Now that we're past colds, China tummy and have the Spring allergies under control, China is back to amazing. This country constantly makes me smile, with adorable packaging for everything and sparkles everywhere. How can anyone hate a country that loves pink so much? The first weekend in May is a three day holiday and we were kind of excited about attending a music festival on the Saturday before leaving for Shanghai. Imagine my surprise when it turns out the headlining act is Avril Lavigne. Yep, there's no escaping her music(?) anywhere here. 

5. Ok, the Avril thing isn't exactly true. Whenever Avril's latest album isn't on repeat, Mike and I have been hearing different covers of Whitney's "and I will always love you" all over town. China loves this song. I think my favorite version is this chubby boy that sings it. He nails those fluttery high notes better than pre-crack Whitney. I love a country that unabashedly embraces pop and these guys are right there. Between the Bieber cuts, the anime eyes and choreographed dance moves, this track is my favorite:

If you don't sit through "Getting Jiggy" long enough to witness the hot girl clearly dancing out "and then I'll sleep over" you are missing out.

4. While I can get behind a nation that loves cheesy pop, I cannot be on board with the dating scene here. Couples act out meldramatic moments in very public places and also spend long periods of time in awkward embraces or poses. I think these poses might be considered dates. There is plenty of, "let's sit uncomfortably intertwined on this bench in the park for an extended period of time" moments. It is interesting, but mostly because everyone involved seems to buy into it. If your girlfriend or boyfriend start freaking out, there's no tight lipped, "we'll talk about it when we get home" there is just an explosion of whining, yelling, girls melodramatically slapping their boyfriends, going rag doll limp and excessively wailing. 

3. Imagine every tall building you have ever seen. Multiply each by about 40. That is Beijing. Around every corner, there is another complex of buidlings and it goes on and on forever. At least, that's what it feels like. 

2. One-on-one, everyone we meet here is the most kind, inviting and generous person ever. This is good, because I have no idea what people are saying and I have no idea where I am going. It's nice that people really want you to enjoy their city, the food and the sights, because otherwise, I would have had to spend a month in the hotel.

1. The first day Mike came back to the hotel after work, the first thing he talked about was how it sounded like he was in a Jay-Z video all day. It's true, whenever people are talking around us, it's hard not to laugh. Apparently, the Chinese equivalent of saying "um" is repeating the word this or that, often 3 times before a sentence even starts. The word for "this" is zhege and it sounds like jiggah. The word for "that" sounds like people are going around all day, dropping n-bombs. It's crazy. 

Beijing is one crazy city. I'd have more to say about this, but right now, Mike and I are both a little ill. Translation, we're grumpy. The thought of getting pushed around on the bus, or having to eat some type of deep fried animal cartiledge isn't at all appealing right now. Neither is being offered tea when you really want some drugs. I am a big fan of western medicine. If you cut through my whining, everything is still cool. It's neat to be in a place where everything people do is different. We've had several long conversations about how and why we do the things we do. Chalk everything up to "cultural differences."

5. If you are faced with someone that doesn't speak the same language as you, there are several things you can do. You can perhaps try some charades style acting, or maybe use some helpful hand gestures. What won't work at all is to stand complete still, while speaking faster in a language the other person doesn't understand. Whenever someone does this to me, I've taken to replying with, "It all sounds Greek to me!" and smiling.

4. Mike's friend told us that if your friend invites you for dinner, your friend orders and pays. If you are still able to walk when you leave, it must mean your friend doesn't like you very much. I think this definitely accounts for the four checkstops we went through on our way home from a night out. I think it maybe accounts for all of the public vomiting we've seen. Although, I'm not quite sure about that as you see people tossing their cookies at all times of the day. Why are so many people vomiting in public? It is possibly the biggest mystery of Beijing.

3. Toddlers wear special pants here. They're kind of like regular pants, with the seam of the crotch left open. When they gotta go, they either squat and go in the middle of the street, or their parents will hold them with their legs open and they will go in the middle of the street. I can see how this is environmentally friendly. It must cut back on thousands of diapers. However, it means I will not be sporting open toed footwear while I am here. 

2. On every sidewalk, there is a row of tiles with weird bumps on them. Mike and I had several theories as to why those tiles are there, but none of them really made sense. When we finally found out it was for blind people, I think we both felt a little foolish we hadn't thought of that. Even worse, when Mike's friend said, 'What do you do in your country for blind people?" and we had to answer, "um...nothing?" we felt like foolish jerks. Sorry, blind people of North America

1. Chairman Mao once said that you are not a true man unless you've climbed the Great Wall of China. Actually, he might have said you cannot be a hero unless you've climbed it, we're a little sketchy on the translation. Either way, Mike and I are now poised to be true men/heroes as we've checked that off the to-do list. The Wall really is amazing. I love imagining how it all came to be, I mean, picture a bunch of dudes sitting around deciding that building a wall was a great idea. How did it get built? Did everyone in the country take a week or two off work and each build up a little section? Did a work force devote their entire lives to it?

