I spent the last month in Beijing, China. It was an interesting experience. I arrived in early December and within 2 days I had already decided I hated the city. In hindsight it was probably mostly due to the fact the city is freezing in the winter and only 2 weeks prior I had been enjoying the hot and humid weather of Thailand. My first few days in Beijing reminded me of my first days in Mumbai. I think it was the remnants of a closed economy, the culture shock, and the sheer size and number of people who live in both metropolises that made me draw the comparison. Or maybe it was just loneliness.
After a while though, like India, Beijing grew on me. The food tasted better, the landscape changed, and I meet some cool friends. I think you need to stay in a place long enough to truly understand the people and culture–it is just not possible traveling thru for a day or a week. New Year’s countdown was fun, and on the night of the second we awoke to a city blanketed in snow and all of a sudden the freezing temperatures of Beijing were all worth it. The storm continued through the 3rd and apparently it was the most snow Beijing had received in several days.
Oh, I also had time to visit the Terra Cotta Warriors in Xian–so I guess I can cross that off my places I wanted to see list–although I have to say that I was actually more impressed with the Great Wall than the warriors.