Michael O'Neal's "Being in Beijing: Buses Bikes and Beer," is a maddening, hilarious, death defying, and sexually frustrating account of one man's year long stay in one of the most populated cities on earth. Mike made it a point to engage as many people as he could on an almost daily basis, from the lovely campus co-eds, to the foreign-curious waitstaff of restaurants, to the toothless street vendors staked out on every corner of the city. Board crowded buses and trains with Mike where the rides are anything but boring through his eyes. Join him on his bicycle for pedals across town where he gets bounced off buses and cabs, and has head-on collisions with other cyclists and scooters. And walk with him through the many intriguing and historic sites in and around Beijing; The Forbidden City, The Summer Palace, The Llama Temple, The Temple of Heaven, The Great Bell Temple, and of course, climb with him up the Great Wall. Mike befriends all he meets, with a genuine affinity for the Chinese People, especially the store owners who kept him supplied with pijou (beer) "Being in Beijing" is a raucous, rapid, rambunctious, and rascally ride that will have you laughing out of your recliner, and sometimes shedding a tear over touching moments of friendship and humanity. By the end of the book, Mike will be a friend of yours. You can almost hear him telling his stories, laughing with him, feeling his frustrations to the core, and being awestruck with the beauty and antiquity of Asia. As one reader wrote, "Thanks for the bike ride, Pal " Escape with Mike to China. You and he will have a great time together