Subway

Subway is cheap! RMB 2 wherever you go. But the people ARE rude. They will push you around, they will poke you, they will cast evil eyes on you if you try to grab a seat. This is just BAD! The worst part? People talk VERY VERY loud. I am serious. Unlike Hong Kong people, who are usually more shy and self-conscious, people in Beijing talk really loud, everywhere, and anywhere. This makes the place quite noisy.
Staff at the ticket / information booth were not the most helpful. They were always in a rush to answer questions. And they had a way to make you feel that you are taking too much of their time.
The subway was is very good. All the different routes are numbered. We could find our way around the city quite easily. However, the city map that we have is not detailed enough. We have got lost quite a few times AFTER we got off the subway stations. When the streets are cold and dark (because there were very little street lights), it is not a pleasant thing to get lost, even in a big city.

People
Well…they are very divided. They are the real city-dwellers who are too busy to even cast an eye on a tourist; and those who are eager to help a stranger on a bus. We have met both. And of course the latter one will make you feel welcomed and warm in the big city. The usual city-dwellers simply did not give me a chance to rest on my vacation. They made me feel like I had to compete with them everywhere in the city, all the time. This was NOT a relaxing trip that I wanted. I should go somewhere with only beaches and sun next time.
Tourism fail!

Yes, I have decided to start with the three items I saw the most, then I will blog about the trip later on.

Security Check (安檢) – there is security check everywhere – and I mean, EVERYWHERE. We had to get security checks when getting into the subway station; before entering the Great Wall; when entering the Tianmen Square; the list can go on. From this perspective, this feels rather communistic.

Flies - oh yes! Flies. Even when you are inside a hotel room or an upper-end restaurant. Well, at least they didn’t come in groups. But the way they hover around me and the food really annoyed me. I didn’t expect there would be flies at such low temperature (daily range of 5 to 20 degrees Celsius), and in upper-end restaurants.

Phlegm - I am serious, and ILK!!!!!! For some reasons, men in Beijing have more phlegm than anyone else. There would be loud coughs, then followed by spitting. This happens when they are walking, chatting with friends, commuting, in the middle of a meal, and before they enter the Great Wall (thank goodness the authority forbids spitting inside the Great Wall)! Needless to say, this is extremely disgusting. There were several times we had to change our seats in restaurants because we could not stand the sounds of the coughs and could not even stand the scenes following.

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