After touring 2\/3 of Japan, I’m going to be in Beijing for a weekend.
\nIt’s going to be my third time there, BJ being part of my first Asia Trip in 1999 and again in post SARS 2002.
\nI’ve seen much of the touristy\/historic attractions but not all of them. Like the Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven and many bars in the Chaoyang district.
\nSince BJ got the Olympic Games, they’ve been building. A lot. In fact, they’ve been building with such zeal that the IOC has asked them to slow down.
\nOne of my peeves about BJ during past visits was that the Beijing Metro (北京地铁) only had two lines and they didn’t expand much beyond Chang’an Lu or the 2nd Ring Road. The Olympics have given the BJ authorities the justification to embark on some long delayed capital projects. Like new subway\/rail lines for one.
\nThe traffic in BJ is almost as bad as Seoul’s traffic jams. Really baaaad! Hopefully the new trains will alleviate some of it.
\nPretty serious post, eh? =)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
After touring 2\/3 of Japan, I’m going to be in Beijing for a weekend. It’s going to be my third time there, BJ being part of my first Asia Trip in 1999 and again in post SARS 2002. I’ve seen much of the touristy\/historic attractions but not all of them. Like the Summer Palace, Temple … <\/p>\n