one local if the water is safe for drinking , he told us it is more pure than water from the filters at home.

We then took the local train to Taishan.

Day 2:

After having a nice Chinese breakfast,we headed to Tai Shan. We took the East Gate entrance and started hiking our way up. The mountain is 1545m tall. We kept stopping on our way up to rest our muscles and grab a few snacks from the vendors along the way. We took a good four hours to reach the Midway Gate to Heaven. From there (since I couldn’t lift my leg to hike anymore!!!) we took the cable car to the summit. The view is amazingly beautiful and gives you a sense of achievement [looking back down to see the flight of steps you just climbed (about 7000 odd mountain steps)]We took the cable car back to the midway gate and then a bus back down. We then headed back to the hotel to collect our luggage and rushed to the Railway station to catch our train back to Beijing.

The trip was a perfect Spring Weekend Getaway. It's when we do these kind of trips we stop and take a look around and apreciate nature. The colors of the blossoms, the ripples in the lake... No wonder we have so many poets who wrote so much on nature!

We got back to the Jing to be shaken back to reality and we're back to the busy bustling life of Beijing...

Mundane March!

2010-03-31T08:30:00.000-07:00

It's the 31st of March today! Another month down and no signs of blossoms yet! Yup!!that's right! The Spring Festival's come and gone but no signs of spring!!

This month we had the craziest weather! Snow,Sandstorms,Rain-we had it all...

Like the title of this post,this month was pretty dull..Didn't do much.Stayed indoors hoping we get over the weather.

We've been on lent and I've been pretty good at keeping it this year.

Two new places we tried out this month-
Malacca Legend at Lido-Malaysian food. This place has a great menu and the prices are decent too. Just tried out a few veg dishes.

We're so glad that Biteapita's back and this time it's at Sanlitun. Filafels and Shawarmas. The place is smaller than the previous one, but the food's as good as ever.

This is the Holy Week and on Sunday we celebrate Easter. Hope you all have a blessed month. More soon!

Year of the Tiger!!

2010-02-20T02:18:00.001-08:00

We’ve come a full circle. It’s been a year in the Jing. Last year we missed the Chinese New Year, so we were looking forward to enjoy the celebrations this year.

According to the Chinese Zodiac, the Year of 2010 is the Year of the Tiger.

New Year’s also beginning of spring and people celebrate the Spring Festival as the New Year. People wear red since red is an auspicious color and is considered lucky. Most doors will contain paper cut designs with Chinese characters of “luck” or “happiness”.

It's a major event with families getting together to make dumplings and spending time together. The celebrations go on for about fifteen days and so do the fireworks.

During the holidays, we visited Dongyue Temple to see the temple fair. The temple fair hosts many folk performances and also ethnic culture shows. It’s a typical fair where you can play games and buy candies, colorful balloons and toys. It’s worth a visit to watch people enjoying themselves welcoming spring.
Take subway Line 2 and get off at Chaoyangmen to get to the temple.

This month we tried out two restaurants:
Mayke Ame (Tibetan restaurant)
http://en.makyeame.cn/newEbiz1/EbizPortalFG/portal/html/liansuodian.html?ProgramShow_ProgramID=c373e913ce2156728f7b3fa731e85f2f
We ordered the barbecued lamb with veggies, butter chicken, mashed potato balls stuffed with yoghurt in tomato sauce and Tibetan bread.
The food’s pretty good. Tibetan folk dancers and singers perform while your having dinner. Dinner for two costs about 170-200RMB

Afunti
A Xinjiang cuisine restaurant, a good choice for early dinner. Enjoy chuan while watching traditional xinjiang folk dances. We also won a bottle of Xinjiang Rose wine, which the hostess mentioned is said to make the women more beautiful and then men more powerful (ahem!) :-)

It’s also the Lantern festival this weekend…Looking forward to see the Lanterns lit up at Qianmen.

Pics from Lantern Festival in Qianmen, was snowing that day

Crowded Qianmen Street on Lantern Festival Day

Qingdao

2010-02-20T02:15:00.001-08:00

We had a week long holiday and decided to explore a bit of China. We headed to Qingdao for a short two day trip.
We booked our stay at a hotel opposite the Zhan Qiao pier since it was convenient to get around in the city.
We first headed to the Tsingtao Brewery, founded in 1903 by German settlers in Qingdao. The beer here is said to be brewed from the spring water of Mount Lao. Its about 50kuai a person to enter the brewery and museum. It takes about an hour to look around. You also get free samples of both the raw and the draft beer. You also get to buy a beer bottle with the label carrying your picture as a souvenir
Qingdao is bustling in summer when they have the International Beer Festival. ttp://www.qingdaochinaguide.com/news/events/international-beer-festival.html

After our trip to the museum, we walked up the street and stopped at a small cafe for some coffee.

We then took an evening walk at the Pier to see the sunset and the night view of the beach.

The next day we headed to Shilaoren Beach (Old Stone Man beach) named after the shape of the prominent rock that is said to resemble an old fisherman waiting for his daughter to return from beneath the waves.

It was winter so it wasn’t too crowded. But there were still a couple of people who had come down to collect mussels.

We later headed to Mount Lao by taxi; we stopped over at a point where you can go up to the mountain by bus. The bus fare is included with your ticket fare. The view from the mountain is beautiful as it over looks the sea. We hiked up the mountain and then headed downhill again by bus.

