Blue Heart Journey: Beijing, China

On Saturday morning, April 19, we flew from Seoul to Beijing to begin the full leisure part of our Korea / China trip. Growing up in New York City gave me a great exposure to cultures aside from my own. I also went to a very diverse college, The University of Maryland, which presented me with more of an opportunity to interact on a daily basis with people of different ethnicities. In such environments I had been among Chinese people numerous times and learned about Chinese culture in school, but never once considered visiting the country. The thought seemed too far-fetched and the means to do so were absent. So you can imagine how surreal it felt to stand in China, visit China’s famous landmarks, and eat authentic Chinese food. It was pretty cool!

Had it not been for Douglas’ work conference in Seoul, we would not have taken this trip to China. The average cost to fly from Hanoi to Beijing is $500 per person roundtrip. The cost for us to fly from Seoul to Beijing per person roundtrip was $152. That is one of the nice advantages in taking leave to a nearby location in conjunction with a TAD (temporary additional duty) trip.

We stayed at Park Plaza Beijing Wangfujing located in the heart of Beijing’s cultural and commercial district. It was a beautiful hotel with excellent customer service and spacious rooms. The bathrooms were a tad small but not small enough to turn us against staying there. The morning after our first night at the hotel we had planned to take showers before going to breakfast only to discover there was no hot water. We spoke with the front desk and without too much discussion they offered to take us to their neighboring hotel, St. Regent, where we could shower in one of those rooms. When we returned to our room later that afternoon from exploring, the hotel had left a note offering their apologies, complimentary breakfast for the remainder of our stay, and a small fruit arrangement. I applaud Park Plaza for their outstanding service. They sure do know how to turn a negative into a positive. It’s that type of kindness which would make me want to stay there again.

day view of hotel main entrance

night view of hotel

The hotel we showered at - Regent

Douglas and I were excited to eat Chinese food in China. We knew for sure that the typical American Chinese food like fried chicken wings and french fries would not be on the menu. The restaurant we went to the most was Sunshine Kitchen. It was across the street from our hotel. Though we planned to dine at several other restaurants during our stay, the language barrier between us and the taxi drivers left us with very few options. There were many times we entered the taxi with the address written out but the drivers could not read the language, even with some of it in Chinese. We’ll have to print the addresses in full Chinese next time to avoid that mishap. Luckily, Sunshine Kitchen did not disappoint. The food was scrumptious every time we went. Since I am a huge fan of curry, I ended up choosing many curry dishes, which they had plenty of. The taste of curry is different in every culture. I am also a creature of habit; once I love a particular dish, it’s almost certain I’ll be ordering that same item on my next visit.

Absolutely the best shrimp we have had in recent memory.

A surprisingly good sweet potato soup. Not what we expected, but tasty anyway

Curry chicken and potatoes

We also ventured to a more upscale restaurant called Da Dong to see their menu selection. I read that this restaurant was a bit expensive but the best place to go for Peking duck, a popular item to eat while in China. I do not normally eat duck; however, I was going to give it a try for the cultural experience. The restaurant was on the top floor of a luxury mall a few minutes from our hotel. The restaurant was not fully open when we arrived. The staff escorted us to their front desk and handed us two menus that looked more like oversized encyclopedias. I have never seen a menu so large. I felt like they should have given us a free drink and snacks just to get through reading that obnoxious menu. I would have surely needed the strongest alcoholic beverage possible to even consider ordering one of their dishes. The prices were so far out of our tax bracket I think we lost money simply by being there. Douglas and I entertained that nonsense for about five minutes too long before we kindly thanked them and exited the restaurant hoping they would not bring us a bill. I think we wound up eating at Sunshine Kitchen that evening. Heck, eating at the hotel would have been more suitable than Da Dong.

Do you see how it barely fits on the table???

Am I wearing my 'uh, no' face? Because I hope I am.

We had been forewarned about riding the train in Beijing. Since I’m a New Yorker, taking the subway and reading a subway map was extremely easy for me. Before we arrived in Beijing I looked up their transit map online and printed it for our trip. Beijing has a large and busy train system similar to New York. However, the cost of riding the train in Beijing is very different than in New York and every other major US city. The cost to ride one-way on a train in Beijing is 2 yuan, or about 33 cents. At first I thought I read the information incorrectly when going to purchase our tickets. I haven’t been to New York in a while but I’m pretty sure a one-way ticket is now $2.50. Just sharing the comparison to show the difference – cheaper prices and better quality trains and stations too. We rode the train a lot and took taxis too, which were also inexpensive. At times we jumped to take a taxi because some of the behaviors we witnessed were too crude for my tolerance. Several times we passed by people coughing up spit and then spitting it directly on the ground as they walked through the terminal. We noticed most of the people had no awareness for personal space, which is not uncommon in Asia. Even with trains being crowded in New York you still feel that everyone tries to give each other their own personal space…not in China. It felt as though people were intentionally all over us which made the ride very uncomfortable. There is so much pushing and shoving when entering and exiting the train that it almost makes you not want to ride, regardless of the extremely cheap fare.

Train station next to Park Plaza Beijing

All stations had scanners and metal detectors we had to pass through before entering

We were fortunate to be in Beijing during a time when there were actually semi-clear skies. China is known for its polluted air and heavy smog. It’s rare to see a clear blue sky. We must have had perfect timing for this rarity because throughout the duration of our stay we saw a blue sky at least twice and other days the sky was semi-clear. It was wonderful! I don’t think anyone would believe us if we didn’t have pictures. Our four days in China passed in a flash. We visited most of the must-see tourist attractions like the Forbidden City and the Great Wall and did lots of shopping. Though I don’t think either of us have a strong desire to return, our visit to China was an experience we will always treasure and would recommend to others. The same thought that seemed to wild to conceive, we now had lived. Our blessings on this program continue to flow.

First sight in Beijing outside the airport

Taxi ride from airport to hotel. Taxis clearly want to be sure there is no chance of rubbing elbows with a passenger while driving. I've never seen this before.