SMALL TALK WITH...The Travel Writer

From studying medieval lit at Cambridge to luxury resort-hopping across Asia, Kristina Perez tells us what it takes to become a real-life travel writer.

So how did you first get into travel writing? I sort of backed into it when I came to Asia. There were local magazines looking for articles on places in Europe and South America, where I’ve spent a lot of time, so I was able to produce that quickly. Traveling has always just been a passion. There are a lot of people out there who envy what you do. What advice do you have for aspiring travel writers? You shouldn’t think you’re too good to do anything. I have a Ph.D. from Cambridge and when I started writing for one of the Beijing’s listings mags, friends were like, “What the Hell are you doing?” But you’ve got to start somewhere, and by the time I came across the Condé Nast editor, I had a bunch of clips I could show her. So, ever so humbly, you have to just put yourself out there. So you went from working at a Beijing listings mag to writing for Condé Nast Traveler in a year? Actually, in six months. Wow! Do share! Well, this will probably put me out of business, but the big international magazines really want to know about Asia, and they don’t have many correspondents here, so you’re better off trying to write about the unique and interesting places here. What has been the hardest piece you’ve had to write? Actually, the hardest part for me isn’t the writing, but the front-of-book-photos. I don’t think people fully appreciate just how much work goes into those pretty photos. So the pretty pictures are the most difficult part? Yeah, and because the pieces rely on the pretty pictures, if you can’t get one, your piece gets killed. What’s the most beautiful place you’ve visited? Hawaii. It’s a cliché, but it’s very beautiful. Another place, Iguacu Falls, is one of my favorites. Who are the writers that inspire your work? I’m a medievalist by training, so my idea of travel writing comes from medieval chroniclers. I see it not only as “travel writing” but chronicling history as you see it. Does a travel writer need a home? I’ve been debating that since they jacked up the rent on my Beijing apartment. But yes, I think you need a home base. As Virginia Woolf said, “A woman needs a room of her own” ... or at least an office. One can only sit in Internet cafes for so long.

EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT...They Pulled It Off ... Now What? After seven years of anticipation and an awesome Olympics, which way will Beijing turn?

Beijing this month was a roller coaster. We ran across town to attend all the events and parties we thought you’d want to know about. Now that the Games are over we must move on with post-Olympics life, but first we compiled a couple of lessons we learned from the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

The big question in the lead-up to the Olympics was whether Beijing would succeed in bringing sunny blue skies to the “Green Olympics” or not. Though decreased industry, a lull in construction, alternate day driving and cloud seeding didn’t empty the sky of gray for the Opening Ceremonies, there were several days of glorious weather in the middle of the Olympics period.

Another concern for expats was how Beijing nightlife would change with the international presence and increased security during the Olympic Games. Despite talk about early closings for clubs in the international media, Beijing’s nightlife proved tenacious. Even if Tiesto and Chozie never played a tag-team DJ set on the rooftops of the Forbidden City, all Beijing became a non-stop party for three-weeks.

We also anticipated how the newbies would handle Beijing’s notorious taxi drivers or the casual hacking on the side-walk. Yet, with legions of volunteers, translation services and dozens of new, high-end hotels, Beijing proved capable of utter warmth and hospitality.

Essentially, we were all wondering whether BOCOG could pull it off. They did, and the media’s doomsday prophesies proved empty. In fact, pessimists may have found them anti-climactic. For us, they were a blast.

The Olympics defined Beijing for the past seven years. Now, that it’s over, we don’t know what to expect or look forward to. But whatever may come, we are impressed by our city and its changes.

DIGITS

100,000
Condoms distributed at the Olympic Village

16,500
Competing athletes staying at the Olympic Village

5.08 million
Visitors checked by security in the first 11 days of the Olympics

4,369
Cars that broke the odd-even plate traffic regulation in first two weeks

842 million
People who tuned into the Opening Ceremony broadcast, the highest Chinese TV viewership in history.

BEIJING PERSPECTIVE: The Games Continue The 2008 Paralympics arrive in Beijing
So you were in Beijing during the Olympics but didn’t attend a single event? It’s not too late to check out the Olympic Green. You can still get inside the Bird’s Nest and Water Cube by attending the 2008 Paralympics, which has already garnered a ton of international media attention with major TV networks from Japan to the EU all pledging to broadcast the Games live every day. Officially, tickets for the Opening Ceremony are sold-out, but the CW Olympics Blog can tell you all about the “alternative distributors” out there. To watch the games, you can take your passport, cash or visa card and buy tickets at any of the designated Bank of China ticket outlets listed on www.tickets.beijing2008.cn. We recommend swimming in the Aquatics Center, athletics in the National Stadium and judo in the Worker’s Stadium. The Paralympics run Sep. 6-17.