experiencing China!

it has been a week since i got here. but it feels like i had been here in a previous lifetime. maybe as one of those terracota warriors guarding emperor Qin Shi Huang. this, i guess is my second visit. maybe in all these intervening years, i had travelled the world, as a Viking, as a crusader, as a fellow traveller with Marco Polo. who knows? i find Mandarin interesting. am trying to learn teh basics, remembering to greet everyone with a "ni hao" and saying "shishe" for every act of kindness. i guess it would take some time before i get learn some rudimentary stuff, but i guess it will be worth it. the biggest hurdles any foreigner would face in China are language, food and weather. for someone who has all his life lived in near tropical zones, the freezing climate can be bone-crusher, but then that is something one cannot control. the food is optional. one can always make do with non-chinese food, but it wouldn't take you far!!! and language, yes. this is where everyopne must make an effort. if you know the tongue, you can bargain your way around, get things done with interpreters, and generally maintain the bonhomie with fellow workers. as for everything else, it is almost like being in the West. broad roads, super markets, best of world cuisine, fast access to the net, quick services et al. this weekend, i hope to see some places of historical significance, within Beijing. I guess the Great Wall would have to wait until the weather is sunny!!! till then, adieu!!!