I left for Asia with a round trip ticket and the remaining thousand dollars in my account for me to stretch as long as possible. I heard it was cheap to travel in Asia. I brought one internal backpack, one day pack, two sets of clothes, gloves, hat, lotion, ear plugs, two journals, one pen, a jacket, a camera, lots emergency of medicine.
I sat on the compact seating arrangements of UA flight direct from San Francisco to Beijing. My neighbors were two middle aged Beijing women in their 40’s. When they speak they prefer to use their broken English than their fluent Mandarin with each other. I found it to be cute and funny. They think I am in my early 20’s. Maybe I look so, maybe I act so, maybe they assume single, traveling means so. They were a funny bunch and chatted away whenever they weren’t napping. They gave me advices on keeping my valuables on my body at all times and how not to get into “hei che”“Black Cars”. Black cars are unlicensed, illegal tricycle motor bike taxi cabs. When I ate the plane food, I told myself that it would be the last western meal I would have in a long time. I did not sleep on the plane, the chair was too uncomfortable in the tight economy class or maybe I am just getting old. This was my first time in China. I had heard so many terrible stories from so many people, I really didn’t know what to expect. I was excited, nervous, scared and way overdue for a fun adventure. I told everyone who bid me a safe and fun journey that they may not miss me too long, they may see me back in a week.
At the airport I exited in search of a bus to drop me off near my hostel. I was nervous, I didn’t know what to expect, what I would get. A young man in his early 20’s was at the post and sold me a ticket for the airport shuttle into HuTong District of Beijing where my hostel was. I quickly noticed how most of the people working at the airport were young professionals and quite new at their job. People were all very polite, helpful, gentle. I hopped onto my bus and starred out the window. I watched the workers interact with each other. I saw in their 20’s there was still a sort of kind innocence preserved within them. It was beautiful to see and I knew I was in Asia. From the outside in, a passerby would find a big smile on my face pasted to the clean window. The other passengers were all local Beijing young adults, dressed fashionably. I quickly noticed how their attentions were all on their cell phones. People had hip new models, no one was carrying a two year old model. Everyone was busy text messaging, something I haven’t grown a habit to because my phone plan charges me complicated charges for this service.
As the bus drives through Beijing the bright orange red sunset illuminated through the air of thick grey pollution in the air. It has been so grey for that even the foliages on the trees were coated in thick grey dust. I felt like I was traveling through a “Dark City” scene but in Beijing. With this pollution there is lack of clarity, it all felt very surreal and beautiful in it’s own way.
I arrived in Beijing on a Friday when the entire city was getting off work. The bike lane is bigger than the car lane. A typical scene is a man riding a bike and a lady sitting in the back behind him side ways with one hand gently place on his belly, not wrapped, not hugged, placed. There is a classical gentleman feel to this model that is not often seen in the west now a days.
I got off at the Xican station and by now after slow Friday traffic jam the night has fallen and all the lights were on. I tried to flag a taxi down with lots of trouble due to my inexperience. While I scouted around, I was approached by sharks of the “Black Cabs” inviting me to get onto one right out in the open. Yes these cabs are black. They were persistent in promoting and selling the cabs to me, but not once did I feel I was physically in danger. I did the no eye contact thing and look off in a distant. I tried to share a taxi with another stranger just to get onto a cab. The man jumped in while I was still standing outside asking the driver if he would drive me to my hostel. The passenger yelled at me, “you’ll never get onto a taxi this way, get in the cab first and don’t get out until he drives you to the place you want to go with the proper agreed price of meter or set price!” The driver didn’t know where my hostel was, this man was kind enough to call with his cell phone to get directions for me. Then he kindly got out of the car and waited to get onto another cab because we were heading in different directions. I later learned where I was staying, the streets are tight and hardly any driver would risk driving through those streets in fear of damaging their car and so they pretended to not know where the hostel was. We approached a dark, old run down neighborhood with streets barely wide enough for the compact car. Then he pointed to the Youth Hostel sign, ah…. after 12+ hours on the plane and 3 hours in Friday night traffic, lots of time spent getting a cab, I have arrived in my Far East Youth Hostel. What glorious light in the dark in an area like a dismal part of the world. I gave the driver 11yuan for the trip. It's a youth hostel with European room standards. It's clean with white sheets. Asian system of shower and squatting toilet bowls, and yes must provide own paper. At least it has free unlimited internet access. It is $8 a bed per night. I think I will stay here for my entire Beijing stay. The exchange rate is good at the airport, even better at the hostel. The shuttle was $2.50 and then the taxi was $1.4 to get here. I bought a map of Beijing and will do ancient architectural tour tomorrow. Being so tired, I found it a hassle to eat out. I ended up locating a delicious Sichuan Spicy Source vegetarian instant noodle from the store next door. My first meal in Beijing was not the most healthy or nutritious, but it was quick and easy, this meant more time to sleep.
