You might not describe spending most of my first full day in Beijing on the internet as 'hitting the ground running', but the work I did that day was the coiling of my spring, a gathering of strength through knowledge and connections before launching myself into a month of action!
I planned to be in Beijing so long in order to learn a little Chinese and acclimatise to the culture if possible, before setting out into the rest of the country, so I wasn't in a hurry to do any sight seeing.
Thanks to my solid groundwork, by the end of the first weekend, three days after arrival, I had arranged daily language classes to begin on Monday, made some local friends, eaten the classic street barbecue 'chuar', played mahjong, partied in three different club venues and slept on a couch.
Not bad going I'd say.
Arriving on a Thursday had proved a good strategy. I felt vindicated that I had chosen to continue my journey to arrive in time for the weekend rather than stay longer in Almaty
No comments:
Post a Comment