Driving in Beijing

Last weekend our family decided to take a road trip in northeastern Beijing. We live in Shunyi county (nearby the Beijing international airport) and heading out of the city in the general direction of the Mutianyu Great Wall seemed a natural way to get away from the city. So on Sunday morning we headed out on Jing Shun Lu in the direction of the town of HuaiRou. Driving on Jing Shun Lu can be okay or can be very challenging. Continue reading Driving in Beijing…

Welcome to Travel China and Beyond !

I have lived in China for two and a half years altogether, starting in Shanghai in 1989 as an English teacher at a Fisheries University (I never learned much about the fish–I just taught English to a bunch of naive first year university students), then as an English teacher at a Japanese hotel in Shanghai until I left China in early 1991. My husband has spent close to six and a half years in China on multiple occasions.

When my husband was given an expatriate assignment by the company he works for in the States, our family moved to Beijing in April of 2005 and we have lived here since. Coming back to China after a 15 year hiatus was really an eye-opening experience and I think it has given me a different perspective on China than many foreigners have.

In this blog, I wanted to take the opportunity to write about some of the great places we have been to in China and Asia…and some of those you might want to avoid. I know when I am going to visit a place, hearing someone’s first hand opinions and experiences of that area can be invaluable. I hope to provide such a service while documenting my time here. Welcome!