Just getting there was an exercise and a half! Missed the first flight from Brisbane to Sydney (not our fault – Qantas queues are diabolical!!!! – just scraped in the next one to make a mad dash to the Sydney Shanghai flight and finally sat down and relaxed! Whew! Made it! 10 1/2 hour flight on Qantas into Shanghai at 6.30pm, next flight to Shanghai dealyed till 1.30pm in the morning!!!! AHHHHHHH!HH!!!!!!!!
Finally got into Beijing – plane unceremoniously dumped us all at the cargo terminal where buses moved us over to the outer baggage terminal doors – at least we didn’t have to walk the length of this ‘fabulous’ (so we were told) Beijing airport!
Anyhow we were met by our tour company even though it was 3am, and transferred to the hotel – the Grand Hotel Beijing. Have been told that Margaret Thatcher and Henry Kissinger are among the long line of dignitaries who have stayed here. Can see why, it’s a fabulous hotel with everything one could ask for. (Even the Baber’s!)
Pre Tour day in Beijing
Kemm and I were pretty exhausted after our travels but on waking around 8.30am opened the curtains to find an amazing view over some of the Forbidden City gardens and up to Tiannamen Square. We can see the fabulous big flags flying on the huge buildings over the square – the place looks huge.
A wander up the street reveals that Beijing is like any other huge city with 4 lanes of traffic each way, cars and buses, buses, buses, buses – they’re EVERYWHERE!!!!). Meandered through the Forbidden City gardens – absolutely beautiful, gardens weaving in and out and around the stream with colours of all varieties creating amazing gardenscapes. The odd chinese lady or man practising their Tai Chi along the way amongst the crowd. Did I say crowd??? Sorry I meant CROWDS!!!!
If this was Australia, you could think of every white Australian visiting say the Sydney Opera House at the same time and throw in the odd Chinese person – that’s how much we stand out here and how many tourists there are! There are people everywhere!!!
Anyway, on with the wander – up through the gardens and ‘come on Kemm, I just want to go up to the end there’ – so off we go, thgouhg the little archway with my next words being ‘Holy Shit!!’ sorry folks but that was exactly what I said on seeing the seething mass of tourists on Tiannamen Square. Tour groups are everywhere with tour leaders holding little flags up and their red, blue, white or whatever coloured hats they have on, following behind. We’ve never seen so many people!! And this happens every day here.
Our main concern is that tomorrow it’s our turn to play ‘tour groups’!
Anyway that was our stroll for now and we wandered back to the hotel for a nanna nap (as we do after a busy day before!). The weather was beautiful today and the sun streamed into our hotel room so I just grabbed my pillows, propped them on the floor near the window and had a delightful snooze there in the sun. (That was the end of the sun though – more about that later!)
Snooze over (Gee, I could write a book I reckon!! Blah, blah, blah, blah….) and although we have an 8pm meet and greet with our tour group, we head off up the road in ‘the other direction’. Whoa!!!! Shops!!! Think we’ve found centre city (or whatever!). Once again, amazing, big, huge! Have since discovered here that everything we know about China and how big things are, how busy the place is – it’s ten times that!
Anyway wandered the trail ahead and ended up in a little food stall area with all manner of weird and wonderful (???) things to see and NOT eat! Corn cob on sticks, yes that’s okay, satay sticks of chicken, beef, seafood etc – yes that’s fine, bowls of stuff – don’t even know what they are but pointed out to ‘the little man’ – one of those??? Nod Nod and off he goes – 2 beers???? Ok OK Ok (in my little chinese voice). So, 1 bowlof something noodly, chilli, coriandery (we think!) – I had a bit and Kemm had most, a lamb skewer – yes that was fine – a seafood skewer – yes that timy little mouthful was okay but that’ll do… man walking past – hoik, spit, snort onto the path – normal around here (ah Marg, you’d luv it!!!) Right beside our table of course – ahh the culture of the place!!! Next a young girl and 2 guys sit ask if they can sit at our same table (cheaper than formica, food and water split all over the table and crappy chairs – Kemm and I luv it!) – anyway yes, please have a seat – speak English??? Leetle…. like beijing?? yes, verrry mush….on holiday? mmm 4 days… cum fwum far way in china . . been Beijing 1 time b4 – (great conversation here) – develops to – what is that you are eating – mmmm, how you say it????? intestine/???? mmmm – ooh that’s okay – hope u like it! You like try some???? verrry goood, verry special in china – – -mmmmm .. okay! So Kemm and try a small piece, okay but ONLY with the sauce!!! Then gets a bit chewy…mmmm I think, how can I swallow this…..glug, glug glug and down with the beer – whew!!! Made it!
They can keep that one though!
Further wander past other available food on sticks – scorprions and baby seahorses – ALIVE and WRIGGLING!!!! Ready to BBQQ!!! Yuk!!!
Ahhh such is life and adventures in other countries!
So it was back out into the neon razzle dazzle, lots more photos and a wander back to the hotel on a delightful evening.
Meet and Greet Tour Group.
APT Travel is so far turning out to be a fabulous group to travel with. Met with our tour leader “Tony” – real Chinese name too hard to untangle, Craig our Australian International Operations Manager just doing his China bit for the company as he hadn’t done it before, plus our ‘in Beijing’ photographer (just in case we become brochure stars!).
There are 15 of us otherwise on the tour – most very similar to us, retired, well-travelled and some VERY WELL monied up!! Lots of interests in common though as everyone has done all the big travel stuff – Canada, Alaska, Egypt, Nile, European River Cruises etc so all very interesting swapping notes. We have one dear old lady who is about 75 – 80 from Hamilton in New Zealand on her own – finds the walking a bit strenous but then what we’ve done in 2 days – so do we all!!! Anyway we all seem to keep an eye on dear old Daphne and have to admire her for being on her own touring China but she’s lovely.
Meet and greet meant free drinks – red, white, beer, nibbles, whatever – all very nice and obiously included in our tour costs! But seems we have picked an up market type tour without realising it and everything is all very cosy for us.
