Beijing-Saturday 07-SEP

Our China Eastern plane to Beijing.

Today we went to Beijing!  Checking the route map to right, we went from A to B.  We had an easy morning in some ways since we did not leave until 9AM.  But, we had to have our bags out for pick up by 7:30, and they set the wake up calls for 7:30.  So, really, we had to be done with our packable stuff before we got up.  Anyway, our flight was at Noon, so it was kind of a slow morning.  We all flew in through Pudong International Airport (PVG), which is where nearly all international flights come in, and is about 30 miles west of “downtown”.  But now, we were flying out of Shanghai Hongqiao, a smaller older airport, about 25 miles east, and serving mostly domestic flights.

While waiting for our flight, we found a Subway.  I wasn’t really hungry, but I noticed they had Coca Cola, then looking closer, saw they had Diet Coke!  After almost a week of no soda, it was really nice to find some Diet Coke!  And they allowed one free refill, so it was a nice wait!

Uh, yum?

The seats were tight, and I had a middle, but fortunately it was only about a 2 hour flight.  They served a light lunch, with either beef and noodles, or pork and rice.  It wasn’t bad.  It wasn’t great, but a two hour flight in the US usually gets you a package of pretzels, or less!



The "Lesser" Panda...a.k.a. one big raccoon!!

After landing, we met us with the new tour bus, and local guide, and headed to the Beijing Zoo to see the Giant Pandas.  Panda means “bearcat” in Chinese, but the panda is neither a bear nor a cat.  It is actually closest related to the raccoon!  And there is a very large “raccoon” that is called the “lesser panda”.  We saw those first.

The giant pandas we saw were pretty active.  Two of them were chowing down on bamboo, and one was milling around.  It looked like he wanted inside, as he stood up by the door, and waited, then walked a circuitous path ending up back at the door, to see if it was open yet.

There were also “Golden Monkeys”, which apparently was important to some people, but I’m not sure why.  And we saw lions, and tigers, and bears; oh my!!  It was kind of sad though, as the habitats were rather deplorable.  Most of the surfaces were concrete or bare dirt.  People would bang on the cages or glass walls and hoot at the animals, trying to elicit responses.

I'd like a drink, please!

Uggg!!  The service here is SOOOO slow!!

We left the zoo and went to dinner.  It was a Peking Duck dinner.  Because there was so much complaining about the dinner the previous night in Shanghai, our tour guide made several calls to try to ensure this one was better.  Instead of one glass of beer, we were given two, and they served wine, as well!!  The wine certainly lived up to the reputation  I heard before coming here!  You know the difference between orange juice and Tang, or Sunny Delight?  That was the difference between wine and what they served!!  It said “Cabernet” on the bottle, but it sort of taste like Welches with alcohol added (12.5%).  But, it was free.

The food was good, and VERY plentiful!  The previous night, before dinner, they told us it was a considered rude and offensive to have food run out.  We ran out of everything except what people didn’t like, and not much left of that.  This time, there was so much good food and they just kept bringing more stuff.  By the time they brought the Peking Duck, we were full!! 

So, Peking Duck is basically sliced duck meat (breast?) with the skin and a layer of fat between.  We are used to favoring lean meat, but as a delicacy, I can see how that would be very favorable.  Anyway, they take a piece of meat, dip it in a sweet, dark sauce (hoisin), then lay it on a pancake (think tortilla).  They add thin strips of cucumber and onion, and then another dipped piece of meat.  They fold it up (just like I do a soft taco), and hand it to you.  It was good.  Not spectacular, but good.

After dinner we went to our hotel, and checked in.  We are staying at the Capital Hotel, which used to be the primary hotel for officials coming to Beijing on business.  It sort of looked like that, in that it was a good size for one person in the communist environment, but a tad small for two Westerners.  We were amusingly concerned about the next hotels.  The first was huge, amazing, and very fancy!  The second was large, very nice, and well appointed.  This one is medium, mediocre, and sufficient.  What will we find by the time we get to our last place?

At the Beijing Zoo

Not quite sure what this is.  Outside the Zoo.