Around the world in 180 days - Beijing to Kathmandu, day 1

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wow, so took the big step off the plane into Beijing international airport and have mixed feelings straight away. i'm gonna have the most amazing time of my life but at the same time can't help thinking how much i'm gonna miss family and friends! So the first bit goes according to plan anyway, my bags make it safely through Heathrow's terminal 5 which has to be a sign of good luck to come! make my way to the taxi rank and am so surprised how quiet it is for the main airport of the worlds largest populated country....... drive roughly 45 minutes to the centre of Beijing and am astounded by how bad the driving is! (although it gets worse in weeks to come) Everything i ever learnt was wrong as drivers weaved in and out of slower traffic like an f1 race and straddled several lanes at once as if their cars were American pickups. Hanging on for dear life i'm eternally grateful to make it unscathed and pay 100 yuan (10 pounds) for the privalege. I'm left in Changchunjie street and surely only a few minutes from my hostel right? Well, they have this strange system that means number 8 is followed by number 45, 63, 74 and so on. As mine is number 10 this is causing particular problems............... 3 hours later i'm still walking up and down the same street (as a man you'll know its impossible to ask another human being for directions). Eventually the 20 odd kilo's on my back persuade me otherwise and i make random picks of well dressed people who could surely speak my language, however i'm having no luck with this and am seriously regretting not translating the address into Chinese characters. Some time later i'm stood in a recently added information booth attempting to look up the hostel address and with no joy i clamber outside and rest against a guardrail. At this moment i look around every direction and see not a single friendly face. I feel as far away from home as is possible and have never felt as hopeless in all my life. Just when i cant feel any more sorry for myself a youngish lady arrives seemingly on horseback surrounded by white light ( i am rather thirsty so could be suffering from delerium) and takes my address and map. while she goes in and out of shops asking for directions i sit and talk to her son who must be around 12. As he has a sports kit on i try and make chit chat about who he supports. I think that he watches the premiership and is possibly a united supporter. However he confuses me as he seems to nod one minute before telling me "i dont speak English so well". Mum / shining white goddess on horseback returns anyway and directs me to a building that is stuck down a back alley and is in no way possible for your average foreigner to find! I cant remember your name but thankyou for helping out this stranded Englander so much! By now its very late in the day and decide to write up the days events before getting a good nights sleep for tomorrows attempt.

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