Beijing, China = Chaos

Nope, there was no health restored here. In fact, it definitely got worse. Thanks to my lovely friend Meghan and her roommates Chris and Linda, spending time in Sanlitun and the Strawberry Music Festival was amazing of course, but unlike Hong Kong, I managed to squeeze in quite a few good visits as well.

Of course among those many visits were the Great Wall, Forbidden City and certain buildings like the CCTV Tower and the Olympic Stadium (Bird's Nest). Let's not dwell on those however, lets focus on life in China...all I have to say is "wow." This place is complete madness. Only the top Frogger players can cross the streets here and the traffic wards that stand out in the street, well I don't really know what their purpose is. Rule of thumb: Be bold, be smart. Buses, cars, rickshaws, bikes, motorcycles, wagons, manmade contraptions with wheels, it doesn't matter what it is because it's allowed to be driven on the road. Traffic is horrible and the streets are lawless, to be honest I don't really understand the point for the traffic lights but somehow it works for them. The one thing that I have been told by many and that I have experienced first hand in China is that things just don't make sense! You just have to jump in and adapt. Easier said than done. Beijing is a major city but life there is just not what you expect it to be. Obviously it is modern, yes it has sidewalks, but don't be surprised if you pass through a plaza with Prada and Gucci stores then 1 minute later you are walking down streets with merchants selling every kind of animal you could ever imagine. It's a lot to handle with all its chaos but once you get the flow of it I could see how one might enjoy the pace. There is something to be said when you move or visit a new country that is so completely opposite than what you are used to. You go through experiences that makes you hate it but shortly after, those experiences turn into your skill and knowledge gained that allow you to adapt. Once those learning curves pass and you start to get the ways things work, there is certain bit of satisfaction that comes from knowing you have what it takes to survive. Survival of the fittest.

Great Wall

Forbidden City

Believe it

On Stage