Sylvie's moments

I'm just coming down from an earlier massage-induced intoxication. Wow - I went for 60-minute foot massage and it turned into a 90-minute full body massage. I could barely walk straight afterward, I was so relaxed! I just wanted to adopt my young masseuse, bring him back and set him up in my computer room... my own private massage studio. What a sweet thought!

Aside from that, my time in Beijing is coming to an end. I moved to nicer quarters today and took a blissful shower. I chose the Temple of Lamas over the Forbidden City this morning, but may end up having a peek at the former tomorrow. We'll see if I feel like running myself ragged before my flight.

Now I want to stay and shop and be massaged for a few more days or months! Quite the reversal since yesterday, huh?

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May 19

A Rosier Note

A friend I used to know was fond of saying "Material possessions are the key to happiness". At the time, I disputed that statement passionately. The stark materialism of the statement didn't sit well with me. But in Beijing, I found grains of truth in this. A few hours of shopping acted like calamine lotion on my exacerbated mood.

On my way to check out better hotels, I was accosted twice by students of Beijing University inviting me to attend an Arts Exhibit. I accepted the second time. I had nothing better to do. My room is a smelly dungeon, not exactly cosy. So, I zigzagged with 3 students through neighbouring streets until we reached their exhibit. I ended up buying 2 silk paintings which had been painted by two of them.

The third set of students who later bumped into me basically told me that today was "Find some tourists and herd the suckers to the art exhibit" Day. Ah well, it was a pleasant interlude.

And just when I thought there were no pictures to take... I learned to never underestimate the entertaining powers of the Chinese English Sign. I will have more to add to my evergrowing collection.

As I continued shopping, I found out that I am still an extra large here. Sigh. Tried a beautiful blouse but my muscles refused to fit in the sleeves. But the shopping rage has taken hold of me. I think I will skip the Wall tomorrow (sacrilege!), probably visit the Forbidden City for a few hours and return to my primary activity. Then, I plan to treat myself to an hour-long, well-deserved foot massage. :-)

Oh, and I did find a very pleasant alternative to this dump and reserved a room for tomorrow. Lo and behold, this guest house is run by the All-China Women's Federation. It's pristine and quaint and costs less than $150 per night. The best part is that it's located in a hutong, a little sidestreet where locals have lived - and still do - for centuries.

Well, that's my update. The adventure presses on.

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May 18

Grumblings from Beijing

Just when you think that you'll be able to coast for a while in a "world class" city, reality hits you like a grand piano dropping flat on your head. Beijing is just as hard to get around as anywhere else in this country.... then multiply that by 100 due to the sheer size and population of the beast.

This city is nowhere NEAR ready to welcome the world next year. After the ordeal I went through just to FIND my hotel (which is a hell hole, the worst yet...and I'm running out of Purrell!!), I'm not even tempted to visit this place. Sure, there are pretty baskets of flowers in the streets, but I don't think I'll be taking many pictures, it's just a big, big city.

I wanted to hole up and wait for my return flight, but my room is so revolting that I will be forced to venture out to find new digs in a moment. What a waste of a day.

While venting on MSN just now, 3 Tunisian guys - who incidentally go to UQAM - came in, also scouting for somewhere decent to stay. I guess I'm not the only one in this boat. They gave me a lead on decent accommodation, will have to go check it out in a minute. Wow, it felt good to commiserate with fellow travellers.

Ah well, I hope my next entry will be more upbeat....right now, I AM NOT LIKING THIS PLACE!!!!

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April 12

A Fantastic Surprise!

Here I was, dragging my feet by midweek this week, when I got home last night to find a great little package from Saskia, the Dutch girl I met in the Lhasa airport bus. She sent me a DVD of her Tibetan pictures!

I need to mention that Saskia has a great eye and travelled with two cameras and an impressive zoom. And - for those of you who have been asking/complaining - there are actually a few of me in these two new albums. Take a moment to click through, these pictures are worth it!

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December 15