A Town We Call BJ

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Our flight to Beijing, aka BJ, was uneventful. Always a good thing but I did finish my second book, Cather in the Rye. I have to say, I know I read it when I was younger, but I really really liked it. Highly entertaining for me. I now have no more books and the ones in China are all in Chinese. I will say I was a little nervous to fly China Eastern after that awful debacle I had to Shanghai, but it turned out alright. Anyway, we arrived at the St. Regis. I won’t lie…it is GORGEOUS. And because of my status with Starwood we were upgraded about two levels to a very nice mini-suite. Clearly no one was upset with this arrangement. We tried to go out to find something to eat but it was nearly 11PM and things shut down early-ish. It’s not like NYC where everything is still open at anytime. So we ended up back at the hotel and ordering in room service….delicious pastas…boy I was content. We put in a DVD that Gilligan got in Shanghai…American Gangster. I don’t even know if it came out in the states yet but it’s really good, that is until I fell asleep half way through. While somewhat distracting and at the same time entertaining, there were subtitles at the bottom of the screen. However, these subtitles were in English, but not really…it was more like broken English and it ridiculously funny. Denzel kept calling people “my man” which translated in the subtitles to “waiter”. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason, and I tried to block it out but it was difficult…partly cuz it was large and partly cuz it was just so darn funny!

The next morning we planned out our two and a half days here in BJ. We are being quite ambitious and squeezing it all in, but I don’t mind at all. Friday was our day to visit the Great Wall at Mutianyu, which was roughly a 90 minute drive. We got a private tour guide for all of our sightseeing since we have such little time and this is such a vast city. I had really wanted to see the wall at Simatai…an area that is supposed to be the most authentic and least tourist filled, but the hotel said there was road construction along the way and that it was very dangerous. I’m not sure about that, but I didn’t push and we just ended up at Mutianyu with a ton of other tourists…although we were there on Friday so at least there wasn’t the weekend rush and it really wasn’t that bad, but it would have been nicer to kick everyone else out. The wall itself is magnificent. It’s really rather incredible that this was built over 2000 years ago. We spent about two hours walking along and up a pretty steep section to get a better view of the wall which landscapes the mountain ridges. This steep part pretty much had steps that were has high as my knees sort of forcing you to use your hands a climb up like a ladder!

The way back I was POOPED, which a capital P. Couldn’t keep my eyes open and I’m pretty sure this was a result of Halloween. So I tried to nap on the way home and once we arrived we decided it would be a marvelous idea to get massages. James wanted to erase his bad memories from his first and only massage that he had gotten back in the states a few years back and went all out for a 90 minute massage in the spa. I opted for a 60 minute massage in the room. Unbelievably worth every penny. I would have married my masseuse she was that good. Once she left I passed out for a good hour and a half I’m sure. Even when I did get up JG said I wasn’t really…I think I was talking nonsense. Anyway, he went downstairs to sort out our day for Saturday and find a place to eat. I got myself more functional and we headed to this restaurant known for their Peking Duck. It was a magnificent meal. Delicious vegetables, some cooked in garlic sauce and others stir fried, with a full duck cut in front of us with pancakes and hoisan sauce and other assorted veggies. It was definitely scrumptious and the best authentic meal I have had in China. We pretty much got back to the hotel and passed out.

We got up at like 5:30AM on Saturday for our flight to Xi’an where we saw the Terracotta Warriors and the Big Goose Pagoda. It was kind of neat to take a plane to sightsee for the day. I obviously ordered in breakfast which was soo good. Those eggs they make are just unbelievable! We took our two hour flight to Xi’an and were met by Jerry, our guide. Jerry was a star. He really was. When we arrived at the Army of Terracotta warriors, the driver of the golf cart kind of slouched down in his seat as if he were to take a nap and kept driving us. I was a little worried about this decision of the driver and looked at Gilligan. Jerry noticed and he said, “you know, there are some people in China that we call SHIT PEOPLE” and this driver is one of them. I was actually pretty amused and thrilled that someone else in China knows about these people!

So the warriors were absolutely incredible. Before we decided to come here I actually really didn’t have much of an interest, but I’m thrilled we did. It is so magnificent to see all of these warriors that were created over 2000 years ago for the emperor Qin Shi Huang as his tomb or rather the protectors of his tomb. There are 1,087 warriors uncovered today but there are an estimated 6,000 warriors and horses in total. It’s pretty ridiculous that the farmer who found it just wanted to dig a well and at the very corner of where the warriors underground started is where he decided to dig his hole. This was in 1974 and it may still be undiscovered today if he made the well 10 meters east. We also stopped at the factory where they make replicas of the warriors, which sell for a small fortune of roughly $15,000USD. I think JG is a little sad he didn’t splurge to buy one. They weigh 150 kg. They are made of clay, specifically called Terracotta and hence the name, and burned in a kiln for 2 weeks until they are solid. We watched an average video about the warriors that was a waste of time I would say. So, very random...we are in Pit 1 viewing the warriors when JG says, I know that guy! It was his boss, or as some of you may know, Sam Zell, the chairman of his company and real estate mogul...I guess he took a private plane to Xi'an for the day...and I thought we were doing it up on the commuter...I guess it really can be a small world...nice guy.

