Beijing: Trip Recaps

1. Celcom don't have GPRS partner in Beijing. International roaming (phone calls & SMS) works just fine for post paid. (Yours truly is waiting anxiously for the bill)

2. Shopping in Beijing is madness (especially for a non-shopaholics like yours truly).

3. Bargaining during shopping is a MUST. You can also bargain at department store. No bargaining at places that use bar code scanner (Carrefour, & 7-eleven-like-shops).

4. With proper bargaining skill, patient, and courage opening price (as high as RMB1000) could go very low (as low as RMB100).

5. Be ready to be 'physically manhandled' by the persistant & persuasive shop assistants.

6. Main streets in Beijing are generally clean. However, avoid any water puddle, whenever possible, at any cost.

7. When buying things from street peddlers, be carefull of counterfeit money.

8. Taking taxis in Beijing is generally safe. They have receipt which indicate where and when you boarded the taxi, as well as where and when you reach your destination.

9. Definitely get your destination name written in chinese characters (unless you can speak fluent mandarin and can pronounce all the names properly).

10. Bl**dy-Geeky-Touristy Things to do:
* Climb Great Wall of China - done
* Visit Tianenmen Square - done
* Visit Forbidden City - done
* See acrobats show - done

11. Things to spot:
* People reading newspapers pasted on roadside-noticeboard
* Kids (and possibly adults) wearing 'backside-exposing-pants'
* People exercising & dancing in the park
* People reading newspaper while paddling their bicycle.