Traveling to Beijing

The joys of travel.  I recently came back from a trip to China and learned a few pointers along the way.  

One – Minneapolis airport has a great little book store that is fun to visit before you head out on your flight.  I did not get to spend much time investigating their inventory, but will definitely visit the store in the future.

Two – When you fly Northwest over to Japan (Oops, of course I meant Delta) you are likely to get an older Boeing 747 without the newer amenities.   I never realized how much I count on the new small television entertainment centers in the headrest of the seat in front of you to help pass the time.  Luckily I followed my standard rule of bringing a good book for travel.

Third –When visiting Beijing I found the city vibrant and fun to visit.  There are plenty of fantastic historical sites to visit such as the Forbidden City, Great Wall, and the 2008 Olympic Park to name a few. Shopping is also good but best to ask a local since the tourist traps are everywhere.  Also, remember the sticker price is always negotiable.  The Chinese culture accepts negotiating the price of an item even if there is a price tag.  There are a couple of places that do not follow this rule, such as the airport giftshops, however most everywhere else does.  The nice hotel giftshops are a place you must negotiate or you will pay 10x the going rate.  One word of cautions, I did find out that there are places that can have worse smog than L.A. (lol)