quelquefois

My bike is my new best friend. It takes me any and everywhere I need to go. Last Friday, I biked from the post office to a photo developer in Dongcheng District. I arrived at 4:25 only to find out that it closed at 4:00. Then I biked to dinner with a friend, and from there home, for a total of around 15 miles. It was a great bike ride, I saw many things. The downside is that I have inhaled an unfathomable amount of smog that blankets Beijing on most days.

My bike route

Sunset on East Chang’an Ave

Chairman Mao is never alone

The restaurant

Trying to get seated

An empty Tiananmen Square

Earlier this month, my roommate Julia and I found used bikes online. Problem was, they were across the city and you cannot bring bikes onto the subway. So, we thought we’d go on a bike adventure back from our pick-up spots!

Below is a photo of central Beijing. My commute is the blue line, and Julia is the green line. We met up at a point on third ring road and continued together (purple) all the way home. I believe the total distance I biked was around 22 km (13 miles).

Although biking many miles in one day after an extended period of inactivity may not be the smartest thing to do, our bike adventure was worth it. I have to say, biking in Beijing is so different from the subway or taxi. In the subway, I see nothing but the faces of the commuters around me and hear nothing but the bilingual droning of the subway voices announcing which stop we are approaching, and how we should prepare to get off.

On a bike, I feel closer to the things I pass. I see the expressions on people’s faces as they cross the street, wait for the bus, or walk with their children. I see the tall buildings that did not exist a few years ago, and I see even more buildings on their way to join the others. It’s a good way to see the city, and I should get out on my bike more often before the heat [be]comes [unbearable].