Sanlitun, the most incredible little hostel in Beijing, is known by some as the black hole. It's so cozy and masterfully positioned for relationship building, I met two people there in my nine days who had been residents for multiple months. It just sucks you in, I guess. And it's no wonder...
There's a massive difference between traveling SE Asia and finding yourself smack in the middle of mainland China's most polluted city. When you wake up, on your third or fourth morning, realizing that you still can't utter a single phrase in Mandrin, you got badly ripped off negotiating your fake Converse sneakers (much to the delight of your more knowledgable longer term hostel friends), and - although the google forecast indicates otherwise - you will NOT see the sun that day yet again, you get, well, you get fucking depressed.
The people at Sanlitun did their research. They know these truths and take full advantage of them. They've positioned the tables, comfy chairs and outdoor smoking environment in a way that promotes bitching sessions, they give massive, daily, discounts on booze...they organize dumpling making parties for goodness sake. What better way to find comfort in your mainland China predicament than to share your growing pains with other miserable, non-Chinese speaking westerners, while chugging your third free beer and massaging your hands through massive heaps of dough.
I stayed at Sanlitun for nine days but, in terms of how many people I met, it might as well have been months. There was the lovely Til, my German friend. We met smoking, bonded, and spent the next three days hanging with a group of 12+...our Sanlitun family, as we began to call it. We're planning on meeting in Thailand and I'm genuinely looking forward to it.
Then there was Caroline, my NC buddy, who was hilarious, full of life, and quite the entertainer at KTB, Beijing's ridiculously amazing karaoke joint. James, a dude I guarantee will be a famous British comedian in two years time. And finally, the crazy cyclists...5 dudes from England who biked from Urumqi to Beijing in 50 days. Their stench upon arrival was memorable, their stories fascinating and Henry...well, post shower, he was just about the finest dude I'd ever seen... glasses on or off.
Upon arriving in China, I thought I'd be all about the culture. I hoped to feel the pain in Tiananmen square, to catch a glimpse of mass murderer Mao's pickled body, to see the once forbidden city, to taste Peking duck delicacies, take photos of people wearing Maoist garb. I saw the square and city on my last day, went to the olympic stadium and took an unforgettable day trip to the Great Wall. Outside of that, I found my China acclimation period was best suited for Sanlitun. I hid out there for a week, hoping it would make me stronger, somehow better prepared for dealing with the rest of China.
In the most populated land in the world, I too found comfort in the masses...I just preferred masses that spoke my language and understood my culture.
There's a massive difference between traveling SE Asia and finding yourself smack in the middle of mainland China's most polluted city. When you wake up, on your third or fourth morning, realizing that you still can't utter a single phrase in Mandrin, you got badly ripped off negotiating your fake Converse sneakers (much to the delight of your more knowledgable longer term hostel friends), and - although the google forecast indicates otherwise - you will NOT see the sun that day yet again, you get, well, you get fucking depressed.
The people at Sanlitun did their research. They know these truths and take full advantage of them. They've positioned the tables, comfy chairs and outdoor smoking environment in a way that promotes bitching sessions, they give massive, daily, discounts on booze...they organize dumpling making parties for goodness sake. What better way to find comfort in your mainland China predicament than to share your growing pains with other miserable, non-Chinese speaking westerners, while chugging your third free beer and massaging your hands through massive heaps of dough.
I stayed at Sanlitun for nine days but, in terms of how many people I met, it might as well have been months. There was the lovely Til, my German friend. We met smoking, bonded, and spent the next three days hanging with a group of 12+...our Sanlitun family, as we began to call it. We're planning on meeting in Thailand and I'm genuinely looking forward to it.
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| Sanlitun Family |
Upon arriving in China, I thought I'd be all about the culture. I hoped to feel the pain in Tiananmen square, to catch a glimpse of mass murderer Mao's pickled body, to see the once forbidden city, to taste Peking duck delicacies, take photos of people wearing Maoist garb. I saw the square and city on my last day, went to the olympic stadium and took an unforgettable day trip to the Great Wall. Outside of that, I found my China acclimation period was best suited for Sanlitun. I hid out there for a week, hoping it would make me stronger, somehow better prepared for dealing with the rest of China.
In the most populated land in the world, I too found comfort in the masses...I just preferred masses that spoke my language and understood my culture.
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