4:21 a.m. Beijing time. Monday morning. Tom, our tour guide, was right -- some of us will wake up at 3, some will wake up every hour. Fortunately for me, I am awake at 4, so I feel like I got my eight hours. It is, as my tablet keeps reminding me, 1:55 Sunday afternoon. Back home, my husband is probably outside, sitting in the garden, doodling as he calls it when he makes minor adjustments in the backyard.
The plane flight was long. A window seat is nice until you need to disturb your fellow passengers to answer a call of nature. The windows could be tinted on our 787 craft so the sun wouldn't glare too much. There was a television screen on the back of the seat in front of you, where you could play games, read an e-book, watch newly released videos, or watch our flight path. They kept feeding us -- the food wasn't bad, actually -- but it took a while to figure out that the telephone in front of us called the airline hostesses, turned on your light or could be considered a remote for the television.
My first impressions of China? Much greener than I thought it would be. As our pilot took his final approach over China, we saw green hills, water, and farms. Nuclear power plants were everywhere, supplying power to this nation. Tall buildings dotted the landscape. Apartment buildings was our guess and we were right. Tom says that the Chinese people purchase their apartments because in the long run, it is cheaper than renting. This way, too, when they are too old to work, they will still have a home to live in. Only the rich -- sports stars, movie stars, etc., can afford to live in a house like we would in the U.S.
The city is huge! One hundred ten miles in one direction, 90 in the other. Twenty million people live in the capital city. Once called Peking -- which is a Cantonese word -- Beijing is very worldly. Beijing is a Mandarin word meaning North Capital. Mandarin is the national language in China. Tom told us that there are so many dialects in China that they had to pick one and Mandarin is it. Tom speaks very excellent English. He studied in English at university. He is 50 years old, married and has a 25 year old son who is also married. Tom says that 50 is old for a tour guide, but he loves his job and it allows him to practice his English. Most tour guides as young people, according to Tom.
Tom is not his real name. He said we would not be able to understand his name. He told us what it was and I have to say, he was right. Our bus driver is Wu -- who scared the living daylights out of me as he negotiated the Chinese freeway. Wu speaks no English, but he nods his head as we get on and off the bus, thanking him.
It is a holiday in China -- National Day, sort of like our Independence Day. Freedom from the oppression of the emperors who ruled this land with an iron fist. I can see why they would celebrate this day -- it actually is a number of days but ends here on Tuesday -- but to live under the oppression of communism has to be tough, too. The traffic on the freeways was just like in Portland, Seattle, or Los Angeles, but worse as people seem to weave in and out of traffic without regard to who is coming up next to them. I felt like we were going to crash at any second but Wu manoeuvred the bus, doing his own weaving and bobbing like Muhammed Ali in the boxing ring. Scary but completely amazing.
Tom explained that the traffic was especially bad because the toll roads were free during the holiday. I was surprised that so many people could afford a car at all. My impression of China was that people were dirt poor but apparently that is not true in the city. I saw mostly Japanese cars zipping through traffic. In the downtown area, unlit motor scooters had their own lane of traffic so they aren't run over by the other vehicles.
Had dinner in a lovely restaurant, ate family style. The food was excellent but way too much. Plus, I was so bloody tired that the thought of food was a bit nauseating. I couldn't wait to hit the hay! We had a great entertainer perform for us. He danced on stage and changed his masks like magic -- it was amazing.
Today, we are going to The Great Wall, the Olympic Village, and a jade museum. I know people said we should wait to buy something until we went to Shanghai, but I know I won't be able to resist. Jade -- beautiful stone of China.
As I put my belongings away in the beautiful Kerry Hotel -- go to their Web site and look at how gorgeous it is -- I was struck by an overwhelming homesickness. I miss my husband terribly and as I write this, I am getting a bit teary-eyed. Here I am, a stranger in a strange land without my honey. I wish he could have made the trip with me. He would love this place.
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