So this is what Beijing looks like... (updated)

(From the keyboard of Cara)

It reminds me a lot of big cities around the world - lots of tall
buildings and roads that go on and on. But there are also still a
bunch of trees and green spaces - you can see the planning that is
going into the city. There is construction everywhere and it
is a major contributor to the shroud of pollution that hangs over the
city almost constantly.

My first few days here coincided with the October 1st Chinese holiday
remembering when the People's Republic of China was officially
created. In honor of the holiday, most construction was shut down so
I was greeted with blue skies Monday and Tuesday. By Wednesday things
had apparently started back up and now the pollution makes it looks a
gray overcast day. To give you an idea: On Monday I could see the mountains that surround the city (you can see them in the background on the right hand side).

Today, I can just barely make out the buildings 10 blocks away. It is very startling. The picture was not taken at dusk. Its just that dark outside. This was taken by Michael before I got here. Today, it is actually darker and I can barely see the 2 funky buildings on the left.

We are in a very snazzy high rise. There are many such buildings going up. There are also very run down places near by. It is odd to see the two living conditions so close together. While walking around, we passed an area that contained crowded concrete looking houses all close up against each other. There was no glass in the windows and often only cloth for the doors. Roofs were missing and replaced with random bits of metal. The passage ways between the buildings
were mud roads. There were running cars and people were obviously living there. What was shocking (as if the rest were common place) is that apparently people are paying to live there!

While there are many skyscrapers going up, they are not actually blocking the sky. You can still see lots of space around you and the roads are quite wide - often 6 lanes of traffic or more. How one moves across traffic, or drive eek!, will be a topic for a different post!

People have been very friendly, though most of my interaction with Chinese people have been waitresses and cab drivers. But a smile has been returned with a smile and a general willingness to be helpful.