Beijing and flight to Kashgar

Wednesday, September 06, 2006

Please tell Polly Evans that I ate a Fried Egg with Chopsticks on my very first day in China. There was no way of avoiding this hurdle as the egg came perched on top of a delicious plate of spiced kidney which I had been advised to order in the Youth Restaurant. They let in oldies like us!

Tell her too that finding our hotel was a million times more taxing. Still I highly recommend the Holiday Inn Central Plaza, which is right off the tourist track. I should charge for such hard won information (airport bus 3 to Main Railway Station, Subway 3 yuan to Changchunjie, then number 10 bus south to its terminus. Short walk up Caiyuanjie street (opposite KFC) to hotel. 

We eventually got there courtesy of identifying the hotel on a map prior to leaving UK and the compass. After deducing that the underground to Nanlishilu station would leave us with a straight walk south to the hotel we turned our back on the taxi drivers, who could not understand my Mandarin, or maps, or even read their own language in Pinyin (our alphabet). In despair we dived somewhat nervously below street level to the metro. OK, but the seemingly short walk on a map of a big city took two hours, we even tried a bus but it immediately turned off the road south so we got off rather than risk getting lost. Finally arriving at their reception desk exhausted, disheveled and drenched in sweat.

Forbidden City

First day wanting to do the obvious site seeing Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden city we learned from reception that all we needed to do was to catch a number 10 bus from the nearby corner going east then north-east.

Outside Mao's  Mausaleum

 














Next day, by now relaxed, we decided to explore the Hutongs, the old single story area of Beijing. We went to the Drum Tower by number 10 Bus, Metro and Shank's Pony, where we negotiated a rickshaw tour for a fifth of asking price. Then having paid the rider 80Y + a tip for his hours hard work we decided to retrace the route slowly on foot. So if you are mean like us just follow the passing rickshaws on foot! By foot is a good way to observe the old way of life and note how like the mews of South Kensington it has in parts become very fashionable. The occasional luxury car passes down streets designed for bicycles, when two go in opposite directions all hell breaks loose as the drivers get out and have a pitched verbal battle in angry Chinese. The rickshaws wait patiently and the walkers squeeze past.

Extended Family Hutong

 

 
















At a very old Hutong Quadrangle (600 years old at least) we met Winnie one of two young guides taking two Taiwanese from Canada around. She detached herself from her duties to talk very interestingly to us in English. We have her email and intend to contact her on our last day in Beijing.

Playing Majong and swimming on walk back from Drum Tower

5 September, we were to try out our airline etickets to Kashi purchased at 20+% discount on the Internet before leaving home (ticket 9588.com). A bit too laid back by now we badly underestimated the time to get to the airport, because of the traffic at midday it took well over two hours by public transport to traverse the reverse of route by which we had arrived Tiananmen Square the Airport Bus. We got off at Terminal One. We also now know China Southern fly from Terminal Two. Luckily where there's a need there will be men to fix it, and a chancer seized our ticket and led us rapidly to the correct terminal and correct desk at high walking speed, then charged us a hefty tip - for this indispensable service, on paying which we got our tickets back.

Next we learnt that Hold Baggage seems to be unknown for internal flights in China, so my large rucksack and Joan's wheelie bag went on the plane as hand luggage into a spare seat. Security took a serrated knife in our small rucksack (hand baggage), but paid no attention to scissors in my big rucksack which was obviously treated as 'hold' baggage - such is Chinese logic! Anyway we made it just in time and even found our own way round Urumqi airport to get our onward boarding card and the flight to Kashgar.

We were two of only three passengers on the airport bus in Kashgar but for 5Y (30p each) it dropped us right outside our pre-booked hotel, Wen Zhou Mansion (booked in UK via sinohotel.com). Only problem was that they spoke not a single word of English - we negotiated this hurdle in good humour once they realised I was prepared to try my best in Mandarin. The room was fine, the beds good, very hard but surprisingly comfortable. Chinese breakfast was included. It was a Chinese buffet, which couldn't compare with the Holiday Inn (absolutely superb choices for Chinese or Westerners alike), but which was fine for an all in price for two of 280Y/night (Internet). The cost would probably have been cheaper at desk to judge for our booking at the Holiday Inn on return to Beijing 600Y (£36) versus 770Y/night (sinhotel) for room + 2 breakfasts.

More about Kashgar next posting, for the present we are just enjoying it.