4:49

One of the disadvantages of a mid-summer visit to Beijing is that today's flag raising occurred at a rather early 4:49 AM. Thank goodness for jet lag.

A short walk through the quiet narrow streets, past the sleepy shiny arts centre.

The crowd was gathering

And the flag rose.

And that's about it.

Off for an early breakfast at a little dumpling house we passed on our way. But first a quick jump:

And then dumplings!

Definitely more upscale, though the dumplings were still steamed out on the street. Thankfully - at just after 5 AM it was already warm inside.

The crowd was unruly at the ceremony. People felt free to push and shove, trying to fight their way to the front, as more and more people stacked up. This seemed perfectly acceptable, although offensive to Canadian sensibilities. Many people attending were tourists themselves, from other parts of China, and there were many more smaller tour company flags raised by guides, screaming directions at their charges.

Altogether a more challenging atmosphere than the Canada Day ceremonies we saw in Ottawa, some years ago.

As soon as the flag came down, there was a mad rush to get away. The crowd dispersed very quickly. Traffic roared to life. We were on our way to breakfast!

- Bess

In borrowed pants

Dinner tonight was a very special occasion. Our friend's brother lives in Beijing, and a friend of his is a member at an exclusive club which happened to be just around the corner from our hotel.

This is where the pants fit in - our host, our friend and myself hadn't had the forethought to dress for the occasion, and the rules are very strict: men must wear pants. Fortunately they're quite accommodating about the whole thing, and someone quickly arrived in the courtyard with three pairs of black pants.

Through a couple of more courtyards we found our way to our private room.

Replete from a sumptuous meal, we slowly made our way back, stopping to admire the water maze. A drinking game of sorts, the poets would splash wine into the start of the water passage, and need to complete the verse before it reached the end. I didn't quite catch where the drinking part came, but give poets and wine I'm sure there are a myriad of possibilities.

 

Strangely enough, although the restaurant insisted that the men wear pants, they didn’t mind if the kids wore their shorts, and we ladies were certainly not that dressy in our casual skirts. We were dining intimately in our own private room off the courtyard and there was no one in sight. However, when in Rome…

The maitre-d’ spoke English, and I enjoyed a short conversation with him about the peach trees growing in the courtyard. The variety did not appear to be quite the same as the trees we have at home, but the leaves were certainly similar and I wished I could see the ripe fruit so I could compare taste and appearance.

- Bess

Foiled

Sitting down and writing my first post from China, there was one important detail I failed to consider. The Great Firewall. Yes, my chosen blogging site was blocked! As are pretty much all free blogging sites to my new found understanding. As well as any sites discussing blocked blogging sites.

So here we are on a hastily provisioned self-hosted Wordpress site which will hopefully work.

Today's been a quiet day - breakfast in a literal hole in the wall with the food cooked out on the sidewalk.

Followed by a wander through the 798 Arts District, with the kids assuming absurd poses with each piece of street art.

Some more walking, a transfer to a hotel downtown close to Tien'anmen Square, and opening a local bank account. Followed by a well deserved nap, of course.

 

Breakfast consisted of congee, with a choice of millet or bean base, rather than rice. There were pickles to go with the congee, for free. We also ate several trays of dumplings, some with pork inside, and some with vegetables. Last, but not least, we had “you-tiao,” pronounced ‘yo-tiow,” a deep fried dough consisting of two long strands stuck together.

Altogether, breakfast cost us 28 yuan total, for 8 people. About $4.50 Canadian. Although the food wasn’t the best quality, it was sure cheap! And we weren’t that hungry due to jet lag.

- Bess

Night flight

We flew though the night to Beijing, an almost continuous night with the sun peeking up from the North - slightly disorienting. After watching hours of movies and television I finally convinced the children to sleep.

It was a smooth flight, and an efficient entry through the new, spectacular and I'm sure uncharacteristically empty Beijing airport. We walked past an empty queue maze for the taxi stand that would have easily handled a popular ride at Disneyland.

As we started away in the taxi I told the kids that every taxi ride has the potential to be an adventure. In this case we had agreed that Bess would ride with Jinshi and his family, while Elaine would ride with Evie, Jess and I. It started with the driver telling us he couldn't take us, after the other car had already left. Then when Elaine asked the fellow managing the queue, he told her that was the cab we should take.

We had planned our first night at a hotel in the newly created arts district, close to the airport. Far too close for the driver's liking after waiting in the rank for a fare. A trip downtown would have been much more lucrative. He eventually agreed, but there were heated words between the driver and Elaine, and the driver and the other car through Elaine"s walkie-talky. The kids and I couldn't understand a word, but I explained the context to the kids and the tone carried the rest.

We arrived at the hotel before the other car, and our driver was all smiles again when I gave him a small tip, which Elaine had to insist on after he returned it to her.

A small but very comfortable room for a very short night's sleep.

 

First stop

All packed and ready to go. Race out the door, suitcase wheels rumbling loudly along the road. To the bus stop and the first short leg of our rather long journey.

Taking our time to admire the fish along the way...

Playing out xkcd moments,

And finally meeting up with our friends who planned this whole trip.

Off to China!

 

First Stop

All packed and ready to go. Race out the door, suitcase wheels rumbling loudly along the road. To the bus stop and the first short leg of our rather long journey.

No visit to the airport is complete without saying hello to the mouse woman.

Taking our time to admire the fish along the way...

Playing out xkcd moments,

And finally meeting up with our friends who planned this whole trip.

Off to China!