Next day before catching our flight back to Beijing we stopped over at the Catholic Cathedral at Zhejiang Road. The area around the church is nice to wander around. On one side you have the 30’s German architectural buildings and on the other modern Chinese ones. The cobbled street that goes up to the church is filled with Vendors selling chuan (meat on sticks).

We got back to Beijing just in time to enjoy the awesome (but loud!) fireworks.

twenty-ten..a new year!

2010-01-29T18:07:00.000-08:00

Yay! 2010!!

We’re back in the Jing! Had a nice holiday, attended a wedding and met family in Kerala, met friends and colleagues in Bangalore…stopped over at Colombo on transit and we’re back!
It’s frrr...frrr...freezing cold!
The best remedy to beat the cold? Head to your local Chinese restaurant and have Dumplings in beef soup. Spicy and hot with lots of meat.

Our first weekend in the New year, in the Jing, we headed to Hooters to have shooters. Had lots of fun. Bring on the Martinis!! :-D

We didn’t get to watch Avatar back home, so though late…we watched Avatar on 3D. Got front row seats though :((! The movie takes you to another world. Wow.

I finally got to try out Ice biking. Twice. The first time we got the 2 seater push yourself kinda bike. Had so much fun. Felt like a 6 year old. The second time, tried out the bicycle. Was nice ice biking around Houhai in winter. Soon the ice will melt. It’s so different! Houhai in summer is full of Lotus flowers and people boating around and now in winter it’s all frozen and kids are ice skating.

Tried out two new restaurants this month.
Bali Papaya, the new Thai place @ Nali Patio-The food's pretty okay,be sure to tell them not to make the food too sweet while placing the order. The service is good coz its new. The decor and the ambience is waaay better than the cramped up Purple Haze. Meal for two about 250RMB.

Nuage- A Vietnamese restaurant at Houhai. Wonder why we haven't come here earlier! Ordered the veg spring rolls and Papaya salad for starters and Beef with Pepper and Chicken with Lemon grass for main course. The seating is interesting, some of the chairs are designed like rickshaws on wheels.. Meal for two about 350 RMB
**While at Houhai , you can also try out the hidden Hutong Pizza - small cozy place that serves some of the best pizzas in Beijing

We plan to head to the Chocolate factory at Bird’s Nest this weekend.. World's biggest chocolate show! 80 tonnes of chocolate! Pure Sinful Bliss!

Another two weeks and it Sprrrrrrrrrring Time! I love the blossoms but with all the pollen around..i’m going to be sneezing forever!

'Tis the Season

2009-12-16T17:38:00.000-08:00

German Embassy Christmas Bazaar, Beijing

‘Tis the Season to be Merry…..’

It’s December, Christmas is just around the corner. Mistle toes and stockings are already up. Christmas trees are lit up and wish-lists are ready. I’m having Starbuck’s Toffee Nut Latte on a cold afternoon while writing this blog. Outside I can see an old man selling hot roasted sweet potatoes. I love the roasted sweet potato chips..they’re so addictive!

Anyways, coming back to Christmas…It reminds me of home, when we were kids… I wouldn’t be able to sleep on Christmas eve wondering what I’d get for Christmas. And keep waking up to see if the gifts have already been kept under the Christmas tree..It reminds me of Mom baking cookies, and us kids, putting smiley faced icings on them. It reminds me of rum plum cake…It reminds me of attending midnight mass and looking forward to a New Year.

This year, though we’ll be at home just in time for Christmas, its out first Christmas season in Beijing..It’s such a happy season..

We celebrated Christmas at the German Embassy, which held their Annual Christmas Bazaar. Gluhwein kept us warm on this cold winter day. We took picture with ‘Sinterklaaus’ and did a bit of Christmas Shopping.

Then we had the INN Christmas Luncheon, (INN-International Newcomer’s Network is an organization I volunteer for) we hosted a luncheon at Marriott’s North East proceeds of which go to charity. It reminded us of what this season is really about…We had kids from Bethel Foster Home performing. It really tugged the heart to see these blind kids sing Carols, when they really may not know how “Christmas” looks like..
We take so many things for granted... It’s time to look back and see what a wonderful year this has been and count our blessings.

Can’t wait to head home next week for Christmas; spend the wonderful season with friends and family. I’m sure time will fly and before we know it we’ll be back in Beijing. I’ve already made a “to do” list for the New Year. And Ice biking on the frozen Houhai Lake, tops my list!

Wish you all a wonderful blessed Christmas! God bless…More in the New Year 

FOODIES!

2009-11-15T17:41:00.001-08:00

Saturday, we tried out “The Elephant” a Russian restaurant located in a small alley off Yabao Lu(where the Russian markets are). We went in for the Buffet,88RMB and stuffed our faces with food. There was a huge spread of starters, main course that included beef and chicken and quite a number of desserts to choose from, and ofcourse free flow of Vodka, Red wine, Fresh juice and soft drinks! That’s quite a bargain for 88 kuai right!

The other day we also tried Purple Haze, the Thai Restaurant at Sanlitun. We had the Tom yum soup (we tried the soup with Prawns and also the one with chicken), Chicken curry in coconut milk, The Purple Haze Fried Rice and Rice noodles. Though the restaurant seems crowded and can get you feeling claustrophobic, and the food took a long time to come to the table, the food was quite good. A dinner for two should cost you about 150RMB.

