Well here is our first real trip entry from Internet Cafe(or smoke house).

After only a few hours of sleep, we checked in our baggage without any problems. The first flight segment to Vancouver went well but felt a somewhat long to Victoria. I tried to use the map from the magazine to give her an idea where we were. How to explain to her that the next flight segment will take twice as long. We felt a bit like zombies… traveling across timezones while keeping up with the sun. Every time the flight attendants would offer us a meal or snack, I could relate to a chicken being fed in a cage. Victoria got the most sleep on this flight.

On arrival at Beijing, the airport formalities went well. I was expecting a very busy airport but it was not the case. We tried the ABM to get a bit of local money… no problem there! After purchasing a phone card, we tried to call a few hotels. This is the first time I realized this would be a great trip when hearing Jenny negotiate a hotel room over the phone in Mandarin (I would have stopped at Ni hao). On the way to the hotel, the taxi driver suggested a different hotel closer to downtown. As Victoria whispered to my ear… “Mom has a new friend…”.

On the drive from the airport, I kept telling myself… it’s not that bad. There are not that many people… but as we got closer to the downtown we could see the street buses packed with people. I enjoyed very much seeing the large bicycle lanes and many cyclists.

The taxi driver’s recommendation was a good one. After checking in for one night, we went for an evening walk. We quickly realized that pedestrians walk at their own risk and perils. Seeing all the food vendor on the sidewalk, Victoria asked if she could have a “Beaver tail”!!! On our way back to the hotel, we visited a few others in the area to compare price/facilities. We stopped at one of the many local restaurants for a few plates.

Back at the hotel, Jenny and Victoria enjoy listening to some of the Chinese soap on TV. I take advantage of the hard bed to get some sleep.