Note: I thought very hard about a tactful way to include not feeling well coupled with the different kinds of toilets they have here. There is no way this can be done. Just know that when you're faced with this yourself, all you can do is laugh + never wear open toed shoes here. 

Guess who loves making top 5 lists when they travel? You're right, it's me! Arriving in Beijing has been quite the experience. My mandarin isn't very good (read: non-existant) and people have been very tolerant of my smile while looking confused or smile while giving thumbs up routine. I bust out both about 100 times per day. Here's what is cool, confusing or interesting so far in Beijing:

5. People walk down the street and through the parks clapping. Not everyone, of course, but it seems to be some sort of exercise routine. If anyone can clarify why this is done, I'd love to know! While we were on our way out to dinner, we stumbled upon a park full of people dancing to music. There were several people that seemed to know the steps, then those people were teaching everyone else the routine. I can only describe it as the Beijing version of line dancing - the steps were quite similar to everyone's favorite, the boot scootin' boogie. Witnessing this made me fall in love with Beijing.

4. Beijing seems to be the city that always sleeps. Rush hour starts around 8am, so I'm pretty sure people aren't waking up at a ridiculous hour. However, they aren't staying out late, either. Most restaurants where we are seem to close around 9 or 10pm and the streets feel deserted. I can't tell if this is because we are in the suburbs of Beijing, or if it is the same all over. Knowing this, I can't figure out what people do here for fun (other than line dancing in the park). Exercise doesn't seem to play a big part in people's lives, everyone says how tiny the apartments are and nobody stays out after dark. Right now, it is a mystery to me. 

3. The man purse. There seems to be a number of guys here carrying purses. I'm not talking about the Euro, manly bag (or the murse, as I prefer to call it), but rather a "does this match my outfit?" kind of a purse. They pull it off with this, I've-got-a-lot-of-stuff-to-carry vibe that totally works. Consequently, the number of guys willing to carrying their girlfriends' bags seems to be far greater as well. 

2. I am shocked at the number of people who want a photo of random white people. Some ask, some sneak a photo, some straight out snap a photo. Mike calls it the Chinese photo pop. It's cool to stare here and parents will stop their kids on the street and point at us. I've taken to busting out a sneaky middle finger every time I catch someone taking my photo. Who knows how many photo albums will have a photo of me, scratching my left eye with my middle finger in them by the time we leave? 

1. More is always better, especially when it comes to layers of clothing, sparkles or bows. I'm working on a version of Beyonce's Put a Ring on it that instead goes, "If you like it you should put another bow on it. Whoa-oh-oh, one more bow, oh-oh-oh..." I seriously cannot argue against this trend as bows, polka dots and sparkles are all among my favorite things. The street style here is pretty incredible and I'm hoping to get more photos of it while we are out and about. 

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To sum it up, we're loving it over here and I can't wait to learn more about the history, culture and scene of Beijing. 

You know why you should never pen "I'm going to write about" blog posts? Because you'll never end up finishing all the stuff you said you'd write about. You can pretty much take that statement to the bank. Anyway, I'm slowly trying to get through suggestions for top 5 lists and here's the latest - 5 food and booze combinations that dazzle my senses. Ok, so wine and cheese pairings was what was actually suggested, but I'm taking creative liberties.

5. Guinness and dark chocolate - I have no idea why this works together, but it does. Instead of pairing port with dark chocolate, try sipping on some Guinness with a couple of morsels of the darkest chocolate you can find. You'll want to get pleasantly plump and tipsy with this combination, try in moderation. 

4. Gin and raw fruit/vegetables - Fruit and veg pairs so well with gin, each bringing out different flavours. If you're a fan of gin, you've no doubt tried some Hendricks with cucumber slices, but have you tried anything else? What about Bombay and raspberries, Tanqueray and blackberries, or Amsterdam and beets? I assure you, they are all tasty. For an extra party in your mouth, throw in some fresh herbs like mint, cilantro or basil. Gin infused blackberry lime mint granita? Oh it's on. 

3. White wine and spicy shrimp tacos - The spice of the shrimp works well with a fruity tang of a sauvignon blanc. No matter what time of year you put these two together, you'll swear it's summa-summa-summatime. 

2. Scotch and sushi - Say what? I know, it's hard to believe that the call of the Highlands might beckon for anything other than a cigar, but fortune favors the bold, my friends. Pour a wee dram and see how it works with wasabi. Try this pairing with something from Islay, or a tasty Japaneses Whiskey. 

1. Champagne and French Fries - There's nothing a girl loves more than sipping on some bubbly, but it goes to your head so quickly! To ward off the champagne hangover, get some good solid greasy carbs in there. You'll be surprised how well the two go together. The bubbles cleanse your palate of the grease and really, who doesn't like fries? I like Veuve Clicquot, but this girl swills back the $10 Segura sparkling wine from Spain as well, lest you be thinking I roll fancier than I really do.