[Leica] Beijing question

[spencer at aotera.org (Spencer Cheng)]

Simon,

Finally, a place I know a little about. :)

Beijing is quite safe. As a tourist, your greatest risk is pickpockets. Be 
careful anywhere there is a lot of tourists. Robbery is quite rare.

Air pollution can be bad so if you are asthmatic, bring your inhalers. You 
may wish to bring a mask but I am not sure how much that really helps unless 
you use a N95 mask which can be quite uncomfortable. Most reliable air 
quality measurements are from the US Embassy. You can pretty well tell by 
looking out of the window. If the sky is deep blue, enjoy every minute. It 
doesn't happen very often. If it looks yellowish foggy, it might be time to 
find something interesting to do indoors.

My favourite parts are the market streets and little parks which are 
sprinkled throughout the city.

If you like Chinese tea, Malingdao, south of the Beijing West train station, 
is wonderful area to explore. There a big tea mall where there are hundreds 
of tea stalls and you can't walk for 10 steps without another vendor asking 
you to come and try their tea. The best part for LUGgers is that on the top 
floor (3rd or 4th), is dedicated to cameras. Lots of little stalls selling 
Leicas, Canons, etc. Price is higher but it's all there. I once walked into 
a Leica stall carrying a borrowed M-9 and my chrome tri-elmar. They were 
quite interested in the tri-elmar (I guess the chrome version is rare) and 
worried that I didn't have a strap on the rig. :)

The National Performing Art Centre (looks like an metallic egg) is near 
Tiananmen Square and well worth a visit if you like modern architecture 
and/or the performing arts. There is very little traditional architecture 
left.

The best way to get around the city is via the subway. Dirt cheap by Western 
standards and a very extensive network. All the stops are announced using 
Chinese and English. You just buy a ticket from the machines or from the 
ticket office at just about every station. Assume the ticket sellers don't 
speak any English and you won't be surprised. I don't know if taxi drivers 
speak any English. They were supposed to have learnt some leading up to the 
2008 Olympics. 

Most reliable way to get to/from the airport is via the Airport express 
train which will take you all the way downtown for $5. The roads can be very 
congested so taxis to/from the airport can be quite a bit slower.

The average Chinese you see on the street probably won't speak any English. 
Students are taught English starting in public school. They know how to 
read/write fairly well but spoken English is fairly poor on the average due 
to lack of practice. Beware of (female) touts who will try to invite you to 
practice English at overpriced tea places. I don't get approached since I 
look just like them. :)

As for food, meat is expensive by local standards so you won't get too much 
meat at restaurants where locals eat. Sanitation standards is a function of 
price. I've eaten at everything from street stalls to very nice restaurants. 
My personal preference is for the cheaper variants. The very nice Chinese 
restaurants aren't really that different than what I would find in Toronto 
or Vancouver though the quality of ingredients would vary. 

If you will be in Beijing within the next 2-3 weeks, send me a note as I am 
there right now.

Regards,
Spencer

On Apr 10, 2013, at 10:09, simon jessurun <simon.apekop at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi I have a short layover coming up in Bejijng.
> Would it be safe to take pictures there?
> Advice really appreciated.