I must admit that lying underneath the anticapation, curiosity and excitment of being in China was an anxious somewhat nervous under tone. On the flight I calmed myself with a lovely film The Holdover with the wonderful Paul Giamatti, then we landed. No problem, we had our visas and through we went and into Beijing. Singapore had prepared me for being back into big cities, but they spoke some English and now no one, I mean no one, spoke English. That undertone surfaced as we joined a tide of expectent Chinese tourists waiting to get into Tiananmen Square. The word ‘Booking? ’ translated back on the app; we walked back down the queues in shame and left.
In my persute of being positive and scouring Lonley Planet China I read about a shop that sold brushes, inks and paper in Wenhua Street. Our spirits were lifted, this was the start of old Beijing. No skyscrapers and traffic just, (and definately restored) shops crowded with brushes, antiques?, calligraphy, and traditional art. After treating myself to three beautiful brushes (imagination going wild with what I’ll paint with them) we started to wander down alleyways.
Shops and bars, restaurants, laundries, tailors, shoe repairs, mechanics, all squeezed into these meandering alleys. This was where the real life was amongst what was left of the heritage of old Beijing. We went in to a small flouorescent lit cafe and with the trusty Translation app had a few beers and a laugh with the old boys having their tea.
Getting hungry we found a restaurant further down. Again a laugh thanks to translate as we order our corriander and chilli mutton, wild greens and steamed rice, plus beer. More laughs followed and as we left with much waving I saw a sign above the door, translate: “Heavens food”.
That undertone of ‘angst’ evaporated. We were in China…so much to explore!