On our Anniversary we tried out China Grill. It’s on the 65th floor of the Park Hyatt (at Jianguomen) and you get a bird’s eye view of Beijing while dining.. We ordered Pork Ribs along with a few starters and fried rice. The menu is limited but the food’s great! It definitely deserves the “Outstanding for Impressing Visitors" Beijinger Award it won this year.

Like my friend George says,we’ll probably be returning to India like two fat Chinese pigs! :-D

Autumn to Winter over a Weekend….

2009-11-05T18:28:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday was a nice sunny morning and we headed to Fragrant hills (Xiangshan) to see Autumn Colors. Autumn is the best time to see Fragrant hills, when the red leaves add more beauty to the area. We took Subway Line 4 to Anheqiao and then took a cab from there. We skipped hiking up Fragrant Hills and headed directly to the Park. The park has the Azure Cloud Temple from where you get a beautiful view of both the hills and the park.We collected red maple leaves and got home.

Sunday morning we woke up with a call from our friend who asked us to open our curtains to look out. We were surprised to see it heavily snowing and it was white everywhere. We got excited, and rushed out to play and click pictures of the snow.

Finally autumn’s over and winter has set in..Soon it’ll be Christmas! :-)

Desi's in the Jing!

2009-10-22T06:33:00.001-07:00

Last weekend we had the Diwali Celebrations at the Indian Embassy. We missed the cultural show, but managed to get in time to see the Fireworks and have a nice Desi dinner.

On Sunday we had the Fun Fair at the Nantang Cathedral,the money from the fair was being sent for the flood victims in the Philippines.Along with another Indian family we put up the Indian Stall. We decorated the stall with rangoli and diyas and sold samosas,kebabs and chicken tikka gravy. We made a good amount of money and food sold in half time!
The Chinese people wanted to take photographs with us and the Indian flag.

It's interesting how the people here are so fond of Indians.
You will also be surprised by the number of Chinese people who go to the Cultural wing of the Indian embassy to learn to play the table,harmonium,sitar or to learn Indian Classical Dance.

Everytime I take a cab, and the driver kind of knows that I can speak broken chinese, he wants to make a conversation. It usually is about "Beautiful Indian women who have beautiful eyes" "Indian Weddings" "Baliwu -Bollywood" etc.

Almost every taxi driver has watched "Mera naam joker" and sings "Abala hoon" as soon as they find out where we are from.

Most of the time I can just make out what they ask by some of the words I can understand but they are always so friendly and go out of the way when you say you're "Yindu ren"

The most common question is how is Xin Deli different from Beijing.
Once a cab driver even asked me how come I wasn't wearing a Big red bindi.

More than I love living in the city I love the people!They are so friendly and so happy all the time..They always radiate such positive energy..They always try to help you in ways they can though they can't understand a word you say.

Wo ai Zhongguo!Wo ai Zhonguoren! :)

Useful info :
Indian Embassy Website:http://www.indianembassy.org.cn/

The Golden Week Holiday

2009-10-06T20:17:00.000-07:00

We had a week off for the National day and Mid –Autumn Festival Celebrations. The week was fun; we tried out new restaurants, watched movies, experienced watching a Tennis match LIVE and got to do a bit of traveling.

Day 1: We decided we’d just hang out at home since going anywhere would be difficult with the traffic restrictions and all the security for the Parade. We watched the Parade in the morning and then the fireworks in the evening. Just watching it on TV was an experience but not as good as actually being there and watching it. We hope we can catch the Parade and fireworks live next year.

Day 2: We decided to make a day trip to Tianjin, so after breakfast we took the new subway line, Line 4 to Beijing South Railway Station. You will not find a fourth floor in any of the Chinese buildings as it is considered unlucky because it sounds like the Chinese word that means “death”. Despite this superstition the new line is named Line 4. There are trains every half an hour to Tianjin. The first class tickets cost about 69RMB and the second class tickets are 58RMB. The only difference between the two is the number of seats in each row. The second class has three seats and first class has two seats with leg rest. The train ride covers about 150kms in around 30minutes. The train travels at a speed of about 337km/h.
We first headed to the Haihe River to take the boat cruise that takes you around Tianjin in an hour. We got on to the cruise from the Railway Station Pier. The cruise takes you around the Italian Style Town and the Antique Street. We then took a cab to the Tianjin Radio & TV tower that gives a breathtaking view of the city. The highest that is open to the public for viewing is 230m high where there is also a revolving coffee shop. After coffee we rushed back to take a cab and managed to reach the station on time to catch our train back to Beijing. Got home around 9pm and stayed awake till midnight to celebrate Abhilash’s birthday. After gobbling up half of the cake we crashed as we had been traveling all day and had to wake up early to catch the Tennis match the next day.

Day 3: The China Open was held at the National Tennis Center near the Olympic Park .We had booked tickets for the China Open online, but we had no idea who was playing. We picked up a match at the centre court hoping it would be Nadal/Williams. No such luck though. We got to watch Pennetta(ITA) ranked 10th in the world defeat Xinyun(ranked 186) a 19 year old Chinese girl. Though Xinyun, who had the entire crowd cheering for her, put up a good fight in the first set she lost the second set way to soon. We then hung out trying to get a view of the players and win some freebie stuff.
Later we headed to Mega box at Sanlitun to watch a Chinese movie- “The founding of a Republic” It was a tribute to the 60 years of the formation of People’s Republic of China.

