PEK: Things I have learned from Beijing

It is nice to be back in Canada. Beijing was interesting, for sure. But how anyone could stand living there, I don't know. If the traffic doesn't kill you (either figuratively or literally), the smog might. It was definitely a busy few days. Several days were packed with meetings and networking; a couple more were filled with sightseeing; the remaining time was spent trying in vain to catch up on work stuff.

Anyway, here's a few interesting things I learned or observed in Beijing.

I need to use my horn more when driving. Despite several "no bugling" signs, car horns are a constant everywhere in Beijing. It can mean anything from "do not even think about inching forward into my path", to "hey, I'm about to cut you off", to "hey, I just cut you off", to "it's been 5 seconds since my last honk, so...". It was pretty crazy driving though. U-turns from 3 lanes over. Bicycles and pedestrians distributed randomly throughout traffic lanes. And strict adherence to the bigger is better rule. And then on the other hand, they had a great innovation I've never seen. At some major intersections, there's a digital countdown clock, telling you how many seconds until green or red.

Just to confirm, smog is really bad for you. When we arrived last Friday, it was a beautiful clear blue sky because it was fairly windy. Luckily it stayed that way for Saturday for the trip to the Great Wall. But by Monday the smog had really returned. Tuesday and Wednesday were worse. On Wednesday I tweeted that it was the worst smog I'd ever seen (which is true). Long time Beijingers scoffed at this. Apparently, somehow, it gets worse than that. All I know is that by Wednesday, my throat was really sore and you could barely see the sun. Happy to be back where the air is fresher.

On a related note, I think the smog might have something to do with the reputation Chinese people have for being frequent spitters. Don't think I've ever been so phlegmy as I have been for the past few days.

A couple of interesting tidbits from the flight home (PEK-YYZ). I learned how to repair an aircraft seatbelt. This is something I taught myself. Of course, I first learned how to break it...accidentally. If you're in 11K on a 777-300 anytime soon, check out my work. I'm confident it meets Transport Canada safety standards.

In an effort to soothe my scratchy throat and fend off any possible illness, I also made the cabin smell of oil of oregano. Sorry to those around me. Necessary evil.

Anyway, I do feel lucky to have visited the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, Tian An Men Square, the Great Hall of the People, and even the Silk Market (which wasn't what I expected).
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