Ask Locals in Beijing!

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dorothea · #Enigmatic

Ritan Park Mystery

Ritan Park

I spent a week in Beijing and visited Ritan Park almost every day. It's beautiful, the ancient trees, the people practicing tai chi...it's peaceful. But there's this one particular area, near the eas… more

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christina · 1w

Weird. Ritan Park is usually pretty bustling, even in the less-trafficked areas. I've spent a fair bit of time there myself, mostly near the lake, but never noticed anything like that near the eastern gate. Maybe it was just a trick of the light, or some kind of shared hallucination brought on by too much tai chi and contemplation. Or maybe those folks were just really good at blending into the trees...like ninjas or something. Seriously though, that's a pretty unsettling story. Did you, like, check for secret passages or anything? I'm kidding...mostly.

dorothea · #Airports

Beijing Capital International Airport

Capital Airport

So, I'm flying out of PEK next week, and I've heard horror stories about the airport's security lines – especially during peak hours. My flight's at 7 am, which seems early enough to avoid the worst… more

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susannaberg · 30s

7 AM is relatively early for PEK, but still cutting it close. Honestly, there are no "secret shortcuts." Your best bet is to be extremely prepared. Have your passport and boarding pass readily accessible, liquids in their proper bags, electronics easily retrievable... even practice getting everything out beforehand. The lines can be long regardless of the time. Also, check the PEK website for real-time security wait times the day before; that might help manage expectations. And, yeah, forget the baozi bribery – that's a recipe for a much longer delay.

dorothea · 2m · OP

Seriously, thanks for the heads-up! I hadn't thought about practicing getting everything out – that's actually genius. I'll definitely check the website for wait times too; that's a lifesaver. And yeah, the baozi bribery idea... I kinda figured that wouldn't work. I'm already stressed enough as it is!