My walk to work every morning...

This is the end-goal every morning.

This is what I have to go through to get there. :)

So, I live within eyesight of my office building...however, due to Beijing's wonderful city planning and long, congested roads, I have to take a slight detour to get to the building every morning. Here's a typical morning walk for me. (No evening walks back home so far because I leave by taxi to go meet up with friends for dinner in other parts of town.)

I leave my apartment and fiddle with the keys and the lock for about 30 seconds because I still can't figure out how to accurately lock the door on the first try. Door locks and non-digital clocks and watches are my weaknesses. Yes, I'm 25 years old. I just don't understand them. I refuse to.

View of the courtyard from my floor

Down the elevator for 19 stories and then out into the surprisingly cool Beijing morning. This definitely isn't the story for anytime after 10am when it gets incredibly HOT and MUGGY and POLLUTE-Y.

Brisk walk across the courtyard where I see people with their children and their dogs. Kind of interchangeable for some, eh? Adorable kids on tricycles. Up so early with no need to be.

Cute dog, just yearning to get out...

Out the gate of the compound and onto a side street. A huge never-ending line of cars parked in a symmetrically synchronized slanted way down the street. I always see a bunch of taxis zipping by, but they are ALL full. Good luck finding a taxi in Beijing during rush hour or when it's raining. Same is true for any major city. In Manhattan, I swore the taxi drivers disappeared whenever it rained, only to be instantly replaced by men selling $3 umbrellas on every street corner.

I begin the walk. Just started using my ipod shuffle on the walk to work these days because I was finally on top of it enough to charge it and because now I know when to expect cars to come rushing at me from all directions. Previously, I was a little scared to be lost in music and be mowed down from behind by an errant pedicab, bicycler, car, or bus, or knowing my luck...all four. Traffic gangbang. If you will.

Note that the light is green for pedestrians. Drive or die.

Funny enough, the only time I've been hit by a vehicle has been by a man on a bicycle who ran into me a few years back when I was getting out of a cab. He left me with a scar/burn on my knee (which lasted for many weeks) and a string of bad words. I was too shocked (after having a bicycle crash into me after I exited a cab) to say anything.

Anyways, even now when I have the ipod, I check behind me every once in a while to make sure Taylor Swift or Sugarland isn't drowning out the frantic honking of some car with a vengeance and a need for speed. PS: cars in china, they don't stop for nobody. NOBODY. Not even their grandmas. It's drive or die here. Obviously, I kid...but only slightly. Remember, drive or die.

1.3 Billion People (at this intersection alone....)

So, back to the sights and sounds (and smells.) The people on the street at this early in the morning are either A) older folks carrying fresh produce home from the market or B) people like me in business casual, walking to work or to the subway or to the bus station.

WALK SLOWER! (just kidding...I was patiently walking behind them...patiently. Respect thy elders.)

One day, I saw a lady with two gorgeous golden retrievers! I purposely walked at a snail's pace behind them and was very sad when they turned to go up the stairs. I was SO tempted to follow them but that would have been awkward had she turned around.

I also pass by a random chain of shops that you could easily find in every major Chinese city.

Shops selling doo-dads.


Shops selling breakfast buns.

This is a spicy tofu bun. I didn't know these existed until this summer. They're delicious!


I don't know what type of veggie this is but it's a tiny bit bitter. Also delicious!


Shops selling tattoos....this is one of the coolest pics I have ever taken. Also, look closely. Best use of an extension cord in the history of modern times.


Train tickets

Street vendors....


Also, Street Vendors frying...everything. PSA: unless they go through incredible amounts of inventory when I'm not there, I swear to goodness that food has been there since I landed.

THEN....

THEN...

TRAFFIC!! PEOPLE!! TRAFFIC!! Drive or die. I should copyright that phrase.

Then beautiful things and beautiful people.




Here's the office lobby. The waterfall splashes on the black marble whenever the wind blows in through the door, so there's a lady who comes and wipes down the black marble every time someone doesn't use the revolving door and comes in through a open door.


During rush hour, there's an attendant who stands here and pushes the button for you. I haven't decided yet how efficient that is because she has to ask you, you have to respond, and she has to press it. I could just do it myself and save someone the trouble but that'd take part of the receptionist's job away. (Remember when we were kids and we'd rush to push the button? Ok, I did. What would happen if I ignored her and rushed to push the button and then jumped up and down clapping my hands in joy? Hypothetically speaking... ... ... I'll let y'all know.)



Our journey is now at an end. Now I work. Thanks for coming along. I'll blog about our beautiful office sometime later this week. Wish me continued luck against the traffic.