"We need total coverage!" - Lacerda, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson.
I landed in Beijing and emerged from forty-five minutes of customs, etc. to a sea of people. Unfortunately the driver I had been expecting was not among them. I waited around the terminal for a while, and eventually bought a $20 phonecard and called my hotel, wondering where the driver was. They said there had been a mis-understanding (more on this later) and they would send a driver right away... then the phone wouldn't give me my card back; $20 for a 3min. phone call. Eventually my driver arrived and was very apologetic, even sporting a conciliatory cell phone charm. After a quick ride into the city I arrived at my Ming-dynasty guesthouse, and quickly learned that my reservation had been cancelled because my father, who was scheduled to arrive the day before, had not shown up yet.
Thankfully I was able to secure a different room and immediately hit the internet room, trying to figure out what vortex my dad had inadvertently slipped into. Rather quickly it became clear that he had forgotten that he was travelling over the dateline and had made the reservations a day early. These things happen. He did eventually arrive, and after an average dinner and an above-average scotch we began to plan our assault on the megaopolis that is Beijing.
3 comments:
What a way to start a holiday! I'm looking forward to the next installment.
Hey Ben,
Great review of the first day. I found the crowds leading into the Forbidden City and in the first few areas to be quite a crush. The bumping and pushing was beyond what I expected and certainly more than I've experienced in cities like Toronto, Montreal, New York and some other reasonably sized cities. Upon reflection, I think it is remarkable that there was not more bumping and pushing when one considers the tens of thousands of people who were there. The crowds aside, it
Hey Ben,
Great review of the first day. I found the crowds leading into the Forbidden City and in the first few areas to be quite a crush. The bumping and pushing was beyond what I expected and certainly more than I've experienced in cities like Toronto, Montreal, New York and some other reasonably sized cities. Upon reflection, I think it is remarkable that there was not more bumping and pushing when one considers the tens of thousands of people who were there. The crowds aside, it was an incredible experience.
You're correct about the unspectacular breakfast. It certainly was less than hoped for. On the other hand, the Macallan is definitely above average.
I think I was somewhere in the vortex between Prague and Vancouver.
Dad
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