on safari

Took about three minutes to prepare.

I guess every foreigner in Beijing already knows about this, but for a newbie like me, it’s quite hard to find the information online, hence this post:

I went to take the compulsory health check for my Chinese visa in Beijing today. It cost 634.50 Yuan and took about 45 minutes. Tests include a general physical exam, a blood test, an ECG, and a chest X-ray. Don’t forget to bring along you passport, as well as three passport size photos, and try to get there well before 10 a.m. because that’s when the queues tend to become longer. Working hours are from 8.30 to 11.00 a.m. They advise you not to eat breakfast before the tests.

Before May 8, 2008 the physical examination for foreigners can be done at the following address:

Beijing Health and Quaratine Station, Nr. 20 Hepingli Beijie, Chaoyang District, Beijing

After May 8, 2008 it will be done at:

Haidian Clinic of Beijing International Healthcare Center, Nr. 10 De Zhenglu, Haidian District, Beijing, Phone: 82403684

This is not specific for Beijing, but I have never had one before. Got to admit: I really like it. It even made me start drinking hot water just like the Chinese do. Bottles can be ordered by phone from a shop in the same building. Well, could be ordered by phone if my Chinese was good enough. At least for today’s refill I had to go down with the empty bottle to show them what I wanted. They were really friendly (and probably made a bit of fun of me, hence the smiles) and even brought it to the apartment to set it up for me.

A major advantage of living in Beijing is that you can ride a bike in the city. Although I know at least one person who rides a bike in Bangkok, it just seems to unhealthy to me. Traffic and chaotic road conditions are of course the main reason for that, but one should not forget the pollution and the black fumes that can make cycling in Bangkok a nightmare. Now, Beijing has fumes and pollution, but it also has wide roads with separate bike lanes. The traffic in Beijing is slightly less hazardous than because of the complete lack of motorbikes. To make up for it, there are a huge number of electric bikes which make no sound at all and ride at full speed on the bicycle lanes .

If everyone has one, I need one too!

Today’s main task for me was to find and buy a bicycle. Having a version (though not the newest I think) of China’s Lonely Planet, I found the Qianmen Bicycle Shop that is supposed to sell good quality bikes at Qianmen Dajie in central Beijing. Now, Qianmen is really far from where I live, but I didn’t really know where else to go and it seemed easier that way.

I thus walked about 20 minutes to the subway station which is closest to my flat and took the subway to Qianmen. Emerging from the underground in Qianmen, I was quite shocked to discover that Qianmen Dajie has been closed for renovation, including some of the streets in the surrounding Hutongs.

Having come so far, I decided to go to the next bike shop I could find and I continued walking. In China, if there is one successful shop, there is most likely a similar (less successful) one nearby. I finally found one at Zhushikou Xidajie, just a few blocks from Qianmen Dajie. Bike prices ranged from about 120 to 400 Yuan. I decided to get a simple no-frills bike without gears and any other stuff that could easily break. Beijing is flat like a pancake, gears are really not important. I got it for 180 Yuan plus 40 Yuan for a lock and a lady basket.

Having been riding my bike for about four hours around Beijing, I already got a throat pain from the dust and the pollution, but it’s great fun. I really enjoy having it!

See the full flickr photo set of my today’s adventured here.

Arrived in Beijing yesterday. I feel constantly cold, but the weather applet says it’s 22 degrees (Celsius), so I guess that’s quite warm for spring. Yes, it’s spring time. Kind of strange coming to a four season place after Bangkok. Spring is supposed to be the nicest time in Beijing. Though to me, Beijing mainly seems really dusty. I think it’s a combination of pollution and dust from some nearby desert as well as the omnipresent construction sites. I live a bit further off the center, but conveniently close to where I will be working from next week. It’s a quite a large Chinese (meaning non-expat) apartment complex where I share a flat with a Chinese girl. It’s a typical Chinese furnished two bedroom apartment with a living room, kitchen, and bathroom. Nothing fancy, but really good value compared to what you get in Bangkok for the same price. My flatmate is real fun and she speaks perfect English. The apartment faces a large busy road (Chaoyang Bei Lu) and is quite noisy, but I don’t really mind. I am quite sure I’ll get used to that in a few days.

See the full flickr photoset here.

About two and a half years ago, I went to the dentist in Switzerland and she told me that I have two cavities to fix. Unfortunately, I could not go to my appointment and I finally never showed up. However, one year later I went to see a different dentist who said that my teeth were in perfect shape. Now today, I went to see a dentist here in Bangkok for a checkup before leaving for Beijing. Same again: Nothing wrong with my teeth. Hmm, so either the problem has fixed itself or my first dentist wanted to sell me a service I didn’t actually need.

I knew this was going to happen, but everything seemed so far away… Now it’s getting really close: I am moving to Beijing in 13 days and there is still so much to be done before leaving.

Luckily I already have a place to stay and a something to do (I will be telling more about that on my other blog in the near future). But I need to give up my beloved apartment in Bangkok, say goodbye to my friends, and my life I have started building up here. It still feels like I haven’t properly arrived in Bangkok yet, and I am already about to leave :(. On the other hand, there is this whole new adventure about living in the Chinese capital city awaiting me.

Honestly, I am quite excited, but I know I won’t enjoy it as much as I enjoy Thailand. First of all, Chinese food is edible, though mostly close to disgusting, Chinese people are far less friendly and helpful than Thais, and the weather is boiling hot in summer and icy cold in winter with the next enjoyable beach being far away… in southern China, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia. I am planning to stay for about six months which means I’ll be there for the Olympics. I can’t wait seeing Beijing even more crowded than usual with all the legal restrictions and regulations that are put in place just in time for the Olympics. Though I have heard that Chinese are really working on their pollution issue, so maybe I will be experiencing the cleanest summer ever.

I finally got to see The Beach. It’s called Maya Beach on Ko Phi Phi Leh where they made the movie. And it’s …. crowded. Plenty of boats with noisy motors, people sunbathing, getting drunk, swimming, snorkelling… Honestly, I have seen better beaches.

Fabian and I spent almost three weeks on Thai beaches and we loved it. First we went to Ko Phi Phi and then moved on to Ko Lipe in the Ko Tarutao national park. We spent our days lazying on the beach, snorkelling, and diving. I finally read a couple of good books, got myself a bit of a suntan and I saw sea turtles, sharks, shrimps, pipe fish, and nudie branks in all shapes and colors. I also started taking underwater pictures while diving, though it turned out to be much harder than expected, especially with the constant underwater current.

As a final highlight before coming back to Bangkok, we got caught in the Songkran activities in Krabi yesterday and had much fun getting soaked in water and splashing around with our water pistol. So sad there is no similar festival in Europe :).

See the full flickr photoset here.