This day I woke up at the early hour of 6:30 to go meet Peter and Matt. Although this was earlier than I usually prefer to wake up one added benefit was that I was able to see Sunrise. Watching the sunrise over the islands in the distance was very beautiful. After a slight delay, we got on our way to the airport. We could have taken the Airport express directly to the Airport, but for some reason that costs way more than taking a train to a close stop plus a bus the rest of the way $3 USD versus $25 USD. The Hong Kong Airport has a very cool design and there is lots of shopping. The Airport is less than 15 years old and is substantially better than any airport I’ve been to in the US. Security and Immigration were painless, and after eating we boarded a bus to drive us across the tarmac to our plane. The airport and the airplane both had announcements and signs in English which was useful, because I speak no Chinese.
The flight wasn’t very scenic, the only exciting thing was some nuclear power plants. Immigration in Beijing was very simple as well, and I got to add some more stamps to my passport. The Beijing Airport is a very cool building. It is the largest terminal in the world, and has a very cool roof design. From the Airport we took the Beijing Metro to Tiananmen Square. We walked out of the subway to the sight of two things that define China to the world, The Gate of Heavenly Peace featuring Mao’s Portrait, and Tiananmen Square with the Mausoleum, it was a very cool introduction. Peter had found directions previously to the hostel so we started our way to the Hostel.
A group of white boys walking down the streets of Beijing rolling suitcases behind them can not help to look like tourists, and because of this we got some annoying offers. We had many people come up to us and after “Hello, Do you speak Chinese?” they preceded to try and sell us trips to the Great Wall. So many people came up to us then and throughout the week that we joked about it whenever we were encountered by a stranger. After escaping these people we walked toward the hostel. Our walk included a stop to buy some Chinese Communist hats. Upon arrival to the hostel, we paid for our entire stay (540 RMB each) and went to our room to unpack. Each of us got a key card to the room, which was operated by RFID, and a key to a locker to store our stuff in. The room housed 8 people total and we shared a bathroom with a shower. The beds were comfortable and sheets and pillow were included.
After getting settled, we headed out to try and find something to eat. There were many options for us, and the process was only made more complicated by the aggressive shop keepers that would try to physically pull us into their store before we could even look at their menu. Eventually we found a suitable place, and sat down for an interesting meal that included a full fish. For this meal and the meals for the rest of the week we tasted each other’s food but mostly we ate our own dish. After dinner we explored the area, and found a more touristy area, with lots stores. Then we headed back to the hostel to sleep.
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