Day 4: After breakfast we were lazing around as usual watching a movie. We watched “Dil Bole Hadippa” on DVD. Autumn is here and it gets dark around 6 pm, which is also a good thing because the nightlife begins earlier.We joined Chinmay-Rashmitha and headed to “Wain Wain”, a Japanese karaoke bar on the 35th floor of SOHO Xiandaicheng. You get an amazing view of the CBD. We had snacks and drinks and then headed to “Budapest”, a Hungarian restaurant opposite the Worker’s Stadium. We ordered Chicken soup and Caesar Salad with tuna for starters. Risotto, Garlic breaded chicken and Chicken breast with white sauce for main course. The food was just okay. The garlic breaded chicken had too much of cheese, the salad had too much of mayonnaise. The dinner came to about 50Rmb/person.

Day 5: After late lunch we headed to Tuanjiehu Park with Chinmay&Rashmitha. Watched people fishing, the locals playing instruments, played a few games of UNO and headed to “Argo” a new Greek Restaurant that opened up at Wudaoying Hutong (opposite the Lama Temple). The restaurant is well decorated and the staff is quite friendly. We opted to have dinner on the terrace to enjoy the last few days of open terrace dinners before winter sets in. We ordered Cream of Mushroom soup, Bougiourdi (a dish with feta cheese and tomatoes) and Meat balls for starters. Moussakka, Chicken in red wine with Penne, Rice with beef and another Greek dish which had lamb and rice(I can’t remember the name!). We had Baklava and a sweet made of rice pudding (the name was too difficult to remember!) for dessert. Though the food is a bit pricey (around 150rmb/person) the food was really good and we couldn’t get over the dessert.

Day 6: Last day of the holiday week, it was like saving the best for last. We watched Salman Khan’s "Wanted" on DVD and tried out “Bellagio” a Taiwanese restaurant for dinner. We ordered Salt and Pepper prawns, Spinach, Chicken in Sichuan Pepper for starters, Noodles with stir fried beef, and Fish for main course, Crème brulee and Sago pudding with coconut milk& ice-cream for dessert. The food was delicious and came up to around 90RMB/person.

And like that our extended weekend came to an end...Looking forward for Christmas holidays :)

No title post!

2009-09-21T19:42:00.000-07:00

I couldn't think of a title for this post so am doing it the Chinese way and naming it the "No Title Post!"

Friday night we headed to Annie’s at Sanlitun to have some Italian pasta. Stuffed ourselves and headed back home.
Saturday we were lazing at home, watching Forrest Gump when the CD got stuck at the end. So we thought of getting our weekend shopping done. As usual we ended up buying more stuff than needed. Abhilash couldn’t stop raving over the Harman Kardon Sound Sticks Speaker System, and coaxed me into agreeing to let him buy it. We also picked up a Bone China Dinner Set for a good price from a store at the “Village” saving us from the usual bargaining hassle! Had food at Element Fresh and headed home.

Sunday, we took the cab to church so we could pass by Tiananmen to see the whole set up for the National Day. They’ve put up huge LCD Screens, lighted up the whole place and the whole place looks so bright. After church we had lunch at the Yunnan Restaurant right next to the Church. Though a little more priced the food was pretty good. We had spinach and mushroom spring rolls for starters. For main course we ordered the “fish with mountain tomato gravy”(mountain tomatoes?!) ,chicken with potato and rice.
Another weekend down!
It’s almost mid September! Next month, this time we celebrate our first anniversary :-)

Useful info :-

Annie's -voted best Italian food , has about 5 branches, does free home delivery. Tuanjiehu on Line 10 is the closest subway station to the Sanlitun branch

Element Fresh- At the Village,has a good menu for Brunch

Yunnan Restaurant at Xuanwumen- next to Xuanwumen South Cathedral -Subway Line 2 Xuwanwumen Station

Aug -Sep 09

2009-09-17T18:30:00.000-07:00

August was a busy month, with Abhilash's cousins and my family coming down to Beijing. We took them around and did the usual Great Wall-Forbidden City tour. Was good fun with so many people around and lots of sight seeing.The weather was constantly changing. The first few weeks of August was sunny and hot, then it started getting pleasant, in between it got foggy and started to rain, and then again it got pleasant with cool breeze blowing in the evenings..

It's back to routine now, Abhilash back to work and me back to my Mandarin classes.

We're looking forward for the National Day Celebrations, it's the 60th year and they have been rehearsing for the parade for a long time now. Infact the coming weekend there are going to be traffic restrictions and the subway trains will be limited to the areas around Tiananmen. Unfortunately, we can only get to watch the parade on TV since there is going to be strict security.

They already have put up "Pillars of National Unity" and most roads have been decorated with Red Lanterns. Almost all buildings have been decorated with flowers. Everything looks bright and colorful.

It's a week long holiday in October since both the National Day and the Mid Autumn Festival (Zhongqiu jie)falls in the same week.
The Mid Autumn Festival is the Harvest Festival, people distribute Moon Cakes because it is supposedly when the moon is at its fullest and roundest.

