So, we landed in China at 2pm on Wednesday, May 15, 2013. Our agency told us there would be a guide at the gate waiting for us, holding a green sign with the name of their agency and our name. We got through baggage claim and customs just fine, but after that, there is a long Walk of Chaos separating you from the Exit. This consists of a 200 yard fence with rows and rows of people leaning against it and crammed about ten feet back, all holding signs with names of hotels or conferences or businesses or last names or whatever identifying information they can use to find their target.
Everyone. Stared.
We had to stare back, because we were looking for the green sign with our name on it, so we all got lots of eye contact. It’s a great introduction to the country. By the end of the fence, you just want to run.
Once we got out of the walkway, we wheeled our suitcases to the middle of the entrance hall and paused for breath. There were a few moments there where we were all a little rumpled. After a 13 hour flight, jet lag, funky food (already) and no one meeting us at the gate, we felt a bit shaken. I thought about going back to look for the guide, but with all the people racing outward, it would have been like swimming up river. Plus, all six of us were looking. I was sure she wasn’t there. So, we found an information desk. The exquisitely beautiful Chinese information woman wrote the name of our hotel in Chinese on two pieces of paper and told us a reasonable taxi price. We took the papers outside to the line of taxis.
Everyone. Stared.
Thank God, there was a taxi with room for all six of us. We got to our hotel about 4pm (picture below). After a shower, walk about the city (Everyone. Stared.), and dinner in the hotel, we all fell asleep about 7:00pm (7am EST).
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| This is our hotel, from the outside. There is a subway entrance right in the front yerd. It's really convenient. |
I woke up Thursday morning thinking to myself that yesterday was Tuesday, but it wasn’t. Yesterday was Wednesday. It’s just that we lost it. This is ok because on the way home, we are going to gain an extra Friday.
So, today was my first Thursday in China. Believe it or not, I was up early.
The first item on the agenda was to get on line. China blocks google, blogspot, wordpress and every other vehicle I might use to communicate with the outside world. After a few tries, I got on my primary e-mail, but try as I might, I just could not find a way to post a blog entry. Result: Failure.
The second item on the agenda was to go running in Beijing. My 15 year old son offered to go with me. This was a sacrifice for him. He is on the high school track team and since he’s just shy of six feet, he’s been running hurdles. He can obliterate me in a sprint and kept making comments about the fact there was no way I was going to keep up with him. What the poor boy fails to realize is that there is no way he can win here. I am a 47 year old woman. If I am slower than him, it’s expected. If I am faster, he dies a slow emotional death over the next several weeks. He blasted well ahead of me for the first five minutes (everyone stared) and after that, I just kept chugging along while he paused, sprinted, paused and finally quit about two blocks from our turn around point. We got back into our rhythm on the way back until about two blocks from the hotel. He asked if we could quit and walk. Heh. Heh. Result: Success.
The third agenda item was to sign up for that fun run on the Great Wall of China. I found the web site here: http://great-wall-marathon.com/, and directions for people living in China to register, and I sent an e-mail to sign up, but no one has contacted me. Result: hoping.
We had breakfast in the hotel and it was the first really good meal I had since Monday night. Dumplings are Awesome!
This one is filled with some kind of mammal, but my favorite is filled with sweet bean paste. I know, right? Who puts sugar in beans?
The last item was to visit with some friends who live in Tianjing. They traveled three hours to meet us here in Beijing and I’m so glad they did. It was great to see them again! We spent the rest of the day together. They took us to a nicer part of town where there was a shopping mall, better food and generally a better ambiance. This helped my kids to feel a little less off-kilter. They also helped Bill find an HP store so he could buy a computer cord (just let it be known here that I didn’t forget to pack anything).
We had some plans for the afternoon, but about five o clock we noticed it was awfully quiet in the kids room and when we went to check on them, they were all asleep. Dead asleep.
And there was evening and morning, the third day.
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