Greetings from Beijing

I arrived in Beijing a few hours ago. I have so much to say about it already...but am exhausted, so I'll start by wrapping up my Bangalore trip.

Finished up work early yesterday and went to MG Road (MG=Mahatma Gandhi). I'm sure I'm not the first one to say it, but really? Naming a road filled with consumerism and tourists after Gandhi? It surprises me.

We got there by taking one of the motorized rickshaws (see picture to the left). I learned a few lessons. Number 1: they are not meant for 3 people to squeeze in the back. Number 2: If forced to stick your knee out the side (it's open), be hypervigilant cause the gazillion scooters, motorcycles, cars and trucks really prefer to drive about 2-3 inches away from the side of your rickshaw and your knee sticks out more than that.

It was a great way to see the city though and I took a bunch of pictures while we were driving. It's not very hard to shoot pix while moving because the rickshaw is motored by a eggbeater motor (or similar). It apparently has 4 gears, but they are seriously underpowered. And everywhere. I really enjoyed seeing the ladies in their saris driving their scooters. Most scooters had two people on them - only the driver wears a helmet. I saw lots of women on the back...sitting sidesaddle...some holding babies....in crazy traffic without regard for those things we call lanes in America. It was definitely an adventure.

Spent too much money on a beautiful carved elephant for my house, some gifts, pashminas (they come from India...the Kashmir region, from the wool from sheep's necks, up at 30,000 feet). At one store, one of the guys I was with was shopping & haggling and the owners brought us saffron tea (the saffron is also from Kashmir and apparently quite a luxury) while we were waiting. It had chopped almonds in it and God knows what else, and it was yummy.

Heh. On the walk to that particular store, we walked by a park and I suggested we go in cause we'd only really seen city and no nature. We didn't get far in...but were taking pictures and my German cohort was talking to a local man and two male couples walked into the park, walked by us, walked about 100 yards into the park and then turned around and left. I am convinced that it's a gay sex park, but the guys I was with were totally clueless. Teehee.

The picture to the right is a piece of art that was displayed on the hallway walking to my room. The thing is that the same painting is displayed 11 other times in that hallway. There is no other artwork. Not sure what that's all about and not really sure that particular piece deserves its own walk of fame, but I figured I should capture it for posterity (is that the right word?) I'm super-tired.

Had a 11:15pm flight to Singapore and then to Beijing. I'll write about Beijing tomorrow when I'm more awake, but check out the Bangalore pix in the meantime.