Sichuan Dumplings,Electronic Market and Harry Potter

2009-07-19T06:23:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning we took bus number 641 from San Yuan Qiao to Haidian Qiao. We got off at Zhong guan cun. A few blocks away from the bus stop is a nice cosy Restaurant. We had Rice, Chicken, Noodles in hot soup and the best Sichuan Dumplings we've had so far.
We then walked over to the Zhong guan cun Electronic market to buy a Hard Disk. Got a good deal for a Sea gate 320GB hard disk. Got to use the Chinese I know to both understand features of the product and haggle!:)
We then went to the Gate 8 mall at Haidian and watched Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. I'm not a Harry Potter fan,but did enjoy the movie.

Sunday after church we headed to Sanlitun. We got some amazing pictures of children playing at the fountain. Picked up some grocery from the Indian store,stopped over for Ice cream at Coldstone (still cant get over the Tiramisu ice cream.it was so yumm!)and headed home..

To get to the Electronic Market/to Gate 8 Mall: Take Line 10 and get off at Haidian Zhongguancun
Indian Store at Sanlitun is called Yindu Qi Yuan and is behind the Yashow market

Yet another weekend....

2009-07-07T17:01:00.000-07:00

Weekend began with Friday night dinner at the Middle Eastern Restaurant at Sanlitun- "1001 Nights". We ordered the grilled cutlet (mutton),grilled fish with hummus and pita bread. Food was just about okay, but the belly dancing did keep us entertained throughout the dinner.

Saturday after breakfast we headed to South Forest Park by subway. The Olympic Line 8 train is not too crowded. The subway stations are also brightly painted and looks different from the other stations. The entrance to the Park is free. Its a really huge park and well maintained. People get their lunch and set up picnic camps all over. There is a lake too, and you can also go boating.We hung out for a while had lunch there and played a game of scrabble and headed home.

Sunday morning we had breakfast at Comptoirs de France, a small French Bakery at Ritan Lu and headed to Church.
After mass we tried out the new Indian Restaurant "Tamarind" opened up at Marriott's. We opted for the non veg and sea food thali. The quantity is filling. There is a starter, two curries, dal makhani, rice and roti. Both the chicken and prawns were nice and tender. They also gave us gajar ka halwa and cake for dessert. All this for just about 60-80rmb for a thali!We are definitely going back for the yummmmm food.

To get there:-
South Forest Park - South Forest Park station on Line 8
Church -South Cathedral (Nan Tang): Line 2 Xuanwumen (Righ outside Exit B2 is the church)
Comptoirs de France- closest subway station is Hujialou on Line 10
Tamarind@ Marriotts,Chaoyang -closest subway station Liangmaqiao on Line 10

Long Qing Xia

2009-06-28T23:50:00.000-07:00

It makes a great day trip from Beijing..just about a 2 hour drive from the city.

At the entrance is a beautiful garden.Lovely scenery with the mountains at the backdrop. From the entrance you can take the world's longest elevator ride (which is in the shape of a dragon). The elevator has also entered the Guinness World Records for its length.

From the top of the dam you can take a boat ride around the lake. The view is amazingly beautiful! The blue sky, tall mountains and water. So picturesque.

From there you can take a cable car ride to the top of the mountain, walk through the cave way and do a bit of sightseeing. You can climb the hill to see the Diamond Temple. You can then walk back to the top of the dam and then take the Toboggan ride for about 20kuai.

They also have Bungee jumping here. We didn't try it out this time though..

We had lunch at a restaurant there and headed back to the city.

P.S Check out the URL for some pictures.
http://www.yuantravel.com/beijing/long-qing-xia/

Panjiayuan Flea Market

2009-06-28T23:34:00.000-07:00

Beijing's Antique/Flea Market. Find everything here from beads, jade, jewellery, junk, tea pots, pottery, paintings et al. The market is open only on weekends from mornings 7am to about 5pm. Great bargains. We picked up a vase and some ceramic stuff for the house. Don't miss visiting this place while at Beijing.

To get there : Take Line 10 to Jinsong and then take a cab to Panjiayuan

Finally a long due Haircut!

2009-06-08T01:24:00.000-07:00

Got a haircut done today!
This is the second time I'm getting a haircut in Beijing..but the first at a local hair salon.
The Salon 88 -franchisee under Eric Paris Hair Salon at the Carrefour at San Yuan Qiao suddenly shut down..I needed a haircut and since it was raining all morning, I was too lazy to go too far to get a haircut done. I walked into the local hair salon round the corner. With a few chinese words and lots of sign language I managed to convey that I needed a haircut,I didn't want to reduce the length too much and I prefer layers.Phew!

The guy did a great job! I got a hairwash,haircut and my hair styled all for just 20 RMB. And we go all the way to those overpriced hair salons just because they speak English!

Carry a picture of a haircut you like if you aren't too sure you'll get as lucky as me! :D

Drum and Bell Tower

2009-05-31T20:52:00.000-07:00

To get there: Line 2 -Qianmen

The Drum Tower was closed for renovation, but we got to enter the Bell Tower. To get to the top of the tower you have to climb a steep stone staircase. Once you reach the top you find a huge bell. The bell is made of copper and has wooden logs hanging on the side that were used to ring the bell. You also get a bird's eye view of the city including the Hutongs.

We had lunch at a local Chinese Restaurant. Authentic Chinese food. Meal for four of us was just about 80RMB. {Cheap and exciting ;-)}

We then went for bowling at 'Gongti 100' at Gongti Xilu.This place has around 100 lanes.

