Beijing it is

I was wondering what I would do next. I'm not driving or riding the Bullet (it's still in Kerala) but going out there nevertheless. Is this the blog for it, who knows, who cares! The visa nonsense was completed today - thanks to Paras' running around. It's amazing how mindlessly bookish govt. offices everywhere are - the VFS guys (who process the visa thing) wanted hotel bookings, ticket bookings etc. and got confused when I attached an email invite extra...that confused their rules because if there's an invite then they'd need the passport cc of the person who invited but if I had made my own hotel reservations, they don't....they didn't know what to do with both. Think. Please.

My basic plan is step out into the city and simply walk around and check out whatever catches my fancy-- am staying in a hotel (Fangyuan hotel in Dongcheng district for a sweet $26/ night) somewhere in the hutongs/ back alleys near Forbidden City. I'm little confused with the whole language and food thing. Anyways my plan is also go into some remote village a few hours south of Beijing and be totally lost and see myself get out of it....that would be interesting enough...and would entertain me. G's wedding is on the 16th so I plan to be in the city then. Let's see...