88 Beijing

3-10.11.11

Finally left Beijing after two weeks. Originally I was going to stay one week max but I just enjoyed myself way too much to rush it. Besides I got my vietnamese visa in the meanwhile.

The only downside really was the budget, which I have by far exceeded. This is not a cheap city, especially if you enjoy clubbing and going to gigs, which is the case with me 🙂

Cool building

One of the highlights included a visit to local alternative club, MAO Livehouse. They just so happened to have a trash-metal night (interestingly dubbed “RUSH HOUR – Also a mosh night IV”) friday 4.11. Featuring

Logic Losing Control逻辑失控

Multi – Ego猫踢狗

NewTank

Raving Radio癫狂收音机

Saving Molly

The Lifeless

The Reason

Love the band names! These got to be local bands only. And they were! The music was surprisingly good and filled with good attitude and vibes. Just what I needed!

Also, couldn’t help but join the awesome pitting action here. After all I have been knocked around by fat finnish metalheads enough in my lifetime to feel right at home with people of my own size 😉

Here’s some pictures from the gig

Punk not dead!

It was awesome! And beer & jack daniels didn’t cost me an arm and a leg.

After the gig, I went for a little contrast, determined to scope as much nightlife I could in the time I had. So I walked 3-4 km to the Sanlitun Village, the home of the most shallow and prestigious nightclubs in the city.

On my way

I checked in advance and Mix club seemed to be the exact opposite to alternative: mainstream hip-hop & r’n’b house! Yes. It was as bad as it sounds. Maybe even worse. Absolutely no room to dance (or walk) not that I wanted to as the music was so awful (and way too loud). Didn’t stay too long.

Right, one day I stumbled upon this shop selling really authentic looking DVD-boxes. Only when you start to read the box is the secret revealed. LITERALLY!

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SPOILER ALERT!!! (DEXTER)

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In case you haven’t seen the 1st season of Dexter yet (you really should), DON’T look at the picture below! The back cover is a copy-paste off the internet revealing pretty much the plot of first season! What a way to screw the customer 😀

On the next day Elise & Jasper finally got enough of me and left for Shanghai. But not before hooking me up with this awesome golden (yes GOLDEN) jacket! I had seen the pictures, heard the stories and decided it is something I absolutely need. Don’t need to take my word for it, take a look!

I wanted to wear it along with my newly acquired hat for saturday night feverish club action! First stop was club Punk, which seemed like a good (albeit expensive) place for a hotel club. Drinks were over 6e but the music and atmosphere along with modern artsy videos screened on the wall made it worthwhile for one or two drinks. The bartender told me saturday is not so busy compared to friday. Have to remember this. After swallowing my GT, I figured I’d hit the only place I know for sure I can get decent music and space to dance (as I was already craving for it in my golden gear), the Coco Banana.

On the way what do my eyes see?!

American Apparel, my dear! I thought you were already extinct. (came back next week to stock up on funky socks, headbands and t-shirts)

Can’t run away from the panda hats here!

Always wanted to get on one of these! I wonder how might one get on…

Guess which one is my drink? (hint: it is not the milk drink)

Hit the dancefloor with my heels on fire for the next 5 hours resulting in severe soakage via perspiration. That, togheter with 3 deg outside temperature, led to a killer flu I’m still suffering from after one week.

Checking out the suburbs with random bus stings.

Men at work

The 31h trainride (in a hard sleeper) was no big deal. The train was super comfortable and not at all too crowded like last time I rode a train in China. Communicating with fellow passangers was a lot harder than in Russia. Probably because I wasn’t drunk.