Eric's Beijing Diary

I was sitting in the Kangaroo Bar this afternoon, having a cheeseburger and complaining about the heat. The Aussies were not encouraging. "Lucky you got here during a cold spell. Wait 'till it warms up." No way. I will be long gone by then. Surely there was a bit of barroom bluster in that comment, but I am afraid it may not be too far from the truth. When it comes to climate, Beihai is known for two things: blistering hot summers, and bitterly cold winter winds. In fairness, I should add a third: Beihai has nice evenings most of the time.

I asked the bloke from Perth what he was doing in China.

"I'm retired."

The lady sitting next to him at the bar chided him, "Why you always say, 'I tired?' You never do any work, but you always say, 'I tired, I tired.'"