Last night was my first night out in Beijing and for the four hours that I was being guided through the streets of Sanlitun, I felt I was in either Argentina or Berlin, but certainly not the capital of China. Seeing that the weather was quite perfect (a pleasant 76 degrees), the evening yearned for a rooftop bar. I give you Migas. A seemingly delicious, Spanish-inspired restaurant with a beautiful rooftop bar.
Unfortunately my camera battery was dead, thus giving the photo credits to www.neo2.es.
While being introduced to people ranging from a Canadian diplomat to a chef from Spain to a like-minded French sculptor, I felt I was in some sort of “shabu shabu” melting pot. Although English was the common tongue, I found myself speaking una mezcla de Español, un peu Français, 一点中文, and English for the words that remained unknown. Granted I had arrived in the capital city a mere 24 hours prior, my mind was in a bit of a tizzy and could hardly keep my languages filed correctly. Astonishingly enough, my smorasborg of languages seemed to be understood by those to whom I was speaking. Although it must be noted, despite the minimal amount of native Chinese in attendance, I was pleasantly surprised by the kindness, personal motivation and intriguing topics that filled each of my conversations. Considering my introduction to this city over the past 36 hours, I am certainly looking forward to the people I meet and the opportunities they bring my way.