We headed to Ritan Park in the evening, hung out there. Played dumb charades. Enjoyed the weather, also got to watch people dance,fly kites and have a good time.

We had Al fresco dinner at 'Sim Sim' a Russian Restaurant right opposite the North Gate of the Ritan Park. The food was delicious! Great ambiance too! Stuffed ourselves and headed home...

Bangalore to Beijing

2009-05-14T19:21:00.000-07:00

"I'm Loving it" the McDonald's slogan means so much more now!

Never thought life in Beijing would be so exciting! I mean when Abhilash asked about moving to Beijing, I was like "who moves to China!?"

I never thought I'd love any other city as much as I loved Bangalore. Hanging out on Church Street, Walking through maddening crowds on Brigade..I do miss all of that. Bangalore has some great memories, and will always remain special.

Beijing is a change from life in Bangalore. We've so much more time on our hands now. I never thought I'll learn a new language. That would have never happened if I had moved to New York or London. You need to learn mandarin to survive in China, but it's so nice to learn a new language. People have something like that on their wishlist> "100 things to do before I'm too old.."

Learning a new language is just one part of the exciting things you get to do while you're in Beijing. We've been doing a bit of travelling too. So many places to see, we've already made a long list!

It's been about 4 months since we've been here. Transition has been so smooth.
The transport system is convenient. Everything u need is available. Beijing is just like any other foreign city. I know people who have just moved in to Beijing and are worried about the facilities or about life here.You would be worried moving into any new city , considering you're moving out of your comfort zone. Once you settle in, there's just so much to explore and so much to learn,nothing else matters.

I guess my Posts on this Blog is proof enough. :D

Lama Temple-Yonghegong

2009-05-14T06:36:00.000-07:00

To get there:Take Subway Line 5, get off at Yonghegong Station

We finished a tour of the Lama Temple in about an hour.The main attraction here is the 18 metre tall Buddha carved out of a single white sandalwood. It's also been recorded in the Guiness Book of Records. The sad part is you are not allowed to take pictures inside the Temple. The structures are truly beautiful.

You can also find a lot of people burning incense and praying to Lord Buddha. We also got to see monks chanting their morning prayers. The atmosphere is more religious than just any other tourist spot.

"Yonghegong promulgates peace, luck, friendliness and happiness to the world"

上海 Shanghai Trip

2009-05-04T17:43:00.000-07:00

We arrived 12:00 AM on the 1st of May. It was going to be a fun filled three day long weekend. We were staying at Abhilash’s cousin’s place in Pudong.

Friday morning we played a game of cricket with Rohit and Rhea (Abhilash’s nephew and niece) We then headed to the Pearl Tower after lunch. It’s the TV Tower. It was the tallest tower in China until recently. It has a rotating restaurant as well. It’s got two big spheres that are pearl shaped and are pink in color.

We then walked towards the World Financial Centre-the supertall skyscraper, the tallest building in China. We had to wait for quite some time before our turn came to buy tickets. Finally we went in, and took the elevator. You can feel the pressure difference when in the elevator. And we got to the 97th floor. It was a nice sunny day so we got a great view from the top. The building has 3 observatory levels. The 100th floor is a sky walk.

At night, we had a barbecue dinner at home. Grilled chicken and Kebabs!

Saturday morning we went to the Shanghai Animal Park. The Park is divided into two. One which you can cover by foot, the other, where one can take the tourist bus. The walk by foot area is huge. You can walk by kangaroos, giant pandas, all sorts of birds and the big baboon.
The bus takes you around all kind of wild animals- tiger, white tiger, lions, etc.. All these animals never cease to amaze us though we have been to the zoos a zillion times when we were kids.

Sunday after church, we had lunch at the Teppanyaki. A Japanese restaurant, where you are seated around an iron slab and the cook prepares you're food right in front of you.

After lunch we headed to the Ocean Aquarium Park. It has the longest tunnel and is Asia’s biggest underwater world. You can see all kind of fish-big, small, colorful ones, weird looking ones, sharks and albino turtles… :) When purchasing a ticket you also get a complimentary pearl which you can pick up at the souvenir store.
(They break open the oyster right in front of you.)

We took the evening flight back to Beijing. The trip was so much fun….however old we grow there always is a child within all of us. And its fun to be that child once in a while.....

Great Wall, Houhai Lake and the Hutongs

2009-04-27T22:33:00.001-07:00

Saturday Morning.8.30 am.Sunny day,quite windy too.Our friends Chinmay&Rashmitha planned the whole trip. We hired a car for the day. It took us just about an hour from Sanyuanqiao to the (Mutianyu) Great Wall. We took the cable car to get on the wall. It just takes about 30mins if you want to trek up the whole way.It was quite windy up there but it was just so beautiful. It was Abhilash's and my first trip to one of the Wonders of the world and it took time to sink in that we were actually at the Great Wall.We took the cable car back down as well , and both times we got lucky. The first cable car we sat in was used by Clinton and the other by the 70th Lama.

It was around lunch time so we headed back into the city and on our way down we stopped at a local roadside Restaurant. They catch fresh fish and cook it the way you like. We ordered Roast Fish and Rice.

After lunch, we got the driver to drop us off at Houhai Lake. We then went boating. Took a battery run boat and went around the lake. Got to click some nice pictures. It was a fun ride coz the winds were directing the boat more than us steering it around.

We then hired a two seater cycle and cycled around Houhai and its so beautiful.We decided we are going to do it more often.

