In Line Skating in Asia Pacific

Skating - Beijing - China Return

Pollution! Pollution! Pollution! Locals often claim it is “dust” from the western plains, but funny thing, when an official from the Olympic committee shows up and they turn off all the factories, the “dust” clears and you can see the sky.

Locals kept telling us the police would chase us off the roads, but we were polite skaters and they left us alone.

Other than pollution, the other concerns are poor surface quality. All roads had bad spots. Some were all bad. The other issue is traffic. Cars will often NOT avoid you. And Bicycles will get in your way. We skated faster than most bicycles, so this meant a lot of being blocked in. Beijing Cyclists make sharp turns and stops without warning. Much Care and continually being focus on road conditions and the traffic position was required.

After Manila, India, Hong Kong, etc. Challenging Traffic and Road conditions were expected, but the pollution made this much less fun than it should be. We took very few pictures simply because the pollution was so bad that visibility was very, very, limited. Beijing air quality was the worst we had ever bladed in. If this continues the world is in for a dim future.

Category	Category Description	Graph	Explanation
Road Surface	Describes road surface conditions	/	The road surfaces here we experienced were very varied in quality. The main roads we skated the surface was very good. Very smooth. However many of the side roads were very difficult, sometimes almost not passable in skates. So the surface changes from very good to dangerous. Main roads we did were all fine; side roads were mostly not too good. Staying focused was important.
Road Conditions	Is there enough room for skating on the road? Are intersections crossable?		The roads were always busy, but we never had a problem skating. What was great is the main roads all had bicycle lanes, lanes that are for bicycles only. That made it very easy, and FUN. Traffic always was friendly towards us. Traffic is HEAVY so we had to keep our eyes, and ears, open.
Traffic Conditions	Describes level and condition of traffic. Is the traffic heavy, fast or erratic.		Traffic was HEAVY so we had to keep our eyes, and ears, open. But everyone was friendly and unlike the USA no cars tried to frighten us or make as to hit us. The roads were always busy, but we never had a problem skating.
Driver Attitudes	Describes how drivers react to and treat skaters		We were polite skaters in Beijingeveryone was friendly and unlike the USA and no cars tried to frighten us or make as to hit us. The roads were always busy, but we never had a problem skating.
Danger Level	Describes overall danger of skating in this location. Everyplace is dangerous to street skate. Street skating means crumbling roads, bad drivers (or worse), air pollution and even nature. But some places are more dangerous than others		Danger, what danger? Actually you had to stay focused. Some sideroad surfaces where really bad, and traffic was heavy. Air Pollution is the worst of anywhere and the one reason I do not want to come back.
Criminal Factor	How serious is crime in this location.		Did not see, or hear of any crime. Seemed to me to be very safe.
Cool Factor	Is this a cool place to skate.		Yes this is a cool place to skate. Skating with the thousand of bicycles, skating past the forbidden city. Skating to all the parks. Skating through and chatting with all the people.
Fun Factor	Is this a fun place to skate.		Yes, skating in and out of the bicyles. It was so much fun to pass the people on bicycles and see there surprised expressions. Everyone, even the police (everywhere) was very nice to us. I am not sure how legal skating on the roads is here, but no one bothered us. We even skated in some of the shopping centers. Pollution is the only, and big, downer.
Sidewalks	Are there sidewalks, and if there are what are they like? Often having sidewalks can be worse than not having them. With a bad sidewalk drivers may assume you should be using it - no matter how dangerous it is to use, and react very badly when they see you on the road instead of the sidewalk.		The streets that had sidewalks seemed good, but those that had sidewalks also had bicyle lanes so we skated on the roads. The sidestreets we skated on did not have sidewalks.
Misc	Any other conditions or issues that were found while skating here		Pollution is very bad. It is really so bad it takes away from everything else there that is fun and cool. Some days when we were there the pollution was so bad you could not see a full city block.
Summary	A summarization of the skating experience at this location.		This could be a great place, fun busy roads, cool places to skate to and through, but the Pollutiion is so Bad that is what I remember most. Many people that come here for a visit end up with throat infections from just breathing the air.
Desire to Return - Overall Rating	The bottom line. Is the place good enough that we want to return here to skate it more. With all the above taken into consideration how much are we looking forward return and skate this location further.		No, I like everything about skating Beijing except the pollution. The people are great, the roads exciting, friendly and fun. Great places to see and skate. But the Pollution!! That is so bad I will be staying away.
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Disclaimer

Services
Airport Pick Up	Please arrange car pick up to and from airport.
Airport Tax	Airport tax is RMB90.
Business Hours	Offices in Beijing generally open from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., with a lunch break of about an hour. Government-stipulated work days are from Monday to Friday. Banking hours and days vary from bank to bank in Beijing. However, most Chinese banks are open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. or 5 p.m., and have branches that are open on Saturdays and Sundays. Shops generally open at 9 a.m. and close between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m., and are open on Sundays.
Clothing	Normal Western business attire is considered appropriate for doing business in China.
Currency	CNY/RNB (Chinese Renminbi)
Entry Requirements	L-visas for single or multiple entry for tourists are valid for 30 to 60 days. F-visas for business travel can be valid up to 6 months but may require the visitor to leave every 30 days. They are good for single, double or multiple entry. Those seeking business visas must obtain official invitation from a government office or a company authorized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Health Risks	Potable water is available only at top hotels, so visitors should always ask to make sure. Prior to your trip, consult your doctor on immunizations you might need (e.g. tetanus, typhoid, cholera and hepatitis A and B) and about malaria suppressants if you're planning to go to rural areas. Bring all prescription and over-the-counter medicine you might require.

Language	The official language is Mandarin (or Putonghua, based on the Beijing dialect). Most tourist hotels have staff who are fluent in foreign languages.
Local Climate	Extremely diverse, from tropical in the south to sub-arctic in the north. Beijing has a continental monsoon climate with clear-cut seasons. Spring is dry and windy. Summer is hot and humid. Autumn offers the best weather, with generous sunshine. In winter, the city is severely affected by freezing winds from Siberia
Miscellaneous	Visitors to China should note that there are severe penalties for drug offences, including in some cases the death penalty.
Name of Airport	Beijing International Airport
Phone adaptors
Power adaptors
Tipping	Tipping is generally not expected in mainland China
Useful Links	Governments on the WWW: China (People's Republic) Laws and Regulations of the People's Republic of China
Useful Numbers	Police: 110 Fire Department: 119 Ambulance: 120 Tourist Hotline: 6513-0828 Local directory assistance: 114 (Chinese); 2689-0114 (English)
Voltage	220V

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