Hi all! (Ni hao!)

Well another week has past and we're certainly feeling more settled and becoming accustomed to life in Beijing. Still haven't cooked at home yet, but tonight's going to change all that...We bought the ingredients for Spagetti Bolognaise so PASTA here we come. RICE - time for you to have a break! It's just about cheaper (in most cases) to eat out than to cook at home, so when the coin gets tossed it usually lands on heads (HEADS - eat out, TAILS - eat at home). No coin manipulation whatsoever!

Our house is pretty much set up and feels cosy, but some carpet in the lounge is on the cards. We'll keep posting more PICS as we go along. You'll recognise some of these from the last posting but this collage gives you an overall feel of the place we call home.



Last Saturday we went to the Beijing Zoo (click on the link for a great look at what it offers).
It was my (P-J's) first time to see a panda up close (or far away for that matter). Cute, cuddly, potentially dangerous - are the words that come to mind. We were impressed by the size of the place, and the inclusion of lakes, canals, gardens etc did a lot to win our favour. But there were still some sections of the zoo that made us cringe. If you're an animal lover you'll understand.

Next time we visit there we'll go to the Ocean Hall and Aquarium which is supposed to be right up there on the 'what-do-ya-reckon' scale. But we had a big enough day checking out the sights of the zoo - and even then we didn't see it all.


The world of shopping over here is potentially endless. Shopping addicts - listen up! Around every corner and suburb and street a whole new world can open up. From cheap 'whatevers' to the glamarous department stores (like David Jones), to the 'we've got everthing' SUPERmarkets (like Woolworths/Big W/K Mart), 'superstores, mega-malls and markets where you can buy just about anything you need'.

The only thing we've found to be the catch is you'll no doubt end up with sore feet. But we've also discovered the antidote for that...Foot massages! They're offered all over the place, and we managed to get ours within a week of arriving, although Michelle opted for the neck and back (hey, it's not an easy choice!). For Aus$5 we can get a decent massage for 30mins. Now that's a bargain. And the results speak for themselves. I now run up the 15floors to our apartment everyday, and Michelle brings the 10kg shopping bags up in the lift. So no doubt we'll be going back!


I started Mandarin lessons last week at [Click here]. I can now say the all-important "May I have a cold diet coke please?", just in case anyone from home comes to visit and wants me to order for them! Also I found out the word for beer sounds strangely like my name. So I keep hearing people say, "Can I have a P-J thanks?". It's rather complimentary to say the least.

Michelle is enjoying work and finding it quite a breeze. Says a lot about the nature of the work or the amazing person that she really is. I'll go for the 2nd option.

It wouldn't be a good posting without a picture of a Chinese/English sign or two:


"For the safety reason, please do not leap across the rails."


...For the hunger reason, please stop by one of our canteens!

And this was a funny sight:

Michelle couldn't resist! Security is out the window!

In fact not many of the signs in the zoo were actually heeded, apart from the jumping over the rail one. It's all interesting to say the least.

Any questions or comments, follow the 'comment' tab below or send us an email etc...

That's it for today - Hope this finds you all well!

Ni Hao!

Well 'A Year in China' must begin with at least 1 week in China, and a week has just past since we landed in Beijing and looked up at the not-so-blue sky. It feels like we've already done so much since arriving - we don't know how we've managed to get so much done in 7 days.

Here's a taste of what we've been up to (feel free to click on some of the links):

Tues 10th: Arrive 7:30am. Check in @ hotel. Leave mobile phone in taxi...gone! Opps.

Arvo: Take subway to visit Barry and Tina (friends of ours from Adelaide who live here). Stay for Tea.

Wed: Morn-Lunch - Met a previous workmate of Michelle who now works in China and looked around the Sanlitun area where we now live.

2pm - Meet Real Estate Agent. The 3rd place we saw we put down a deposit. Nice work! [2-Bedroom apartment, 15th Floor, great view of cityscape, TV/DVD, party furnished]

5pm - Discover a sports bar called 'The Den' where they serve great pizza, show the World Cup Cricket Live and have wireless internet. We eat pizza!

Went to Donghuamen Night Market for more bites to eat, soak up some culture and walk thru the city mall and markets.

Thurs: Took in more of the sights, sounds and food of the streets around where we live. Discovered Starbucks and places to buy some western food like...cornflakes.

Fri: Went to "Chao Yang Park" and hired an electric boat and relaxed on the lake.

Sat: Shopping @ IKEA (Bought a lounge at half the price as the same one in Adelaide, Coffee Table, odds and ends)

Sun: Visited BICF.

Mon: Michelle start's work at the OZ Embassy.

PICS (click on this link to view our picture album on the web in larger and printable sizes) (...some pics may also enlarge if you click on them, but not all.)

A week before departure...


Airport FarewellPeak Hour in Beijing...
Michelle the 'Alien' registering for Temporary Accomadation...
If she doesn't register she'll be 'puneshed severly'!
The night view from our loungeroom window. You gotta double click this one! Location, location, location!
The same view during the day but with messy border...


Bedroom........................Lounge.........................Shower/Toilet Cell!.....Lounge again.....and Kitchen

Michelle's work as seen from our kitchen window. Nice and close!

Our place, 15th floor, 2nd from top. Just under some pigeon cages on balcony above us!

By the way if you have 'Google Earth' and want to see where we are and some of the sights around us, email us/leave a comment and we'll send you the automated files so you can fly in and pay a visit.

We'll tell you more soon as we continue to get settled in. Hope this finds you all well! Feel free to comment by following the links below.

(To the right you can view some news items from Beijing, and below you can view some videos relating to Beijing, both which will keep being updated as we go along.)