I do not have a great track record so far in foreign countries. I've been scolded in Russian airspace, Chinese airspace, and at the Great Wall. The flight from Moscow to Beijing was surprisingly open, with many empty seats, especially in business class. But the flight was otherwise ordinary. Our taxi ride into Beijing, however, was not.
After gathering our bags we went out into the taxi queue to get our first taste of organized chaos. The line for taxis was long, but we spied a man with a van who waved us other, directing us around the line and past a traffic guard who tried halfheartedly to prevent us from crossing. Van Man wanted Y600 for the ride into Beijing but Ohio Homebody knew the going rate and promptly turned us away. We piled into three other "official" taxis (I say official because they have the same paint job as all other taxis) and took off for Beijing.
The drivers got confused about 20 minutes into the drive. They pulled over onto a median between an off-ramp and the freeway, with one of the taxis hanging over into the freeway. The drivers talked for several minutes before taking off again. My taxi was the lead taxi and things seemed to be going ok until we stopped in front of a hotel to wait for the rest of the taxis, who didn't appear for five minutes. At this point it was clear that our drivers had no idea where they were going. I was worried that our trip might be over before it had really started, but thankfully our compatriots appeared. JT York informed us that both of the other taxis got separated and spent some time circling the block around Tianamen Square before figuring out where we were.
We pulled into a narrow alleyway and stopped at the Far East Youth Hostel, which is not the hostel that we booked. We showed our driver the correct address. He pointed to the hostel and said something in Chinese, probably "I'm tired of this and you're close enough." We got out, paid our Y100 for each taxi, and began walking with our bags. The Three Legged Frog was actually very close. I sympathize with our drivers. They were clearly lost, overwhelmed, and eager to get rid of us. I'm just glad they got us close to our hostel.
More happened after this but I'm exhausted and must retire. I'll update in Wuhan.
Sparknotes:
Visited Tianamen Square and the outskirts of the Forbidden City
Everyone made plans for dinner but passed out around 5pm at the sight of a comfy bed after several hours in the sun.
The Great Wall of China is awesome, literally inspiring awe in you.
Canadians are great compatriots.
Don't buy ANYTHING you are offered at the Great Wall. This goes double if you are a sucker like me.
Mister Mundo is the friendliest man in the world, and a great dancer.
BEIJING DUCK!
The drivers got confused about 20 minutes into the drive. They pulled over onto a median between an off-ramp and the freeway, with one of the taxis hanging over into the freeway. The drivers talked for several minutes before taking off again. My taxi was the lead taxi and things seemed to be going ok until we stopped in front of a hotel to wait for the rest of the taxis, who didn't appear for five minutes. At this point it was clear that our drivers had no idea where they were going. I was worried that our trip might be over before it had really started, but thankfully our compatriots appeared. JT York informed us that both of the other taxis got separated and spent some time circling the block around Tianamen Square before figuring out where we were.
We pulled into a narrow alleyway and stopped at the Far East Youth Hostel, which is not the hostel that we booked. We showed our driver the correct address. He pointed to the hostel and said something in Chinese, probably "I'm tired of this and you're close enough." We got out, paid our Y100 for each taxi, and began walking with our bags. The Three Legged Frog was actually very close. I sympathize with our drivers. They were clearly lost, overwhelmed, and eager to get rid of us. I'm just glad they got us close to our hostel.
More happened after this but I'm exhausted and must retire. I'll update in Wuhan.
Sparknotes:
Visited Tianamen Square and the outskirts of the Forbidden City
Everyone made plans for dinner but passed out around 5pm at the sight of a comfy bed after several hours in the sun.
The Great Wall of China is awesome, literally inspiring awe in you.
Canadians are great compatriots.
Don't buy ANYTHING you are offered at the Great Wall. This goes double if you are a sucker like me.
Mister Mundo is the friendliest man in the world, and a great dancer.
BEIJING DUCK!
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