| | So I'm home today,
called in sick. I've been stressed because of the job lately. Anyone
know of any real ways of relieving stress and I do mean work related
stress factors rather than sexual ones which too often people think of.
My Beijing trip was quite fantastic.
Was upgraded to Executive Class on the way there with Air Canada --
goodness for being an ACE Holdings Employee. The flight was most
certainly a long one but with the extra amenities it made for a nice
touch. Arriving in Beijing I expected it to be a bit chilly, but alas
it was quite warm. Going through all the bureaucratic hurdles of
quarantine and form filling, which I feel could be improved upon
markedly, we met our guide after the baggage claim.
Beijing is ultra polluted. The three
mornings we were there were very smoggy, so much so that you could not
even see more than 100 meters infront of you! No lies... But by the
afternoon all the smog burned off so you got some sort of blue sky.
Beijing drivers are crazy, but alas the most skilled at not hitting
people or getting into many accidents, despite the statistic that 250
people doe each year from traffic accidents.
 My
job there was actually to inspect hotels that we offered or that we
should offer in the future. Many of the hotels were beautiful and some
were sub par. Took many pictures of the hotels which was my main goal
so please forgive me for having only a small number of photos of myself
or the journey. PLUS! The digi camera that I brought over kept on
eating my batteries.
 Putting
aside the hotels, we had the opportunity of meeting our work
counterparts in Beijing which was an interesting experience. We also
had some time reserved to visit the Great Wall, Tian'anmen Square, and
the Forbidden City (All of which were beautiful sites to see and
the grandeur and the realization of being near the Great Wall is indeed
emotional -- or maybe that was the exhaustion from climbing to the 4th
tower). Time was also set aside to visit the Silk Market and do some
hardcore bargaining. Try getting four Burberry long sleeve polo shirts
for CAD$4 each! lol.. ok so they are knock offs but they look really
good! The one thing that I'm upset with is that I did not make my own
time to go round Beijing to see the socialist art, or have look around
the embassy district. Hmm kinda down, but I'll go back to Beijing soon
enough.
The city though is filled with such mystic and tradition yet is
modernizing at a rapid pace. Construction is ongoing to get prepared
for the Olympics in 2008 -- though the city is going at it at a
phenomenal rate. The city is always alive, as I noticed one night I got
lost looking for an internet cafe! I started walking in the direction
the conceirge told me and just kept going -- of course not being able
to read Chinese other than the basics does not help. I ended up walking
around the city for 2 hours! But people are always out and I felt very
safe. But then again I'm Asian and look Chinese ? *shrugs* People are
always around, stalls are still open, you can light up a cigarette
without dirty sneers and such. So I guess in a way you can call it a
smokers paradise. Another thing that shocked me was the amount of Koreans
in Beijing -- whether they were tourists from Korea or were just
Koreans studying or living there, but geeze! Korean culture definitely
has some role playing on there.
After the whirlwind tour around of
Beijing hotels, the Great Wall, and intense shopping it was time to go
home. Waking up to a very smoggy morning I packed up all my carry on's
and checked out. Had a buffet breakfast in the hotel restaurant like I
did every morning -- though this time I pigged out. Where else can you
get dim sum, an omlette, fish heads and tails, delicious baked goods,
and congee all at one sitting?! Besides I knew that the flight back we
would not have the opportunity of being upgraded -- so no yummy rack of
lamb or such. Picked up by
our guide we headed to the airport. Upon arriving and passing through
to the check-in lines we said good bye to our professional guide and
headed to the familiar Air Canada signs. Though once again in style
Beijing has first the passport control desk, to which I received quite
a bit more questioning. My passport had been in the wash and had a
feeling he thought that I was a defector just trying to get away. After
confirming my signature and two destinations that I had been to with
the stamps in the passport I presume he felt safe in letting me through
to the bag check, then in the gate area. Phew.
I've included some photos in this entry -- hope you enjoy and consider flying to Beijing!
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| | Posted 10/3/2005 10:30 AM - 32 Views - 18 eProps - 7 comments
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