Beijing or Peking

Saturday, March 17

Name this town…Beijing or Peking

A little sleeping in and on to a bountiful breakfast buffet with (drum roll) an opportunity to eat “pickled pupa”. I had vowed to at least try something new every day and this was the food of choice for this day. I will admit that the visage wasn’t too bad as it was chocolate colored but the decided “crunch” and strange taste didn’t endear it to me. I did manage to swallow it and chased with tea but I won’t be seeking that particular food any time soon.

After we ate breakfast, it was time for the bus ride to the airport and an eventful wait for a flight to Beijing. Evidently there was a weather delay in Beijing due to fog so we spent a little extra time at the airport. Presumably there had previously been other longer delays because, at one point, a Chinese guy jumped up on a counter and began ranting. A crowd quickly gathered to listen and we could only stare and imagine the level of his distress.  Security police appeared but allowed the fellow to finish expressing his displeasure and then “talked” him down. People seemed pretty tolerant of this behavior.

We went through security easily and proceeded to our gate area where (imagine this) we were served a box lunch and drink because of the delay.   Actually the delay was minimal and we boarded another Chinese airline that was new to me, China Eastern. We were served yet another lunch during the flight.

We landed at an internal airport  in the city that was nice but Paul said fairly substandard to the international one at which he usually lands. The trip into the city was incredibly clogged with traffic. Owen explained that everyone is allowed to drive their cars on Sunday and that’s a lot of cars. Otherwise, what days of the week you can drive is dependant on the last digit of your license tag, either even or odd.  Of course, if you have enough money (and it takes a lot to own a car and obtain a driver’s license), you can buy two cars so you’ll always have one with the correct final digit. The cars were pretty darn luxurious so I’m surmising there is quite a bit of money in this city.

Because we were running so late due to the airport delay, we went directly to our arranged Peking duck dinner. It was a bit of theatre as the chef carved the big ducks that were crispy outside and fairly succulent inside. The duck was served with plum sauce and the standard Chinese fare on the ever-present lazy susan. We had little time, though, to savor the meal as we needed to move on to the “Kung Fu Poem” show. 

This entertainment was a combination of Kung Fu skills and music to accompany the martial arts. It was fascinating and informative…a vast improvement over the acrobatic presentation. The costumes and the staging were quite good though we were sitting up so high, I wished for binoculars!

After the two-hour show (no intermissions), we headed for the hotel. Surprisingly, the streets were wide, the skyscrapers plentiful and modern and the numerous government buildings all looked to be brand new. We could have been in any large city in the world though I venture to say that no other city would have had as many skyscrapers.

The Capital Hotel ( 3 Qian Men East Street )was a welcome sight. The building, convenient to Tiananmen Square, was large and the lobby cavernous. The rooms were also well appointed but the beds were strictly “ ma ma who” for western taste. They were large with nice silk comforters but hard as bricks. Nevertheless, we hopped into beds in preparation for our much anticipated journey to the Great Wall.

Capital reception desk

Capital lobby

Uncomfortable beds!

After all, doesn’t the wall epitomize CHINA?