Building across the road

We have enjoyed open views - west, towards the Drum Tower - across downtown Beijing from our apartment for the last year. Partly because of a large, tree filled, empty lot across the street. But we knew to expect the worst when the trees were all cut down a few months ago. One morning we awoke to find the bulldozers and cranes had moved in and the building work had begun. Not sure what they are building - offices and apartments are the favourites here - but I'm sure we'll find out soon. Building work is a 24 x 7 activity in Beijing so the lot is being transformed daily before our eyes. The huts in the foreground are the on-site accommodation for the out-of-town migrant workers that make up the majority of Beijing's construction workers.

Looks like we will be in for a spring and summer of dust, noise and scaffolding. And what about the view?

Terminal 3 opens at Beijing Capital airport

To the new, Norman Foster designed, Terminal 3 at Beijing Capital airport to pick up Rebecca and Claire. Only a few airlines have moved into the terminal this month and the British Airways light from London was the only one arriving at the international section of the terminal this morning.

The terminal building is spectacular. At 3.5km long, it is reputed to be bigger than all five terminals at Heathrow put together. It was eerie walking round this gleaming, shining building with virtually nobody there. This week, on the 26th, all the other international airlines and a number of the big domestic carriers move in. The serene atmosphere we enjoyed this week will be shattered, never to return. I'm sure that it will be mayhem there for a while.

A Hong Kong weekend

To Hong Kong for a weekend with Alan, Sandy and Aidan. We stayed at their house in Discovery Bay, an idyllic resort-like community across the water from Hong Kong island and away from the hustle and bustle the city. No cars are allowed here - only community buses and a small number of hard-to-acquire and expensive white golf carts. Local life revolves around the Discovery Bay piazza and its busy restaurants, bars and shops perched between the marina and beach. Temperatures jumped to 23C over the weekend, signalling the end of winter, and out came the shorts and shades as Discovery Bay residents sipped their iced lattes and read Sunday papers at the piazza. All that was missing was Patrick McGoohan in his stripey Prisoner jacket and 'Rover', that white bouncy thing, to stop the residents doing a runner to Kowloon

Alan's attempt to leave Discovery Bay thwarted again..

We visited Mong Kok - a heaving suburb north of Kowloon - to see their flower and bird markets. We loved the bird market; set in a peaceful garden setting with stalls selling all variety and sizes of birds (and crickets, grasshoppers and other insect pets & bird food) along with those beautifully styled bird cages. The Chinese love their birds - we often see old men taking their birds in their cages for walks round our neighbourhood.

Next stop was an afternoon at the ultra-modern Sha Tin racetrack. Racing is serious business in Hong Kong with two racetracks in the city - the older, more famous Happy Valley on Hong Kong island and Sha Tin in the new territories. Together, these two tracks take in more than $10B in bets every year - only a little less than all 170 tracks combined across the USA. Unfortunately, not a successful afternoon financially but sitting in the sunshine, drinking a beer and watching racing is hard to beat.

Tac & Alan picking winners at Sha Tin

On Sunday, to Maxim's at the Hong Kong city hall building for their world famous dim sum. This restaurant is totally packed out with waiting times of around an hour over the weekend. The waiters push big trolleys or carry trays around the room each loaded with different dim sum dishes. Diners pick their food as is goes by, a sort of we-bring-the-food-to-you buffet. Great meat dumplings and a must visit when in HK.

Everything is negotiable in China..

From China Daily's ChinaScene column of 'news' from across the country. Where do they get this stuff from? Surely it must be made up.