中国 CHINA : Beijing 北京

This two week trip started with an 11 hour train ride from Shanghai to the capital: Beijing...also known as Pekin. We almost missed the train...there was a crazy amount of people on the train station's main entrance plaza; for some reason, they would only let people in the actual station with a train ticket, therefore amongst people trying to sell you random things, people waiting for 'arrivees', people just hanging out on the plaza for no apparent reason and homeless folks, there were people like us with luggage mixed in the crowd trying to catch a train...the last one of the night. This was not the time to get lost. What a first impression. Finally in the station, we hopped into the train, ready for a nonstop ride to the north of the country...


Tian'anmen square: view of the Mao's memorial hall, and the monument to the people's heroes.


there he is!
"gate of heavenly peace making" : front entrance to the imperial city...


changing of the flags...


And here is the french 'UFO' opera house, in the middle of a huge pond. In the middle of China.


I guess that explains the 'under the water' entrance.


Herzog's nest. Ready or not...olympics are coming in what, 3, 4 months???


behind the bubble wrap is a pool


Rem's twisted geometry. A couple more nights should do it.




don't think it was flat the whole time...we hiked all the way up.


The great wall= "Banri no Chōjō" (jp)= 'ten-thousand kilometer peak'.

...hum, i'm wondering.


group pic on a peace of untouched wall...


...and we slid all the way down.yay.


798 studios. Crazy amount of blocks full of amazing art galleries.


of course.




...hum? i wonder why.


Red lanterns everywhere...




yea, it's a chain. I love the man, but... the food was less kick ass.






Temple of Heaven.




The park surrounding the temple was so animated...amazing, all sorts of activities


Domino!


Tai chi!


straight jamin' on a sunday morning...very nice.


not an official olympic sport yet, but they didn't care, there where still rockin' the red jumpsuits...


foreshadow of an expanding city; a city a little out of proportion, not to human scale.

jidoohanbaiki : Vending Machines...

Besides the fact that on nearly every block there is a convenience store (yes, like a 7/11 or am/pm), in japan they still find it necessary to place vending machines on every other block. I'm not joking, you can probably walk less than 100 meters and run into a 24hr 'conbini' (convenience store in japanese) or a little metal box, often times selling you various drinks such as green tea or coffee...hot and cold!
Now I'm not going to say that they aren't convenient at times, because i have used them, and here, you don't have to be scared worried about your drink ever coming out or not getting your change and what not...all the machines look brand new, and everybody uses them!
Now aside from selling you drinks and snacks, newspapers or even condoms, (things that we often see in the states and in france) vending machines here will sometimes surprise you with what they can sell. It's really a phenomenon.
Here are just a few examples that I have come across...so far...


well ain't that nice: you know when it's late at night, and you need a little fix, a nice cold... beer!


this one's classic...they might of took every last one out in the states...here, they are going to add an i.d. swipe control system so minors can't buy....ok, we'll see!...


ok. A vintage battery dispenser. now this is pretty nice...how many times where you in need of triple or double A batteries...in the street? excuse me, 'maglite' anyone??