Eric's Beijing Diary

Beautiful Autumn day today. Another perfect day for exploring Beijing on my bicycle. This time I was using the new Beijing guidebook Rhea had brought me from America. I like this particular bike tour, because it takes you along the palace moat around the Forbidden City, which is really a pretty ride.

I stopped at a little tea shop just west of the Forbidden City. The problem with this place is that it only had the price for a group of people. I don't know why you can't just drop into a tea house and buy a simple cup of tea. But maybe there is something I'm missing--I really haven't been in tea houses very often, because they aren't designed for studiers like me, so the only time I ever go there is if I am with a group that happens to be going. It was a nice place, though. But it was a little hard for me to read, because a talking mynah bird in a cage behind me kept speaking Chinese to me, asking me over and over again if I had eaten. I finally answered it in Chinese (as if that would keep it quiet), much to the amusement of the fuwuyuan.

Another thing I like about this route is that it leads through a couple of old hutongs that would be hard to find if you did not have a guide. Of course, I have biked around town without a guide, too. The basic English Language tourist map of Beijing sells for 8 RMB (about a dollar), and is available lots of places. Even if that is the only thing you have, you can get familiar with the town pretty easily, especially if you live here, and can try different areas of town on different days. But I still recommend the Lonely Planet Guide for Beijing, because it will introduce you to places that you would probably not find right away on your own.

And I only had to do one photo-op today. A friendly couple from who knows where were visiting the city, and wanted me to be in the picture. The last time I did this, a television camera crew pulled me off the street and had me ride around the corner on my bike a few times while they filmed me from different angles. I'm afraid my agent is going to quit if I keep doing this stuff for free.