Day 1 (Daniel's arrival in Beijing)
The day started with us landing at Beijing International. To give you an impression of the size of the terminal, it took at least 25 minutes for the plane to taxi to the gate. The terminal is brand new, well over a kilometer long (what we could see), and beautiful. The in side is polished, with granite and marble floors, shining, and just as new as the outside. True to the form, the escalator broke on about the 45th person, and the rest walked up, with hardly a complaint heard about having to drag bags and children.
The customs control was a breeze. Even my messily filled in entrance formed did not appear to bother the customs officer. The luggage, surprisingly, made it as well, even though “the LAX 8” received it last – must have been the final luggage cart. The entire time we were observed by several men wearing “Simens” coveralls. Not sure what the electronics giant was doing there. The men looked like they were there to assist with the process, though I don’t believe I have seen them lift any actual luggage.
We moved through the completely empty terminal (this being at 5:30 am may have had something to do with that) into a small but enthusiastic crowd. The staff, security and otherwise, were abundant and helpful to the degree of their English, which varied widely from “none” to “very decent”. At that point we said goodbye to the last of the “LAX 8” and moved our separate ways. Following the signs I found and endless row of taxis and, per instructions from my fellow travelers, got into the official, metered yellow-and-blue car.
I showed the driver the printout with the hotel’s address in Chinese and we were off. I had some minor reservations about being taken for a tour, but I decided to treat anything as an adventure – after all, I had enough cash on me to last for quite a ride (at 6 yien to a dollar) and I was in Beijing. The first thing I realized was that staying in lane was rather a recommendation in China, and not at all a rule. Combined with an apparent ban on use of the turn signals, it made for an interesting ride.
My first impressions of Beijing were that it is a very modern city. No suburbs as such were visible, with modern apartment buildings springing up in groups along a very decent highway. In short, imagine a richer Soviet Union about 25 years into the future. The difference, however, is in blending of historical, and clearly Chinese, elements into the modern landscape. A stylized curving roof can be seen atop a 25-story glass and concrete building.
As we rode into town signs appeared to the 5th, 4th, 3rd, and eventually 2nd Ring Rd. The roads got busier, larger and slower vehicles appeared, yet the ban on the turn signals appeared firmly in effect in city limits. As residential buildings gave way to no less modern office complexes, we neared the city center. The Prime hotel appeared suddenly, looking as good as the website promised. At 7:25 I entered the lobby.
Alla told me I had missed the group departing for the Great Wall by mere 25 minutes. Oh, well. I got settle in and cleaned off a little and soon we were ready to head for the Wall. We asked for the number of the public buss there, and got offered the hotel limo for mere 1200 RMB (yuan). In spite of the 1 to 6 conversion rate, it should be noted that the buying power of a yuan in Beijing is somewhere around $0.75-1.00. Needless to say, we declined and opted for bus. The hotel called us a taxi and the driver was instructed to take us to the stop of 919. For 20 yuan in cab fare and 12 yuan each for the buss, we were off to the Great Wall.
As we quickly found out, the public transportation system in Beijing is not always as western as one might wish. The bus started out loaded flush with seated passengers, turned out to be a local and kept stopping to pick up standing folk. On top of that we got caught in a huge traffic jam (a stall and two road constructions at once). A police car, flashing lights but no siren, was caught right along with us. The cops did not show any signs of angst over being trapped, nor did the drivers make any effort to let the cops through. We all inched along, cutting off, beeping vigorously at pedestrians, bushing side mirrors.
Two hours of soviet flashbacks later, we were at the wall.
The day started with us landing at Beijing International. To give you an impression of the size of the terminal, it took at least 25 minutes for the plane to taxi to the gate. The terminal is brand new, well over a kilometer long (what we could see), and beautiful. The in side is polished, with granite and marble floors, shining, and just as new as the outside. True to the form, the escalator broke on about the 45th person, and the rest walked up, with hardly a complaint heard about having to drag bags and children.
The customs control was a breeze. Even my messily filled in entrance formed did not appear to bother the customs officer. The luggage, surprisingly, made it as well, even though “the LAX 8” received it last – must have been the final luggage cart. The entire time we were observed by several men wearing “Simens” coveralls. Not sure what the electronics giant was doing there. The men looked like they were there to assist with the process, though I don’t believe I have seen them lift any actual luggage.
We moved through the completely empty terminal (this being at 5:30 am may have had something to do with that) into a small but enthusiastic crowd. The staff, security and otherwise, were abundant and helpful to the degree of their English, which varied widely from “none” to “very decent”. At that point we said goodbye to the last of the “LAX 8” and moved our separate ways. Following the signs I found and endless row of taxis and, per instructions from my fellow travelers, got into the official, metered yellow-and-blue car.
I showed the driver the printout with the hotel’s address in Chinese and we were off. I had some minor reservations about being taken for a tour, but I decided to treat anything as an adventure – after all, I had enough cash on me to last for quite a ride (at 6 yien to a dollar) and I was in Beijing. The first thing I realized was that staying in lane was rather a recommendation in China, and not at all a rule. Combined with an apparent ban on use of the turn signals, it made for an interesting ride.
My first impressions of Beijing were that it is a very modern city. No suburbs as such were visible, with modern apartment buildings springing up in groups along a very decent highway. In short, imagine a richer Soviet Union about 25 years into the future. The difference, however, is in blending of historical, and clearly Chinese, elements into the modern landscape. A stylized curving roof can be seen atop a 25-story glass and concrete building.
As we rode into town signs appeared to the 5th, 4th, 3rd, and eventually 2nd Ring Rd. The roads got busier, larger and slower vehicles appeared, yet the ban on the turn signals appeared firmly in effect in city limits. As residential buildings gave way to no less modern office complexes, we neared the city center. The Prime hotel appeared suddenly, looking as good as the website promised. At 7:25 I entered the lobby.
Alla told me I had missed the group departing for the Great Wall by mere 25 minutes. Oh, well. I got settle in and cleaned off a little and soon we were ready to head for the Wall. We asked for the number of the public buss there, and got offered the hotel limo for mere 1200 RMB (yuan). In spite of the 1 to 6 conversion rate, it should be noted that the buying power of a yuan in Beijing is somewhere around $0.75-1.00. Needless to say, we declined and opted for bus. The hotel called us a taxi and the driver was instructed to take us to the stop of 919. For 20 yuan in cab fare and 12 yuan each for the buss, we were off to the Great Wall.
As we quickly found out, the public transportation system in Beijing is not always as western as one might wish. The bus started out loaded flush with seated passengers, turned out to be a local and kept stopping to pick up standing folk. On top of that we got caught in a huge traffic jam (a stall and two road constructions at once). A police car, flashing lights but no siren, was caught right along with us. The cops did not show any signs of angst over being trapped, nor did the drivers make any effort to let the cops through. We all inched along, cutting off, beeping vigorously at pedestrians, bushing side mirrors.
Two hours of soviet flashbacks later, we were at the wall.
2 comments:
Sounds like you guys are having a fun time. I love reading the journal so keep those entries and pictures coming!
Miss you terribly! Can't wait to see you Monday.
Kisses,
Your sis
Thanks sweetie! I love getting your responses. I'll try to post more pictures now.
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