Reply #3: I LOVED IT!!!!!!! Went to Beijing last November and was so so so [View All]

[radwriter0555]

pleased. I do believe I'm going back again in November for shopping.

See the great wall at Mutianyu; it's far far less crowded, the tram is AWESOME and you can take a toboggan back down!!! I had destroyed my knee the night before we left and that site was VERY easy to traverse even hobbled as I was. Say hello to the lovely camel who is very friendly and poses nicely for photos before you ride her... The souvenirs there are MUCH better than any I'd seen as well. I found some lovely carved panels for pennies.

Don't expect much of the food unless your relatives know their stuff. We literally had 1 good meal, but we hadn't gone there for the gastronomy. China chinese bears little relativity to American chinese food, although I would KILL to find their beef noodle soup here in Los Angeles.

The shopping in Beijing is PHENOMONAL. The Pearl market is 5 floors of retail heaven at wholesale prices. Top quality from names like the Gap, North Face; unbelievable knock offs or overruns by the best labels like Louis, Prada.. And the jewelry? HOLY CRAP!

IF you are there on a Sunday, you must must must must must hit the Dirt Market, on the outter ring, near the new Best Western Hotel. The most amazing shopping experience I've ever had, and it gave us a real visual in chinese life, to see the antiques and personal effects from yesteryear laid out for sale for pennies...

Bargain bargain bargain bargain bargain. If they tell you something is 1000 RR, offer 100. Always offer 10% of what they ask, and SMILE! The chinese are loving, humorous, eager, intelligent, kind, compassionate, considerate! As I said, I was quite hobbled and when everyone was so very kind and helpful.

ENJOY! Say "shay shay" a LOT, and "Knee How" whenever you greet someone! They LOVE it!

I'm so jealous!!!!!