We also made our way to the Big Goose Pagoda. Yet another temple for me but nice to climb to the top and see the view. Gilligan had actually already been there once before when he was in Xi’an on business. After this we went to the airport to catch our flight back to BJ. Again, it was so nice to just leave the plane and walk out of the airport, no customs, no baggage claim, no taxi line. Lovely. We got back to the hotel and went out to grab a quick bite to eat and a few drinks. Concierge told us of this street that has a ton of bars and such but they all had loud boisterous music, some with live singers that were just terrible, we saw a pole dancer in one…I really wanted to go into that one, but James just wouldn’t have it. After walking down the street and back we ended up at this place called Café Bar Berry or something. It actually reminded us of a cute little hole in the wall place in NYC. The food on the other hand, not so much. When we got back to the hotel I tried to watch the end of American Gangster and feel asleep after another 30 minutes or so! Man, I’m so tired!

Woke up early again on Sunday as we both had flights out of BJ in the late afternoon. We had another guide today, his name was James too, at least that’s what Gilligan said, but I saw his name tag which said Tony. Either which way we called him James and he responded. We headed to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City first thing in the morning, after, of course, my egg breakfast…we also went to the Temple of Heaven. Honestly, James/Tony was my least favorite. He never once addressed me, always James…and while I was off snapping my photos he would continue talking to JG and never fill me in. Now I know me going off and taking pictures leaves me at somewhat of a disadvantage, but I don’t feel like I learned ANYTHING today. I must go through my lonely planet book and read about it, which is pretty disappointing when you spend extra money on a private tour.

So I haven’t learned anything about the weather in the three days I’ve been here. It’s pretty darn cold and I’m not wearing anything warm enough! Silly girl. It’s not that bad, but I could have certainly used an extra layer.

JG and I came to the conclusion that my favorite part of BJ was the food at the St. Regis. Let me just tell you about this Sunday brunch, all you can eat buffet…seriously, heaven. You all know by now if you have been following me on this trip (or if you know me at all), I HEART FOOD. I will eat something til my heart’s content and then some. Anyway, they had EVERYTHING! I swear I couldn’t stop talking to myself while I was eating saying how good this was, and how good that was…pasta, sushi, veggies, peking duck, beef, chicken (so much for the travel vegetarian bit), salad, sweet potatoes, rice, shrimp, lobster, assorted cheeses…oh my heaven, or as I actually did learn today (because I asked), Hua (which is Chinese for heaven). Unfortunately, we had to race through since we needed to finish last minute packing and head to the airport.

Disaster struck. Well I exaggerate, but we get the airport, plenty of time, I’m foreshadowing again (getting good at this, no?). I look for my flight to see which counter I need to go to, to check in. As does JG. Neither of us sees ours, so I’m not too concerned. This time I’m flying China Southern, so I’m not too worried that I’m going to be driven to some hotel to have a rest. Wait in line for what seems like forever…I definitely picked the wrong one since everyone else seemed to be moving much quicker…I must have had someone new and JG was finished as well. As I’m standing in line I keep looking at the sign that says check-in counter closes 45 minutes before departure…not sure why and clearly didn’t think about it until later. Anyway, I finally made it up to the desk. Hand her my stuff and she says, “so sorry, check-in counter is closed”. My obvious response was “No, it’s not”. And WHAT?!?! Apparently since I purchased my ticket like 18 days ago, China effin Southern decided to change the flight time from 4:15PM to 2:20PM. Who does that?! And so close to the departure date? Clearly, this is a mistake and I stormed off to sort things out. The next flight is the same 2:20PM flight tomorrow…OyOyOy. NOT happy. I was pretty pissed off to say the least and I just wanted to leave China. I am supposed to meet Kirsty tonight and the original plan was to go to Angkor Wat tomorrow. I told Jamie that I was just upset that he was leaving me. I think that made him happy. I was happy that big sunglasses are in. Anyway, he was able to make me laugh about it all and actually, I am really sad he left. I had a wonderful week hanging out and we had a great great time together!

So PS. I had had the St. Regis confirm my flight earlier in the morning and so I was thrilled to have leverage. I went straight back to the hotel expecting the world and I pretty much got it. But I guess that the problem is not with the St. Regis but rather the tour company they use, Panda Tours or Destination Travel International something-or-other…the one we used for all of our private tours. Anyway, I am back at the hotel being put up by the tour company since they did not confirm the flight time and just that I had a seat. One of the hotel managers rang up to the room to let me know and that they would be taking care of everything. Then Nancy, the manager of the tour company called to personally apologize for the inconvenience and if I needed anything else to call her or email her. Very nice. And then the front desk called and told me they would provide me with a transfer back to the airport tomorrow. So as far as my bitching about no professionalism in China, it actually does exist but you need to shell out the cash first for the swanky hotels, and I’m sure this applies only to the American-based properties…but on my budget, not really gonna happen after this…this was a onetime treat. But I’m thrilled that I did, cuz if I was anywhere else I probably never would have confirmed my flight and then really been up a creek and upset…so this situation could really have been worse and I’m not unhappy about the outcome considering what could have been. Anyway, as time has passed I have spoken to Kirsty and come to the realization that is really isn’t a big deal. And I guess I still know it at the time I just like things to go smoothly and react…shit happens and it all works out in the end… I have been enjoying the comforts of five star, great food, great shower, got all of my laundry done, used the internet, etc…and now, I am finally off to Cambodia!! I should have asked for first class…hmmmm

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