My Beijing trip has been very different from my usual visits to Asia, or elsewhere for that matter, where I pick a new destination and try to immerse myself in its culture and offerings while having a lot of down time to digest everything around me. Instead, this past week has been all about sports: getting to and from Olympic events, going to sports pubs to watch the Games on TV, getting into Olympic parties, figuring out if we can snag tickets to just one or two more events.

Well, duh, I did come over here to attend the Games.

I’m not sure whether because my focus has been on sports, or because I’ve previously spent a lot of time in large Asian cities, but I’ve noticed fewer major cultural differences that stand out compared to previous travels. Or is this the result of continued globalization and 21st century communications?

Nonetheless, here are a few things that definitely caught my eye the past week.

- Waiters want to serve you … fast. When seated in restaurants, the waiter hands you a menu, then stands and waits for you to order. It’s a little distracting and uncomfortable and makes you rush through the items (or at least it causes me to), which increases the chance of ordering errors—such as when I thought I had selected shredded chicken for lunch one day when I actually had inadvertently ordered chicken feet.

- Lines are kind of useless. I’ve experienced this in Thailand, Vietnam and elsewhere in Asia, but it’s really noticeable in population dense Beijing. Doesn’t matter if you’re standing right behind a person buying a subway card, in front of the door of the train, going through a security check or trying to buy an entrance ticket to a venue, someone, or several people, will inevitably push you aside and get ahead of you. Accept this beforehand, and you’ll keep your cool longer.

- Big brother is watching. Security checks, police and cameras are everywhere, including every subway stop. Can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to put my day-pack through a scanner and had it subjected to hand searches where every zipper and pocket was gone through. Much of this is because of the Olympics being in town, surely, but also saw a statistic in the China Post the other day that New York City plans to add 3,000 security cameras around town while Beijing currently has 30,000 of them keeping an eye on things.

- People don’t let anything go to waste. While this is not specific to China, the people here give utility and recycling a new name—which is a good thing, as far as I’m concerned. This topic can be broken into subcategories:

Food. As has been well documented over the years, no part of any animal goes to waste (see chicken feet, noted above). Rodents and insects are at risk of being turned into dinner dishes as well. Even cooking oil is reused.

Recyclables. People on the streets collect paper for recycling—you’ll see wheeled carts piled sky high with discarded cardboard and other paper-based products being pulled down the street by individuals; others carry around large bags full of plastic bottles and come up to you on the street while you’re drinking from one, and wait for you until you’ve finished, then ask for it.

Electricity and water conservation. In the apartment building I’m staying in, lights in the lobby and hallways won’t go on unless you whistle or make a loud noise, then they go off automatically after a few minutes. This is common in many of the new high rises going up all around the city, I’m told. Individuals also will repurpose water—if washing dishes, they’ll collect the water in the basin when finished and use it to water plants, or collect water coming out of faucets while waiting for it to warm up and use that for cooking, hand washing or, again, watering plants.

- Children are allowed to relieve themselves in public. While this practice is not encouraged, I was told that it’s common to let kids go whenever and wherever they happen to be. Sure enough, the day after I heard about this I was walking through the Tiananmen Square subway stop during rush hour when I noticed a father balance his young daughter over a grate in the floor of the walkway while her mother lifted up her dress and the little girl squatted to do what she needed to while crowds rushed past. (No, I did not take a photograph.)

- Kite flying. People love it here! Any time I’ve been near a park, I just look up and will see dozens of dots in the sky. People go all out and buy big colorful and multi-tiered kites to soar over the city. When I see them it never fails to put a smile on my face.

Upon arrival at the beautiful new terminal at Beijing airport, we were greeted by costumed Fuwa characters (dolls of blessing), the five cartoon figures that are the official mascots for the Beijing Games, one for each ring of the Olympic symbol. They are named for prosperity, happiness, passion, health and good fortune.

I’m not prone to appreciating cuteness, but couldn’t help but smile at the figures, especially since so many passengers, particularly the kids on my flight (there were many), ran to get their pictures taken with the characters.

Transport

Express Train

If you’re traveling solo, the easiest way to get to the heart of Beijing is to take the Express Train. For 25 RMB (roughly $3.75), you’re just one or two stops from the city center and transfer to the Beijing subway system. The train is new and the cars are state-of-the-art with electronic signage in Mandarin and English, air conditioning and smooth, smooth rails.

Subway

The subway system is super easy to use, clean and safe. New required bag checks, using x-ray machines similar to those found at airports, began a few weeks ago. And security cameras are everywhere. Three new lines opened just a few weeks ago, one of which is the line I use (Line 10) for the apartment I’m staying in. Each ride costs 2 RMB ($0.30).

China has stationed Olympic helpers on each train, if not every car, and throughout each station, so if you have any questions, someone who knows English is there to help. There also are groups of official Olympic helpers stationed throughout the city on streets. They sit in groups of three or four and wear official t-shirts and arm bands. They’re located not just in the main tourist areas but also throughout the city, even in random residential areas where there doesn’t seem to be much foreign foot traffic.

Taxis

So far all the taxi rides I’ve taken have been with my friend Maggie, who speaks Mandarin, so I haven’t had to try to give directions yet. The rides are cheap: The most we’ve paid for a fare has been about $7 or $8 for a cross town jaunt. Will have to try a solo trip soon and let you know how it goes…

Air Quality

No doubt about it, the air is thick and hazy. Woke with a massive sinus headache day one, but day two am okay. The image here was taken from a rooftop Friday evening, about 30 minutes before sunset.

This shot is as clear as it’s been since I’ve arrived. From what I’ve read and heard, it’s a vast improvement over conditions four or five years ago. Yikes! The funky shaped building in the picture is the CCTV (China Central Television) headquarters.

Energy of the People

What’s been really terrific is the overall excitement and energy in the city for the Games. The nation as a whole is extremely proud and happy to be the host of the 2008 Olympics, and it shows just about everywhere. Those volunteer info guides I mentioned earlier? About 10 times the number of people (500,000) needed applied for the available positions (50,000). There are several sites with large screens set up for people who couldn’t get tickets to events to watch the Games. The couple I’ve passed have been packed with locals.

Everyone has been extremely friendly as well, which isn’t a surprise since that was my experience several years ago when I traveled through Southeast Asia for eight months. Asian hospitality is hard to beat. Whether I’ve been walking down a street or sitting on a bench in a park, people will walk by and smile and say ni hao. When trying to order food, buy something in a store or, say, drop a jacket off for dry cleaning, they’re very helpful and so far have understood my travelers sign language, just as I’ve begun to understand theirs.

Will dedicate an entire post to food later in the trip, but for now here’s a shot of me enjoying a breakfast treat from a local street stall in South Chauyong, the section of Beijing I’m staying in: re bing (meat and egg cake), with jian bing (pancake, egg, onion, sesame, sauces) on the counter. Tasty!

Okay, am off for a new day of exploring. Next posts will cover my first tourist scam encounter (I knew it was happening and happily played along), peaceful Ritan Park, the hip lounge Bed, Tiananmen Square and watching the men’s basketball game (U.S.-China) in a crowded Beijing sports bar.