City in the sky

Arriving

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July 1st 2009
Wow, talk about a long commute. After a 9 1/2 hour plane ride to Tokyo, a 3 hour layover followed by a 3 1/2 hour ride to Beijing, and three different check points serviced by employees with masks and eye goggles I finally . . . got out of the airport at 12am (it was a brisk 80 degrees). Next I bargained for a taxi that turned out to be sketchy as hell, but no worries, after a half hour ride aroun ... read more

Asia » China » Beijing » Xuanwu District

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For centuries China stood as a leading civilization, outpacing the rest of the world in the arts and sciences, but in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the country was beset by civil unrest, major famines, military defeats, and foreign occupation. A... ... read more