China Town is My Town

Before arriving to our new home, Singapore had been described to us as "Asia light": an intro to Eastern culture, food, and ways of life with the modern conveniences of the West. So when we decided to visit the "real" Asia, I braced myself for the worst. I imagined squat toilets, little infrastructure, and generally sad, uninspired people. Boy were we surprised.

With the ONLY obvious downfall being the at-times cumbersome air pollution, Beijing proved tourist-worthy to a tee. From the Forbidden City to the Summer Palace to the Great Wall, all sites were impeccably maintained despite the masses of tourists that visit them each day. (And thank God the sites are huge, otherwise like-minded tourists like us literally wouldn't fit!) Admittedly, I did encounter my share of squatter toilets. But all were clean, had toilet paper, and provided soap and running water for the post-toilet ritual. One bathroom even boasted a 4-star rating!

Getting around was easy as well. A fairly extensive subway serves much of the city with plans for expansion currently underway. But for those not wanting to venture underground, taxis are plentiful and cheap (10-15 USD for a 45-minute cab ride to the suburbs). And though the majority of cab drivers don't speak English, most know at least a little. Between their limited English, my rudimentary Chinese, and a few hand signals and Chinese characters, we were able to get from one place to the next, order food, and even carry on simple conversations with locals without a hitch!

Bargaining in the Silk Market proved very easy compared to relentless Cairo vendors and the lengthy Lagos transactions. Don't give your lowest price, start to walk away, and after doing this about 7 or 8 times you'll have the price you want. The vendors will even chase after you through the market while dropping the price by $20!

Despite the ease of travel (signs in English and Chinese) and unexpected modern conveniences (plentiful ATMs and working, clean bathrooms), there were a couple of surprises for us Western folk. At the night market, items such as scorpions and starfish were on display for purchase and consumption. We opted for the dumplings and fried noodles. The bare-butted toddlers also came as a surprise. Children under age 2 (and presumably potty training) all wear pants without backsides. As we saw on more than one occasion, this makes it easy for the children to simply squat on the street when nature calls. And probably most amusing is just how touristy and camera-happy the local Chinese can be. Our friends' two young daughters were approached a couple of times by crowds wanting to take their picture. Apparently, little white girls are a rare and/or interesting site in this northern capital city.

So after bracing myself for the worst and experiencing what I believe is the best Asia has to offer, I can say without a doubt China Town is My Town.