As it was getting darker, we walked towards Nanluoguxiang.
Nanluoguxiang is a modern hutong. It has some cool shops on either side,among them is the smallest bar in Beijing (about 16m.sq)
It's a must place to visit for visitors to Beijing. Don't miss the rickshaw ride while you're here and don't forget to haggle while buying those funky souvenirs.

We had dinner at Mirch Masala there. We ordered Chicken Vindaloo and it was just curry with too much chilly powder. They don't serve water, so we had to "buy" mineral water..The service was sloppy too.

Anyways, we didn't let the dinner at Mirch Masala dampen our spirits. We had just been to one of the Wonders of The World and had a fun filled day with the boating and cycling.I can't wait for the coming long weekend. We're off to Shanghai :-)

Wangfujing Street

2009-04-06T23:09:00.001-07:00

To get there take Line 1 , and get off at Wangfujing

It’s finally Spring!

Wangfujing is a kilometer (or more) long street with Malls and Branded Stores on either side. They also have local stores where you can pick up souvenirs and other stuff..

What you shouldn’t miss when you’re here is the Food street! Chinese snacks-Cricket, Locusts,Star fish, Baby Sharks, Sea Snakes, Sea Mushrooms what not!! We were not too daring and stuck to chicken :-) The food street’s open only in the evenings, so make sure you visit Wangfujing for an evening stroll.

Around the corner there is the Foreign Language Book Store. They have a good collection of English books and movies.

There’s a very beautiful Church here. One of the oldest in Beijing. With the lighting and the Cherry blossom trees around it’s a popular spot to take photographs. (that’s if you don’t mind the kids skateboarding around!)

Indian Restaurants in Beijing

2009-04-02T18:50:00.001-07:00

There are quite a few Indian Restaurants in Beijing, The ones we’ve tried so far are the ones mentioned. If you’re going to an Indian Restaurant for some Spicy food, you’ll have to ask for it. Though the menu has food that’s spicy marked in red, it will not be spicy the Indian way. The pricing is pretty much the same across these restaurants.

Kamat- Haidian District(Line 10,Haidian Huangzhuang)
They have a nice lunch buffet for 38rmb.

Mirch Masala-(Line 5, Zhangizhonglu )
It has a Dhaba style feel. Book in advance if you’re going in a group.

Ganges-The Village,Sanlitun (Line 10,Tuanjiehu)
Chicken Biriyani’s good here.

Indian Kitchen (Line 10, Liangmaqiao)
Nice place,great view.

Punjabi, on Lucky Street (Line 10,Liangmaqiao)
Decent place

Taj (Line 1, Guomao)
Authentic Indian Food, the best I've had

Fun Friday!

2009-03-28T06:03:00.000-07:00

Friday evening our friends Nakul and Pradnya came over and we headed to a pretty popular weekend hangout – “The Rickshaw” at Sanlitun. The place is a small but nice place. Music is not too loud. Food’s pretty good. A nice place to just hangout at. We ordered the Chicken Nachos and Beef Chilli to have with our drinks. Sat there and chilled out for a while and then moved on to have dinner.

We went to the 'Turkish Mom' Restaurant (also at Sanlitun). The menu has some authentic Turkish dishes. We had the Filafel and Taboulah for starters, and had Kebab and rice for Main course. The food and the service are excellent. The pricing is decent, and the place is definitely worth the money. Pradnya and I got to taste “Raki” which Abhilash and Nakul had ordered {In Turkey, raki is the unofficial 'national drink' and it is traditionally drunk mixed with water; the dilution causes this alcoholic drink to turn a milky-white colour, and possibly because of its colour, this mixture is popularly called aslan, literally meaning "lion's milk"}

Sanlitun is crowded over the weekend, starting Friday night.So if you want to escape the crowd go for an early dinner and catch the last subway home(around 10.45pm)
It was a Fun Friday. And we are going to miss Nakul,Pradnya and Baby Sahana who are heading back to New York on Wednesday.

Getting to Sanlitun: Subway Line 10, Tuanjiehu subway station

Temple of Heaven and Hongqiao market

2009-03-25T23:11:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we visited the Temple of Heaven and Hongqiao market. We got to Temple of Heaven around 11 am (Line 5 Tiantandongmen station)

There is a huge park and you can find the locals exercising, dancing and hanging out. They seem to be so happy and it gives u a lot of positive energy. We were lucky we went in early so it wasn’t too crowded. There was this very friendly lady who was using a bright colored ribbon to do an exercise and seeing my keen interest she lend her ribbon to me to try it out.

We then walked from the park towards the Temple. The view is breathtaking. It is calm and so beautiful. We then visited the Echo wall and Mount of Clouds, and walked back to the park.
It will take about 3 hours to leisurely walk around the whole place.

After lunch we went into the Hongqiao market. It is opposite the Temple of Heaven and is hard to miss. It has five floors and you get electronics, watches, bags, shoes , fabrics ,souvenirs and not to forget lots of pearls and semi precious stones. It may be hard to tell the difference between real and fake but it may not matter much as the price quoted isn’t to much, but again you definitely have to haggle.
On the 5th floor (I think!) there is a huge shop where there are beads..all colors and shapes and the lady doesn’t let you bargain too much. But it’s hard not to pick up anything from there. A nice shop and I’m definitely picking up more stuff when I go there the next time.

