BeiJing : by Carolyn Oei

My contribution from Beijing, the People's Republic of China:

1. Japanese food here is cheap and surprisingly good. Sashimi actually quite
fresh.

2. The Renminbi or Chinese yuan is worth sweet FA outside of these commie grounds. Even friggin India won't take their money! And changing money here is SUPER leh cheh. So, change money before you enter and spend it all before you leave. No departure tax, don't worry.

3. Go easy on the open-toed shoes, sandals, slippers. It's damned bloody filthy. Not that there are open sewers or anything, but there's a lot of spit around (22 million Chinese in Beijing alone, so do the maths).And when it rains, the drainage systems just can't hack it.

4. No Body Shop! So, change brands or bring a container load with you.

5. Xinjiang food (ie: halal) rocks. Everything else is pants (except,of course, Jappo).

May I add a sixth point? Beer and fags are damned cheap. I am fighting the inevitable slide into alcoholism and a lung-related ailment.

With love
Carol Oei