Making Friends In Beijing

Five-Star Cuisine: McDonald’s, KFC, 7-Eleven

Kelly: A group of us went to see men’s gymnastics. South Korea had a rough time, but the real struggles were at the concession stands. You want chips? Sorry, sold out. You want a hot dog? Sorry, sold out. But you can certainly have popcorn, which tastes like a strange buttered popcorn-Cracker Jacks hybrid. We [...]

No Ticket = No Access, Less Security

Chris: After the murder of the U.S. men’s volleyball coach’s father-in-law here in Beijing, I couldn’t help but think about security. How good is it really? At first I thought it was extremely tight, and it is — but only in certain areas. Our attempt to get close to the stadium for the Opening Ceremonies [...]

Mao and Forever

Kelly: We all went to Tiananmen Square where Chairman Mao lies for all to see. Many of us thought he might be wax but our tour guide “Sunny” said it’s really him. I haven’t seen a lot of dead bodies, but Mao doesn’t look like he’s at peace. Maybe China should finally put this man [...]

High Times, Low Prices on Great Wall

Patrick: I can’t believe I finally got to walk on the Great Wall. It’s one of those things you always see on postcards and television and then boom, you’re actually there. It really surprised me that the Wall is only about 15 feet wide. On the way up and down there are tons of vendors [...]