You can go up to the top floor and walk into the terrace to get a view of the Temple of Heaven from there as well.

Overall, it was a pleasant day, clicked a lot of pictures and came back with a few shopping bags :-)

The week(end) that Was..

2009-03-17T20:10:00.000-07:00

Last Weekend we planned to go to the Indian Embassy, but when we got there it was closed. We hadn't planned anything else, so we walked down the road towards Yonganli Subways station, as the Silk market was there. We didn't see any market around, but a huge mall..5 to 6 floors, jampacked with tourists,locals and loud shopkeepers.
Everything under the sun is available here! "Branded" shoes,bags, toys,clothes et al!
We picked up an "Adidas" pair of shoes for around 80RMB (which we feel, we could have got much cheaper)and picked up some magic trick kits, really simple but cool ones.
We then got ourselves a foot massage for around 70rmb/30mins. Wasn't great but we wanted to try it out. We then stepped out for some fresh air and had a late lunch at the Orchid Thai Rest across the street.

On Sunday we had our friends Nakul,Pradnya and their adorable 2 year old daughter Sahana over for lunch. We then hit the Indian Store at Sanlitun. A very modest shop around the corner. Hardly any indian stuff but you do get Unsweetened yoghurt, Atta, Achar the basic stuff u may miss at a regular store in China.
We then went to the Sanyuanli Market which is very close to our place. Thanks to Pradnya found a market where we get fresh veggies, fish and meat at walkable distance. We would have never managed to find this place on our own.

Yesterday (Tuesday) I went to the Bookworm, the English Library/cafe. Its a bright green colored cosy library. I went in to attend the Coffee Meeting for New comers in Beijing so I could meet some people. Social Networking basically.
It was nice. There were about 10-12 of us from all parts of the globe. Some in Beijing for just about 8 days and some over 8 years. Chatted up over some nice Coffee and felt good about it. Hope to meet an Indian for the next meet up.
They have their meet ups every third Tuesday of the month.

Useful info:
To get to the Indian Store, just take the Subway Line10 to Tuanjiehu station. Walk towards The Village ( A huge mall with branded shops, you cannot miss it.) Right behind The Village there is a street and on the left hand corner , right next to a Chinese Restaurant where you can see them steaming buns is the Indian Store.

Next to the Village the mall you see is the Yashow Market, a smaller version of the Silk Market. Go in the morning on a weekday, its less crowded. Shoes and Bags will cost you between 40-60 RMB. Just bargain and give them a sweet smile while you're lowering the price! The best bet is quote 20% of the price they quote, if they say 100 say 20 and smile real nice!!you may get it at that price if they really like you :)))

If you're new and you want to do some networking with people who are new too.. try checking out innbeijing.org, maybe you can join the coffee meetups too!

Useful information

2009-03-11T19:07:00.000-07:00

INDIAN COMMUNITY IN BEIJING: icb.beijing@gmail.com

CHINA DAILY -THE ENGLISH NEWSPAPER
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/

CHINA CULTURE CENTRE
http://www.chinaculturecenter.org/expats/index.php

ASIA EXPATS
http://beijing.asiaxpat.com/

A MONTHLY ENGLISH MAGAZINE WITH A LOT OF USEFUL INFORMATION
http://www.thebeijinger.com/

WEEKLY MAGAZINE
http://www.cityweekend.com.cn/beijing/

RENTING A HOUSE IN BEIJING:
http://en.ganji.com/housing/

CHINESE LESSONS- you may need to register to access lessons (there is a free trial period which you can use to learn basic Mandarin)
http://chinesepod.com

JOB SITES-If you are looking for a job
http://english.zhaopin.com/
http://english.fesco.com.cn/

TRAVELING IN CHINA:
http://www.beijing-visitor.com/index.php?cID=413&pID=1080&cName=Beijing%20Travel&pName=beijing-buses&PHPSESSID=59cc06348fc7675bd18e45f4536e0c59

http://www.bjbus.com/home/index.php

http://www.chinatripadvisor.com/english/

http://www.seat61.com/China.htm

Beijing Basics

2009-03-11T18:59:00.000-07:00

We got here in the month of February. It was freezing cold for us, though it may not have been that cold for the locals here. Just a small tip..none of the woolens you get from India may keep you warm enough for the winter here. You will get jackets that will keep you nice and warm from any of the markets here.

There are a lot of bi weekly/monthly English magazines which are absolutely free, and you can pick it up from any of the good restaurants around the place you live. The Beijinger, City weekend and Agenda are a few free magazines.

Carrefour Supermarket is quite popular, and you get everything you need there. Until you settle in and find your way to the local markets , its best to hit this store and pick up stuff you really need.

A tip for those coming for the first time to Beijing (like us).. Get a nice big jute bag, the kind you carry to the sabji mandi in India. They are trying to minimize use of plastics in Beijing so if you need a plastic bag to carry the grocery you’ve picke up, you will have to pay for it. So if you have an old school bag / a the big jute bag you can carry your stuff from the store in it.

To go around the city, the most convenient and economical way is the Subway. All stations have boards and signs in English. All you need to do is walk into the station, look for a ticket counter and ask for a ‘Piao’ which means ticket. It will cost you around 2 RMB for a one way trip.

You can also check out the Agenda (the free English magazine) which has the subway map. So you can pull out the map and keep it in your wallet so you have it with you all the time.