From Sports Cars to Fried Chicken...

I found Beijing a pleasant and friendly city, despite the sometimes aggressiveness of the street vendors and bar and nightclub touters, often grabbing you by the arm or tugging at your shirt “Hello, have a look... What do you like? I've encountered some aggressive street merchants in my days but I'll be placing those of Beijing atop the list, for now. I do understand their pleas... competition is tough. In most market places there are a hundred or so other vendors most selling very similar if not the same wares. Sometimes it can all make simply browsing the stalls quite awkward and the pressure to buy if you actually spot something of interest can be intense.

One thing I've notice from visiting China's three most populated and economically prosperous cities; there sure does seem to be a whole lot of capitalism going on. Hong Kong has it's high end retailers: Fendi, Armani, Gucci, etc, and any given day you're likely to spot a Ferrari, perhaps a few. Shanghai, has new restaurants and bars popping up all over town. Startbucks is in all three towns as is KFC, and of course the Golden Arches are ever present. You can even shop for a new Mercedes while you attend next year's Olympic games in Beijing. I don't really know what I expected to find, and I must admit I'm quite reacquainted with 7Eleven after this trip. I suppose I thought I would find more overt signs of communism here in China. Or, at the very least, fewer Starbucks and KFCs . But who doesn't like some fried chicken skin every now and again right? And those biscuits, come on.

China has been a warm (if not hot) and inviting country to visit. It sure has been an adventure. I definitely could not have had such a great time if were not for the friends, acquaintances, hotel staff, and strangers on the street who helped me get along, feel welcome and stay well fed. Xiexie (Thank you all!).