Free Day to Explore

On Monday we had a free day to explore Beijing. Before the big building frenzy and Olympic developments, the city was made up of hutongs, small “neighborhood-like” alleyways where families lived. The narrow roads only allow for a couple to walk and perhaps a couple of bikes. Along the sides of each hutong are produce stores, tea shops, curio shops and fabric stores. We started on a quiet hutong that ran parallel to the main road and eventually stumbled upon a busy farmer’s market. With sellers and customers yelling out prices for a plethora of vegetables (some I had never seen), beef, poultry, pork and lamb, Kate and I quickly found ourselves absorbed in the day-to-day food shopping of hutong dwellers.

After wondering among the hutongs, we grabbed a bite to eat. With a taxi driver who spoke almost little English and was believed to be illiterate (note: This taxi experience was an exception. Most cab drivers were excellent.), getting to the restaurant proved to be a challenge. Keeping my pinyin tones in mind, I was able to work out the address with him. It was clear he was very frustrated, but we managed to work it out. In Otto’s restaurant, we had some cheap beef and rice stir fry. The staff was extremely patient with us as we worked through the menu to determine what we wanted.

After a few beers and a $10 meal, we decided to go to the main shopping district in Beijing, Wangfudajie. Here we found a gigantic mall, an Adidas store, a Nike Store and Le Ning, Chinese’s Nike Brand. With the Olympics in town, it was apparent that Western nation fans had paid a visit to the shops because the XXL size shirts were all sold out in most of the athletic stores. We scrounged for some items, and I picked up a collared shirt from Le Ning. The quality is probably not as high as what we might expect from Nike or Adidas, but the design and style was the same. The price was fair, and the service was great. When I asked the staff if they had a particular shirt in my size, the sales person ran off to go and find it and was back in a flash. I predict that Le Ning could be competitive with Nike, Reebok and Adidas in the next decade in the US.

We ended the day with a special date. On recommendation from a friend I made reservations at The Courtyard. The location of this restaurant is probably unrivaled by any restaurant on earth. It looks out over the moat of the Forbidden City. The food and service was impeccable. We started the meal with a shrimp cocktail. Kate’s next course was oysters, while I had the beef carpaccio. The main course was rack of lamb (for me) and cod (for Kate). For dessert we had sorbet (Kate) and a chocolate cake (me). Afterwards we took some moments to enjoy the scenery. Unfortunately, pictures could never do it justice. The view and atmosphere were both just spectacular.