China Day 1: August 22
I got up around 6:00am to give myself time to eat, and shower. Then, I walked down the street to catch a bus to the train station in Masan. There's a limousine bus company that runs a shuttle directly to Gimheh airport right beside the train station. The trip to the airport would take about one hour and only cost about $5.70. I arrived at the airport almost 3 hours early. After a while I met a tour representative who gave me a form to fill out, and a green rubber thing to put on my bag to identify me as being part of the tour. It said, "Mode Tour". I didn't meet any of the other tour members or the tour guide until I arrived in Beijing.
We arrived in Beijing at 5:30pm. The flight to Beijing was very smooth and only took about 2 hours. After I collected my baggage, and went through the usual security check and immigration, I stepped through the doors of the main terminal and to my left there was a small woman holding a sign that said, "Mode Tour" in Korean. She didn't do a particularly good job of concealing her surprise when I walked up and indicated that I was on the tour.
After all 19 people on the tour had been accounted for, we headed outside to board the bus. One curious thing....someone asked me where I was from and when I said, Canada they were surprised because they thought I was Russian. That's the second time in my life I've been mistaken for being Russian.
It took at least an hour to get from the airport to downtown Beijing. The very first thing we did was to go to an acrobatic show. It was spectacular!
After the show we went for dinner. A few of my Korean friends had told me that they hated Chinese food and found it too oily, but I honestly have to say that I loved the food. I suppose it was oilier than Korean food, but it was quite delicious. Among the many dishes on our table there was the one that Beijing is perhaps most famous for, Peking Duck. Delicious!
The remainder of the evening we spent browsing on a famous street in Beijing, Wang Fu Jing Street. Located pretty much in the center of the city, Wang Fu Jing is not just about shopping, it's a whole experience. Festivals and exhibitions often take place on the street. It turned out that my Korean companions were all elementary school teachers in Busan. They all had English names that they had chosen during their high school days or in church...Stephanie, Marie, Lisa and James.
We arrived at the hotel, the Jing-Guang New World Hotel. I stayed in room 1707. It was a typical hotel room with all the usual features... a mini-bar, kettle, a selection of coffee and teas, and television. One thing though - the carpet in the room, and in fact throughout the hotel was in bad shape.
Downtown Beijing
Acrobatic Show
On Wang Fu Jing Street
Room #1707
|
