Day 155: Beijing – Day 1
Considering it was a last-minute booking, our flight to Beijing wasn’t that bad. After watching a few movies, we were so exhausted we actually got a little sleep. We arrived in China around 3PM, and by the time we strong-armed our way through the madness of Immigration and caught a taxi to the city, it was already sunset. We stayed awake just long enough to find ourselves some store-bought dinner before crashing. The real adventure starts tomorrow.
There is no gentle introduction to the massive crowds of China – the “lines” at Immigration are a chaotic mass of people, where cutting is as natural as breathing. Lindsay soon decides there is no point to being polite in China, and starts cutting in line as well. After a good 2 hours of shuffling slowly through the roped queue, we finally get our passports stamped, and catch a cab into the city
A rainbow and a beautiful sunset from the cab seem to be auspicious signs for the beginning of our China trip
Our hotel is tucked inside one of the narrow hutongs (alleys) that surround the Forbidden City. We fall in love with the charming and spotlessly clean neighborhood immediately
We wander around the hutongs for a half an hour looking for dinner, when we find a 24hr mini-mart. We’re still very bummed about our $1,000 flight to Beijing, so we decided ramen dinner is a good way to start saving on our budget. Though we have to forego the luxury of wine for tonight, Lindsay does note with pleasure that Concha y Toro has fine distribution in China
The electric kettle from our hotel room is all we need to cook up a delicious ramen dinner – no really – it was actually *very* tasty! The Chinese take their ramen far more seriously than we do in the States – our bowls came with dehydrated veggies, herbs and even slices of meat in addition to the typical sauce packets. Quite satisfying.
Enjoying a picnic dinner in our hotel courtyard
After a quick dinner, we fall into bed, absolutely exhausted. It took an extra 7 hours and $1,000 to get here, but we are happy to be in Beijing at last