Previous Day

Beijing

More 2011 Adventures

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Yuck, everybody!

The Golden Phoenix Hotel has stained walls, stained floors, and stained sheets! Two of our group members got put in a room that wasn’t cleaned, then in a closet (bed, toilet, shower in one small, windowless cell), then finally in another gross room. And the staff were so unfriendly because the airport had set us up here for free. Breakfast included stale cabbage, white rice, and the Chinese equivalent of pigs in a blanket! I eyed the bacon, pastries and fruit in the other room. I was going to go for it. The moment I set foot in that room, a hotel employee was on me like a troll on a Billy Goat Gruff!

– “You flight delayed?”
– “Can I have som-”
– “Back in other room!”

Not to be put down by another 24 hours in Beijing without a tour guide to accompany us, we decided to catch a taxi into town. It was worth every second. The inclement weather had cleared away all the haze, turning Beijing from a black sneeze city to a wonderful mural of reds and blues!

We milled about the gate to the Forbidden City and watched the Red Guard doing drills before ambling along to Wanfujiang Street, the last stop for shopping, but there wasn’t much to see here, other than Euro-American fashion and cosmetics. On the other hand, there was the guy selling scorpions on a stick. Chinese burger flipper… We decided on dumplings for lunch instead.

Then, it was time once again to return to the airport. What a trip it’s been! It feels like months since we arrived! I’m sad to part with the nice people of the tour group, but we may meet again some day. Who knows? Now, I’m back on my own, so I leave you with an inspirational quote I picked up from a T-shirt:

See you on the other side of the ocean!

P.S. I almost forgot! Lessons I learned from a trip to China!

• Don’t assume anyone speaks English, even at 5-star hotels. If you don’t want a tour, learn some basic Chinese.
• Lychees, lotus root, good rice wine, and durians are delicious, but eat the latter in a well-ventilated place and stay there for six hours at least.
• Liver porridge and bad rice wine should be avoided at all cost.
• Don’t go for a jog or a swim in Beijing unless you have a breathing mask. Those poor Olympians…
• The Zhouzhi Panda Reserve and Mount Huashan are located near Xi’an. Since they’re installing a new international airport, I may have to come back.
• Don’t buy anything at tourist traps! There will be cheaper and better places that you will discover yourself!
• Don’t expect privacy or secrecy in China, unless it’s the government’s. There are cameras in the forests!
• Chinese people think American folks are rude when they start a conversation with a question. Talk instead about the weather or pay a compliment.
• State-run television shows are either war shows or silly game shows. You can darn right expect anything else to be heavily censored.
• I feel there is a lot of resignation, even despair, in China. I didn’t see a lot of joy or vibrance off a stage, which makes me wonder what is next for this most ancient of nations.