Totoro love from Beijing

I've been doing well, and consequently in lack of time to sit down in front of my computer to post the many many things that come across my mind. Most of it will surely have to wait until I come back to Montreal.

While I was travelling in Beijing, the most touristey stuff I've been doing was to visit Tiananmen Square (I am a sucker for impressive modern stuff - especially Communist stuff), and Wangfujing. I didn't really look, and all I can find is a really dynamic city, where everything is being built or rebuilt. Everything is bigger than in Hong Kong, but it would also seem that certain things (the subway epitomizes this) are just slightly below in terms of quality/design...

After a Friday night at the punk/rock bar D-22, Saturday on an expat bar/club adventure, and Sunday morning watching the Habs lose and then crawling my way to home under the rain, on Monday, I did role-playing for the first time (something called Warhammer), and then on Tuesday, I went out to Ho Hai with a Canadian-Chinese learning Chinese in Beijing (and later meeting randomly a new friend - realizing how expat world is so so small, even in BJ) and was invited over by one of my good friends in Montreal's Beijing friends (see photo above). On that same morning, we saw the Habs eliminate the Bruins in the last chapter of a thrilling 7-game series. On Wednesday, I was treated to Peking Duck by a Montreal friend's friend, before hanging out at Tsinghua University, and then heading home to stay in, finally.

Today will be a ride again, as I am meeting my colleague in Montreal, who also happens to visit family in Beijing. And then, I am invited to board games with expats! But not before eating dumplings with a friend's friend, a Canadian-born Chinese now learning Chinese medicine in his parents' hometown of BJ! Tomorrow, there is nothing planned, but I am almost certain that it will just plan itself out...