Friday, May 4, 2012

Our adventure begins...


Our adventure to China began on Wednesday morning, April 11, 2012.  We left Milwaukee on a short flight to Chicago and had about one hour to catch our direct flight into Beijing.  The attendant told us we needed to go to the International Terminal so we hopped on the train and headed in the right direction.  At security we were told we really needed to be at Terminal C....half way across O'Hare.  On the train I suddenly realized I did not have my ticket or passport...I checked everywhere...Andy watching my frantic search with "the look".  It was no where to be found...I figured it must have been left at the security desk.  I somehow had the notion to ask Andy what was in HIS hand...and there I found my ticket and passport!  Whew!  When we left the train, I stopped at the United counter to let them know we were on the way.
We had to go through security again and made it through just about the time our flight was due to take off.  Fortunately there was another couple trying to make the flight as well and they waited for us.  Do you know how it feels to walk the aisle of a 777 all the way back to economy with everyone looking at you?  Alas, we were glad to be on the flight...and settled into our seats...a little too much drama to start us off.
It is a 13+ hour flight...11 time zones and about 6500 miles.  We each had our own little screen for movies, TV, music, maps, etc.  I watched four movies (We Bought a Zoo, The Iron Lady, The Descendants, and Hugo) and the time just flew by...no pun intended.  We went north over Canada and the western end of the Hudson Bay about 2000 miles.  From there we were over the Arctic Ocean another 2000 miles when we headed what seemed to be southwest another 2500 miles over Russia and China into Beijing.  It was fun to watch the ground speed (500 to 575 mph), the altitude (32000 to 38000 feet), and the outside temperature ( 57 below zero over the Arctic Ocean and 80 below over Siberia).  Fortunately we were warm and comfortable ~ and fed well along the way. Did I have a little sticker on my forehead that said, "Feed Me"?   About every two hours they brought us a snack or a meal...and they were quite tasty.  I was impressed.
When we reached Beijing, my suitcase came  fairly quickly...Andy's never came...it was still in Chicago and would arrive on the same flight the next day.  Oh, joy.
Our tour director from Go Ahead Tours was there to greet us and the 30-40 minute van ride to our hotel gave us our first glimpse of this vast and beautiful country.  We were the first to arrive of the 21 on our tour.  We were impressed with the many parks, forests, and green spaces along all of the major roads.  David explained that most of them are new in the last 10 years ~ to help keep the dust down during the long windy season.  Most roads were 8 lanes, even right downtown.  There are 5 rings around the city center.
Along the way, David taught us how to say hello and thank you...very helpful!
 

The Paragon Hotel was located right downtown, near the Beijing Railway Station.  We arrived late afternoon local time.  Andy wanted to take a nap...I chose to take a walk, exploring the neighborhood.  I found 2 huge malls, dozens of little eateries, the train station and the underground all within one square block of the hotel.  Streets and sidewalks were teeming with cars, buses, trucks,  motorcycles, bikes, and people.  It appeared to me that people just made their way across the street whenever there was a clearing in the cars.  It didn't matter if there were actually traffic lights or not. 
There were hundreds (maybe thousands) of people lingering in the plaza outside the Railway Station.  Some were sleeping, others were playing cards, many were talking in groups.  I don't know if they were waiting for trains or rides home.  Some were definitely homeless.

The hotel (the large glass building in this picture) was just blocks from the old City Wall.  David had pointed it out, so I walked down there.  A very pretty park was built around this section of the wall.  I felt safe.  People stared at me but didn't bother me. 
 

When I got back from my walk we went out for dinner at a little noodle bar.  David said that many young people know some English, but no one in this little place could speak or understand any English.  We just pointed to the picture, which gave the price, and handed them the money.  So, we did okay on our own.  Fortunately I had Andy's shaving kit and our electric toothbrush in my suitcase.   We bought him a short sleeved shirt for the next day...and his bag did arrive on schedule the following day.
Later that evening I went to the lobby and tried to get on Facebook to post pictures and report on our day.  The iPad would think and think and then tell  me to check my Internet connection.  I discovered the next morning that the servers in China do not allow you to go to Facebook or YouTube.  They also have limited access to information on Google.  Interesting!

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