China

Beijing excursion:
We docked in Shanghai the busiest and largest port in the world. Everywhere you looked there were ships. Hundreds and hundreds waiting to load or unload huge cargo containers that will end up on trucks everywhere in the world including our beltway! There is no sign of a slowing economy here. Someone asked how the cargo containers were controlled and disbursed as each is literally the size of the back of a semi-trailer truck. An engineer replied “they use the fish method at the dockyards – First in – still here”.
We boarded very modern buses for our trip to the airport. Shanghai has twenty million inhabitants and it is obvious. High rise apartments are everywhere. The density is unbelievable. The buildings themselves are multi colored and are highlighted by laundry hanging from just about every balcony. Each unit has a large pole on the balcony that folds down for laundry to hang on and the clothing is many colored so it looks like a kaleidoscope.
The airport was modern and comfortable. Our group (40 total people including one representative from the ship and two guides – broken up into two groups in Beijing known as group 1 and group 2” was “herded” through a special entrance for security and Sandy lost a few lotion make up containers to the People’s Republic.
I had converted some money to the Chinese Yuan from dollars so we ate delicious pizza and drank coke light (better tasting then at home – probably more sugar!) while we waited for our flight on China Eastern airlines. The flight was uneventful on an airbus 321, however, there were many more attendants on board than at home so the service was probably a bit better.
The Beijing airport is large, modern, clean and impressive. We divided into groups and drove into the city and as I mentioned before the architecture is magnificent.
It’s hard to digest all we saw in these three days but I’ll hit a few highlights as I am still developing how I really feel about China. The first night and first day I could imagine coming for a long, wonderful visit to Beijing. The hotel was five star the restaurants astounding and the people were welcoming and friendly. Our visit to the Great Wall was a memory to last a lifetime. There was a gift shop at the Bandalang entrance to the Great Wall that had a reputation of having the highest quality of Jade. Sandy found a beautiful necklace and pendant combination that is spectacular and one of the finest pieces in the store. Unfortunately they wanted a lot of money for it but fortunately my experience working with Sconnix broadcasting (make money on the buy – Randall T. Odeneal)and ABC/Disney (no way am I paying that) kicked in at just the right time – so I passed from store clerk to department head to store manager to the General Manager all the time staying firm on a very, very low price (I knew they were interested as they kept talking to me all the while coming down in price) and finally the deal was made! Everyone on group 2 thought it was wonderful and spent the rest of the time in Beijing, including a jade factory trying to find a necklace like it but to no avail. Back on board Sandy wore it to dinner and the next night two ladies at the table said they had dreamed of the necklace the night before and one coveted it! So that’s enough pressure of how great it is and Sandy is looking forward to wearing it at home.
Being from the DC area I am more than used to visiting heads of state, the presidential motorcades and security concerns but it’s an art form in China. While we were in Beijing the Peoples Unity Congress was in session and the motorcades were gargantuan. On the busy three lane 2nd ring road two of the three lanes were closed to traffic and every 50 feet there was a soldier and then a policeperson and then a soldier etc., for miles….When limousines would drive by with army and police vehicles in front and back they would be followed by buses loaded with soldiers with machine guns facing up in front of them and after five or six sightings it gets a bit unnerving. This is where Beijing unwinds for me as the military presence is everywhere. Definitely stifling and intimidating to me.
Our Peking Duck dinner was pretty good (each duck sliced 120 times for just the right parts) and the duck was crispy on the outside and tender inside. It takes a minimum of three days to prepare the duck for the feast. All the other meals were good served on a lazy susan with a big variety of dishes to choose from.
The square, the Forbidden City, the tombs of the emperors and the sacred way plus all the other sights and sounds are staying with me and to say that the Beijing trip caught my attention is an understatement.
Till next time….