I spent the weekend checking more things off of my list of things to do in Beijing. First on my list was to visit 798 Art District, a large quarter in northwest Beijing with warehouses that were converted into art galleries. It was a really cool mix of rustic buildings and contemporart sculptures, art and paintings. My favorite art was by the Chinese artist Liu Bolin (Google it!). I must say, though, that I felt more like a tourist here and less like someone who had lived in Beijing for two months. I had never seen so many Westerners in one place in China than at 798.
I took a bus to Yashow Market after I had seen enough art. I couldn’t resist one last visit to the DVD store. Naturally, I got a Jackie Chan movie to take home to the States. I then took another bus to Keith’s apartment in Nanluogu Xiang. Lenore and Tobias arrived soon after I did, and Tobias wanted to show off the sidecar motorcycle that he was renting/about to purchase. Tobias, Keith and I took the bike out for a spin. It was super cool being on the back of a bike in Beijing traffic – something that most Americans don’t get a chance to do (for free, at least), so it made up for feeling like a tourist earlier in the day at 798. However, I was also kind of scared for my life when we topped out at 65 km/h. Not to mention that no one wears helmets and drivers in China are CRAZY. But I’m alive.
Once the twins, Brian and Kevin, and their Chinese friend, Con Lin, arrived, we all took a bus to Ghost Street for hot pot. This was only my second time eating hotpot – kind of like fondue, but with more beer and less chocolate. I got the “spicy” hotpot this time, so it was much better than my first hot pot experience with the “swim team.” We filled ourselves with delicious mutton, mushrooms, potatoes, dumplings, lettuce and pijiu. The conversation dynamics were interesting because everyone but me could speak Chinese, and everyone but Con Lin could speak English, so it kind of just flip-flopped from language to language naturally. The group took a picture with a small Chinese boy selling glittery roses outside of the restaurant before heading to WuDouKou.
In WuDaoKou, we had planned on going to Propaganda, a popular bar for foreigners, but when we got there, we noticed that everything was closing at midnight. Confused, we asked around. Some Germans we met told us that midnight marked the beginning of a national day of mourning for the victims of the flooding and mudslides in Gansu Province, China. Luckily for us, there was still one bar opened, called Laowai’s Lounge. Its name literally translates to “Foreigner’s Lounge” and is owned by the same people as Propaganda. We enjoyed some fries and 5 kuai pijiu.
Despite staying out late, I woke up at 6:30 the next morning to meet Jessie at FuChengMen Station to take a bus to Xiang Shan for some hiking. The mountain’s name translates to Fragrant Hill, named for its odorous pine trees. The bus took about an hour, and the hike to the top took about two hours. At the top, Jessie and I took pictures by a tree strung with red penants on which people had written their wishes. This was also the first time that I could see all of Beijing at one time. It was really cool being able to point out the Summer Palace, the CCTV Tower and the other landmarks of my summer home. We then hiked to a grassy spot where we had a picnic. Jessie had made sushi and brought peanuts, peaches, grapes and pijiu. We both felt so relaxed that we fell asleep laying in the sun. We left the mountain and took the 714 bus back to FuChengMen, where we caught the 800 bus to the market with the tailor who had made my suit. This time it fit very well, so I paid the man and left satisfied.
That night for dinner I decided I wanted street food one more time. I walked to the street across from Jian Mart where I had eaten before. I’m not entirely sure what everything was that I ate, but it was all delicious and cheap as hell. Once again, the barbecued corn on the cob was my favorite.
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