Oh, You're So Silent Jens

Tonight I went to go see Jens Lekman live in concert. Before I did that I went for supper by myself in a neighboring area. I ducked out of the busy street I was on into a small hutong. I looked for the most dodgy jiaotza place I could find. I ate beef and cilantro jiaotza with a bottle of Yanjing beer. A very delicious, very Chinese meal. A large 600mL bottle of beer can be bought at corner stores everywhere for four kuai, which is about sixty cents. I'm really glad I'm not an alcoholic.
After eating I stumbled (disorient induced, not alcohol induced) to MAO Live Club where Jens was playing. His set was performed very well, with accuracy and Scandinavian charm. The place was packed, very few Chinese though. The ex-pat contingent in Beijing is very large. Throughout the course of a day I usually see at least a dozen foreigners, whereas the whole time I was in Nanning earlier this year I think I only saw two.
The subway stops running at eleven or eleven thirty of the clock, I don't know exactly because I haven't tested the waters, but regardless, I left MAO after that. I took a taxi by myself for the first time, giving directions and conversation in Mandarin, I think the fact that I held a primitive conversation prevented me from getting cheated. A single white male, primary candidate.
Overall I feel successful. Tomorrow I might meet up with another CouchSurfer and shoot some skateboarding photos around the city. I haven't skated since I've come here. There's too much going on, and surprisingly not as many spots as the smaller cities. I can't figure that one out.