Birthday in Beijing! (and some random thoughts)
My lovely peeps here in Beijing organised a brilliant 24th birthday bash for me which started with a shopping spree and ended with a cake fight. Not a bad day at all.
Â
I was let loose in the sensational Silk Markets (a.k.a shopping heaven on earth) to go on a birthday buying binge. It was incredible, anything you could ever want for a ridiculously low price. Sure it may not be the real deal, but who is going to know if you don’t tell them? Plus, that shouldn’t spoil the excitement of believing that you are getting an insane bargain on your favourite brands - especially on your birthday. Two pairs of Ray Bans for twenty Aussie dollars anyone? Yes please. It’s my birthday and if I say that they’re real, then they are.
Â
Needing somewhere to flaunt our new purchases, we headed out for dinner and drinks. I was taken to an amazing Korean restaurant where we ate and ate….and ate. This is the great thing about Beijing，there are so many different cuisine options to choose from and no matter what you choose, you can almost be guaranteed it’s going to be done well. Furthermore, prices are quite reasonable so it always means that you end up ordering big! After leaving the restaurant feeling merry and full, I was taken out to experience my first taste of Beijing nightlife. I give it a big thumbs up. The club was slick, the music was banging and they serve fruit platters at your table - quite a nice touch.
Â
I was absolutely chuffed when my mates presented me with a birthday cake at the club. As far as I’m concerned, a birthday is not a birthday without a cake. I now know however, that a birthday is not a birthday without cake in your face. As soon as I had blown out the candles, my dear friend saw a golden opportunity and smashed it in my face. Needless to say, a full blown cake fight ensued. The most distressing thing about it all was not that I had to wash my hair in the bathroom basin; but that I didn’t get to eat the cake…It looked really good. So sorry Mum, I know you have slaved away over the years decorating birthday cakes for me, but I think this may be the cake I will always remember.
Â
All in all it was a brilliant birthday in Beijing. Shopping, clubs and cake fights - what more could a girl ask for? I’ve always said that a good birthday means a good year, so what other delights is Beijing going to bring me in my 24th year I wonder? Stay tuned….
- Rhia Scrimgeour
P.S.
It just occured to me here in Beijing….
No matter where you are in the world, you can always rely on a few things in life always being consistent…
1. A happy meal is always going to be satisfying.
2. A soccer hooligan will always find a habitat to display their natural behaviour. (Man U v’s Arsenal. 2.30 am. Insulting chants blasting my ears. I could have stayed in bed…or London).
3. There is always an oppertunity to murder a drunken version of ‘Living on A Prayer’. In Australia you’ll find it at the pub. In Beijing you’ll find it at K-TV.