In the long list of things that Beijing did to get ready for the Olympics, one item you may not have known about was the Olympian push by Starbucks to make their famous coffees available to every visitor both domestic and international. I wonder if they are secretly hoping to make green tea drinking a thing of the past? For a little fun, guess how many Starbucks outlets are now open in Beijing (as of August 2008 when I picked up Starbuck’s handy location map from one of the Olympics Volunteer stations).

Place your vote here and I'll tell you the answer in a few days.

I just arrived back in Shanghai from my whirlwind, last-minute trip to Beijing to catch some of the Olympic spirit. I have one word for the whole trip: wow. Wow to Beijing for making their city beautiful. Wow to the organizers for putting thousands of friendly volunteers on every other street corner to answer tourists’ multi-lingual questions. Wow to the incredible Olympic Green and sports arenas. Wow to the subway system that a few short years ago didn’t exist beyond a few stops. Wow to the Olympic spirit that seemed to emanate from the very pores of Beijingers. Wow to the blue sky and fine weather I enjoyed for two days, the best I’ve ever experienced in Beijing (and this was my sixth trip).

I’ll be writing more about my experiences soon, but I just have to tell everyone, if you can get to Beijing now, or soon, do it while the Olympic euphoria lasts. It’s wonderful to be in a place where everyone is proud, happy and friendly. Congratulations Beijing. You’ve won a little piece of my heart.

Photo: Chinese Olympic fans at the Olympic Green, Beijing, August 22, 2008. © 2008 Sara Naumann, licensed to About.com.

As a foreigner living in Shanghai, so many things are a mystery to me that after nearly five years, I’ve just stopped questioning them. Why are there name-brand clothes on sale for next-to-nothing in local shops? Why are avocados $5 a piece? How do pirated movies get to the vendors before they’re released at home? Why can I change airlines and flight times without paying any penalties when I decided to leave Pingyao a day early? The answers are elusive so I work by the premise of “everything’s negotiable” and ignorance is, indeed, bliss.

But my Chinese conversation partner and I were exchanging pleasantries over each other’s summer holidays and she mentioned that she and her family took an overnight bus to Qingdao from Shanghai for a third of the normal price. How? I asked. Well, since it wasn’t peak time, they bought the tickets directly from the bus driver who knew that all the seats wouldn’t be sold. They just went directly to the right bus, asked, and voila! Mr. Bus Driver has just made a handsome little sum and the Family Liu is on their way to Qingdao for 150RMB per person.

I’m not recommending you try this but it’s an interesting thing to keep in mind - and something that if you’re traveling on a budget, you might as well try. The worst answer you could get would be “sorry, go buy your ticket at the counter, pal.” Ah, the secrets of China are being revealed to me one at a time…

I'm off to Beijing on Friday to catch a little of the Olympic Spirit. I don't have any tickets to anything, so it'll be interesting to see what I can come up with. Perhaps a scintillating bout of synchronized swimming? After cruising the Olympic sites, I think I'll try to spend a little time in some of my favorite Beijing markets. The prices are probably going to be driven higher by the crowds of tourists so I'll have to get my bargaining weapons out. But it should be fun, and I always enjoy window shopping anyway.

Photo: Chinese ceramics on sale at an outdoor market. © 2007 Sara Naumann, licensed to About.com, Inc.