Scorpions on the Menu at Donghuaman – Beijing Night Market

Beinjing Night Market stall holder

Try some! A stall holder at the Beijing Night Market encourages me to sample his wares..

Sheep penis? Grilled sea snake? Fried scorpion? Over the years I have seen markets all over the world but the Beijing Night Market, Donghuamen put them all in the shade. Continue reading

Two Roads to China

First published in Dreamscapes magazine, 2012

climbing the wall sA Chinese woman strokes my face with a delicate finger and says something. I glance curiously at my guide. “She says she thinks you are beautiful,” says Hong, our guide. We smile and I say, “Xie xie,” thank you. But a moment later the connection is lost as the crowds of people, all anxious to see the Forbidden City, push us apart.

There are two roads by which to approach China, a vast country with a dauntingly large population. One could stay aloof from the teeming throng surging along the avenues and pressing around everywhere one goes. Or one can embrace the experience of simply being in a country where being alone for long is not an option. Continue reading