China

I tried, I really tried to keep a detailed diary of my trip to China. But Kayli had so much for me to do that I never seemed to have time to sit down and write. Once I had fallen about four days behind, I realized that I probably wasn't going to catch up. So this will be the abbreviated version of Christina's nine days in Beijing. 

Sunday: arrived, Kayli and I deliriously happy to see each other. Visited Kayli's dorm, set out for Shanghai. Missed the train (through no fault of our own) while running all over town in a lightning storm. Clearly the world is conspiring against us. Went back to Kayli's dorm, changed, and went out dancing. Met a hot Russian blonde named Dominique and a creepy guy who tried to undress me on the dance floor. Crawled back to the dorm at 3AM and slept in Kayli's bed, much to the consternation of her conservative Christian roommate.

Monday: ran damage control on our scrapped trip to Shanghai. Managed to cancel the hostel reservations and get most of our money back on our unused train tickets. Met some of Kayli's friends - how does she meet so many hot guys? Tried to track down a temporary hostel, but none of them seem to allow foreigners. Finally found one, but only for one night. Ate Chinese baked goods and watched "Queer as Folk."

Tuesday: went to Tian'anmen square. Miserable. Sweltering, sticky, and so smoggy that I think it was like smoking a pack of cigarettes. Complained to Kayli and was generally a brat. For lunch, ate the worst Chinese food I think I have ever tasted. Later went to a street market where it was cooler, and I perked back up a little. Bought a dress and learned how to haggle (the trick is apparently to just walk away, because they start slashing the price like mad if they think you're going to leave). Kayli impressed everyone with her Chinese, and I had an allergic reaction from a nut hidden in my melon ice cream. That makes four times in two months. Joy. Went out for burgers and watched another thunderstorm. The lightning is beautiful, but Kayli warns me to stay out of the rain (it's acid). Couldn't find a hostel, so I slept with Kayli again.

Wednesday: The Great Wall. Absofuckinglutely fantastic. Went to a part of it that wasn't too crowded, hammed it up for each other's cameras, got tons of great photos, and had a great time. Being out of the city and in the trees makes all the difference. It was hot, but it was healthy, sweaty, pour-water-over-your-face hot instead of the sticky, smoky discomfort of the city. Caught a lizard, met a pair of South African missionaries, bought silly hats. Back in the city, tried to find the hostel that I had reserved. Cab drivers refused to let us in until we produced a map and directions in Chinese, even though it was just a few blocks away. Bed is hard, facilities are okay, roommates are cute Chinese girls.

Thursday: The Forbidden City. Not so hot, so even though it was smoggy it wasn't too bad. The city was amazing. Golden roofs and stone dragons everywhere, every side building was a museum hall. Went straight though, but could have stayed for hours if we had wanted to. Found a market street with food vendors everywhere, ate delicious lamb kabobs and grapes dipped in caramelized sugar. Did not try the live scorpions or dried seahorses. Went back to Kayli's place, watched more "Queer as Folk" while I tried to ignore the TV, where South Korea was getting creamed by Argentina.

Friday: woke up feeling terrible. Cramps, headache, diarrhea, and a prickly sensation all over my body that made me want to kill anyone who touched me. Endured a subway ride (during which I fantasized the murders of no less than twenty people) before admitting to Kayli that I wasn't up for whatever she had planned. I took the subway back alone. Had a great evening of dinner, dancing, and karaoke planned, but I had to opt out. Just my luck.

Saturday: still sick. Kayli figures I have the "Beijing Flu." Apparently everyone gets it in the first few months when they come over. Went to a Korean restaurant/bar and watched Holland beat Japan. I must have been spending too much time in Korea - the restaurant made me "home"sick for Seoul. The others went out later, but I had to sleep.

Sunday: finally started feeling better. The day was actually clear for a change, so Kayli and I went to the Summer Palace. Beautiful. Followed Kayli to her French class, taught by a gorgeous redhead who spoke about five languages. He had to, since he had Korean, Chinese, and American students. He said I have a good accent, but I think he was just flattering me. I kept getting the French mixed up with Spanish. That night, had beers with Kayli's friend Mikhael, who was celebrating his last day in Beijing before going home to Norway. He's adorable, and really funny. Left them to go dancing, but the only club that was hopping was Propaganda, and it was playing crap music. Left around 1AM.

Monday: slept until 11AM, checked my flight, suddenly realized that it's at 8:40AM tomorrow. What was I thinking? I'll have to get up at like 4AM. Bleh. Went to the Lama Temple and Beihai Park, both beautiful. Did a lot of walking, eventually went back to Kayli's to unwind with more "Queer as Folk." Ended up going for a burger at midnight, leaving me just three hours of sleep before getting up to catch my plane.

And now I'm safely back in Seoul, where the air is clean and I have my own room. Hallelujah. Okay, the trip was definitely worth it. In fact, it would have been worth it just to see the Great Wall, because that was a truly amazing day. But I think day-to-day life in Beijing would have gotten pretty miserable after I ran out of temples to visit, and it didn't help that I got sick just in time to miss all the weekend partying. It was nice to be around a bunch of people my age for a change, though. I'll miss Kayli and everyone she introduced me to. But I nabbed all her "Queer as Folk" files from her backup drive, so at least I'll be reminded of her when I watch them all tomorrow.