23/09/08

The irony of leaving the UK just when everything is all credit crunch doom and gloom on a Credit Suisse sponsored break is not lost on us. In the spirit of the current fashion for thrift we even took the tube to T5. By the time we had got back from Kate and Dave's wedding and started to get ready it was 1am before we got to bed. I think in denial, Lil did not try to close her case until this morning which resulted in some emergency reprioritisation of what was really needed for this trip. As you would expect we think we have most basis covered before setting off as we have had a long time to plan for this trip which was originally going to be an extended honeymoon.

24/09/08

We touched down in Beijing at 6am local. Flight very uneventful. No upgrades but it has been a long time. Beijing airport looks like T5 which I guess is going to be a common experience during this trip that we will recognise so much of what we see even though we have not been before and apart from the obvious fact we had no money when we left to travel around the world in 1995/6, I guess this is going to be the biggest change. With all the recent media coverage of Beijing it feels very familiar.

After checking into the SiHi hotel in one of the Hutongs which are old neighbourhoods (up to 800 years old) based around low level courtyard residential accommodation (the hotel itself is based around a courtyard and furnished in traditional chinese style) we were met by Ernest (he chose his own English name although apparently it was a close thing with Lennon as his father is a Beatles fan), our tour guide for the next few days. I guess Ernest is your typical young university educated Beijinger who speaks good English learnt at school. He is a part time tour guide as he is also a Master student of Chinese history. He is interested to find out about the current financial melt down in the capitalist world; if the UK still has any Governors ruling the commonwealth (I think maybe only the Falklands); the Queen's role in our democracy. Of the Olympics, he was expecting more work but the lack of foreigners was the result of government restrictions for security reasons (we are a little unsure how far we can go on subjects like this without offending so we concentrate on the sightseeing which is three hours exploring with a large number of chinese tourists (most of whom are in tour groups being shepherded around all with matching coloured hats depending on their group). Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City which, whilst in the middle of Beijing, seems so removed. The scale of the latter in particular is unexpected and extremely impressive. The queue to see the perserved body of Mao is long so we will need to return. By 2pm the jet lag is kicking in so we return to the hotel for a sleep.

The Beijing speciality of Peking Duck (not sure why it is not Beijing duck now) for dinner followed by a stroll back to the hotel via the street food stalls where it would appear that anything can be skewered, bbq'd and eaten (snake, frog, seahorse, silk worm lavae etc). I went for a coconut dessert ball which i was quickly dispensed into the nearest bin.