Arrival

We have arrived in Beijing! After slipping and smacking my knee while going to board the plane, then finally getting on the plane to find my TV was the only one on the plane that didn't work (so 7ish hours of watching other people watch films). Then we had the momentary panic at Beijing airport because no ATM's were accepting our cards, but soon figured it out and was on our jolly way to find a taxi. On our search we had to avoid the 'dodgey' guy who flashed us a laminated card with (what we soon figured out) was double the price for a taxi from him then the airport service. He tried shouting, animated gestures and following us to persuade us to come with him in a more hidden part of the airport to get a 'taxi' with him. After some repetitive 'nos' and assertive walking, we found the airport taxi service which took us to our hostel quickly and considerably cheaply.

We explored the area around our hostel a bit, finding the nearest supermarket and pharmacy. We then went for a meal, which was ...a bit overwhelming. We was a bit flustered trying to order a vegetarian dish among all the meat options. Then came the chopsticks...which...well...wasn't our finest hour. We both bumbled and fiddled with the sticks, our noodles slipping and sliding away from our mouths. In the end leaving half our meal and calling it a night.Baca selengkapnya