Beijing - July 2 2007

Beijing - July 2 2007

Hurrah! I have just arrived, well to be truthful I arrived at 10h30 this morning but it took quite some time to clear customs and all the paper checking! The flight across was uneventful except for the fact that I nearly missed the connecting flight out of Heathrow due to the enhanced security checks - fortunately we were fast-tracked through to the plane - which in turn was delayed itself due to all the queues!

First impressions: it's hot and humid and very misty today - I'm wondering if this is more smog than mist, but the pilot insisted it was foggy. Actually, one of the weirder announcements I've ever heard on a plane - we were delayed landing because of "military manoeuvres"! Fantastic! But we evaded whatever was going on up there and touched down safely.


My first real experience of China - and the hapless nature of my Chinese came with the taxi into the city! It was all looking fairly straightforward as they have a series of people guiding you at the taxi ranks and after various "checks and discussions" I found myself setting off in a taxi with a chap with zero English! No problem I thought, what with my Chinese and the fact one of the "controllers" had explained the destination... More fool me :) He knew which district we were going to - Haidian - but that was about it! Led to 45 minutes driving around and eventually asking a combination of Chinese students (its near the university) and policemen the way to go! Comical - between my terrible Chinese and a multitude of blank faces I am astonished I got here!

But here I am, sitting in the school tapping this mail while I wait for someone to come and take me across to the residence! It's all looking good. I thought the classes were going to be in the morning but it turns out they might be in the afternoon - this is no bad thing given how it hot it is post midday! "IF" I get up early I can do a lot of my sightseeing early doors - and in any case the big sights I'll do as part of the tour from Friday!

What else I have noticed? What I have seen so far it looks like a big building sight - we drove past the Olympic stadium - it's very impressive. But the whole city, or the parts I saw from the highway at least as I say, looked like a construction site (for the Brussels folk - like Rond Point Schuman multiplied a million times over!). I hope to get settled in this afternoon and then get in contact with some of the people friends have kindly put me in touch with!

I had better conclude here as not sure when they are coming to whisk me away! Next instalment should be post jet-lag and therefore of a slightly clearer nature :).

Rob