Aimee’s World Tour

Our train pulled into Beijing approx. one hour late at 8 this morning.  After two days chugging back from Lhasa, Tibet, we were eager to get to our hostel.

Justine and I have never seen so many people pushing their way through a train station or even airport for that matter.  Overpopulation is right!  We battled our way up and outside to avoid the ridiculously long taxi line but after half an hour we realized that was the only way we were going to get a ride.  So we dragged our luggage back through the crowd, mostly going the opposite way as everyone else so that we really had to push through.  We spent the next half an hour just waiting on a Disney World rollercoaster-esque line for our cab that took us to Dongi, the stop near our hostel.  We walked for a few minutes until we came to our McDonald’s landmark and went inside.

Justine has never actually had McD’s. breakfast and was eager for her first egg McMuffin.  To her dismay breakfast had ended just moments before so she settled for the crispy chicken meal.  I told her we’d come back but not on the daily.  I am actually losing a little weight on this trip.  It was so cute when she asked me how to open the ketchup packets.  I’m like wow – you really never have been here before.  Justine felt a twinge of guilt  for giving in after 26 years golden arches free.

After eating, we followed the rest of the directions to our hostel, the Happy Dragon.  If you’re ever staying in Beijing The Happy Dragon frickin ROCKS!!!  happydragonhostel@yahoo.com  They have free internet, a link so that you can actually use facebook which is blocked out here in Communist land, laundry service, tour booking, ticket booking, a bar/restaurant and the friendliest and most helpful staff.  And… wait for it… postcards because if I buy nothing else it is postcards!  Should you like one please send me your address.  I’ve not enough space to carry around an address book.

Justine and I will be staying at the Happy Dragon for 4 nights and leaving for Xi’an on March 15th (Monday).  We’ll be taking an 11 or possibly 16 hour train to get down there.  Terracotta Warriors here we come! There are over 7000 statues of warriors and horses discovered back in the 70’s while some peasants were digging a well.  That blog has yet to be experienced.

We’ve set aside today for buying little things we need, posting home things we don’t need as well as postcards, purchasing train and plane tickets, booking our tour of The Great Wall for tomorrow, sending out our laundry (pray it doesn’t get ruined), eating Peking duck, and possibly seeing the Chinese opera or going to the night market.

Everything we need is here at Happy Dragon.  Oh yeah… they’re also super cheap.  Justine and I are treating ourselves to the twin room so we each have our own bed.  The only thing wrong with this place is the decomposing faucet in our bathroom but with everything so wonderful I don’t give a rat’s puhtoootay.   The shower is like the one I had experienced in Hong Kong and Thailand.  There is no specific area for the shower… just the hand-held shower head on the wall.  It works – the water is warm – I’m happy.

I’ve been blogging everyday with a pen and a notebook.  Unfortunately the first couple days (basically riding in the train to Tibet) the notebook I had been writing in disappeared.  This could very well have happened in Everest when I was too damn sick to check everything thoroughly. So long as I had my wallet and cameras I didn’t care what else made it.  But that story is for another time.  Those blogs will be posted ASAP but please check the date that I write on them so that you can follow it all in order.

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