Green Tea Ice Cream and a Temperature Check

After a verrah verrah long flight that began a little bumpy (the "gentleman" behind me did not want my seat back, so he took the mature route and kicked my seat until I was kindly moved to another) and ended with nice people who spoke English, I was finally in Beijing. The airport was massive. I have been in a hell of a lot of airports and this one was the biggest I had ever seen. The ceiling was incredible and made out of wood beams with metal beams underneath them, allowing for skylights. The whole place was pristine and constantly being cleaned. I will admit, this began the breaking down of my preconceived notions about this supergiant country in the East. Remember, however, Beijing had a makeover that even Joan Rivers or that girl from the Hills couldn't outdo for the 2008 Olympics. I continued on to customs and had to pass through a threshold that actually took my temperature. I forget that us Westerners are walking biological warfare to many developing countries because our germs are bigger, faster, and stronger that the stuff they keep around. I recall a time in my childhood when I was even quarantined in a hospital in Canada because I had an ear infection and our bugs are apparently much more potent than theirs and they worried I would pass on my dreadful American strain to them. So, China is protecting its borders with mass temperature checks and we are protecting ours with a few M16's and a giant wall. China has a giant wall too (or so I've heard...), but it seems a lot more approachable than ours.

After my medical "interrogation", I "queued" up to have my Chinese Visa checked and my passport stamped. I didn't realize how big "big" meant when I first arrived at the Peking International Airport, but when a shuttle tram had to escort me to the baggage claim, I got a clue. The 2008 Olympics catapulted Beijing into this epicenter of tourism, commerce, and industry more so than ever before. This airport was only the beginning of what I am learning and will learn about how powerful China really is. Beijing is becoming not only the epicenter and hub of Asia, but the Eastern Hemisphere and perhaps, at some point, the modern world. Walking out of the airport, hopping on a shuttle that would take me close to my hotel, and spending an hour in the morning rush hour of Beijing, reality set in. This wasn't the China I had honestly grown up believing in. Admittedly, my ideas of China came from Mulan the Disney movie and reading those Royal Diaries in 7th grade when I was younger and stories of an impoverished, third world country struggling underneath Communism's oppression. I expected pagados everywhere, starving shanty towns on the side of the road, girls in robes with their feet bound, and talking dragons. Driving into the city, I saw skyscrapers, neatly maintained landscaping, people busy getting to work, and a sprawling metropolis that looked similar to any other major city...but much much bigger. Ok, there were some lanterns hanging in front of businesses, but other than that and the Chinese symbols adorning the buildings, the stereotypical China I had expected was nowhere to be seen. 

I know, however, that China is big. Very very VERY big. And Beijing is a completely different city because of the influence and impact of the 2008 Olympics. I have yet to wander into the countryside, the suburbs, and villages that may not paint the same picture of China for me. That is exactly what I plan to find out over these next two months. To see both the good, bad, and ugly of Asia to better understand their history and what it might mean for their future. China is one of the oldest civilizations in the world, with Beijing itself dating back over 3,000 years. How has it survived for so long and what can myself as an American and world citizen learn from them? They were once one of the most powerful civilizations and now, 3,000 years later, we see their development into a world power once again. They do say history always repeats itself...so where does that leave us?

Once I arrived at my destination, I had to find my hotel. Well, it seems directions aren't as easy as go down, take a left, it'll be on your right. Especially when English isn't widely spoken or understood. I was tired, hungry, and carrying three bags on my person, so I wasn't in the mood for a Chinese scavenger hunt to find my hotel. After doing a weird form of sign language with a few people, a man was nice enough to call the hotel and walk me around the block to it. My usual American paranoia made me think he must want to take me down a dark alley (in the light of day) and run off with all my possessions after chopping me into little pieces. Instead, he wished me a wonderful trip and waved to me as I went into my hotel. I could jump to conclusions and believe he would stalk me even though the hotel has insane security and probably a few hundred people staying there. I am learning throughout my travels that most people are generally nice and it's actually us Americans who believe everyone is out to get us with movies like Taken rather than people actually being out to get us. I always err on the side of caution, but traveling is no fun if you are scared of the locals. 

My aching shoulders, rumbling tummy, and sleepy eyes were all worth it when I came upon my hotel. It was gorgeous inside and they even had my room ready at 8am in the morning, now that is customer service. I walked into my room and marveled at the wood floors, huge window, and giant flat screen TV. One thing I've come to love about hotels in other countries is their pursuit of being more sustainable. This hotel made you put your key into the wall to receive power so that you cannot just leave the room with everything running. Can you imagine how much energy we would save if we did this in every single hotel across America? Then, hotel prices would also be cheaper because we're not being charged for wasted energy too. Sustainability and capitalism combined is a beautiful thing. 

I settled in and then headed out for some grub and was directed to a shopping mall next to my hotel. The basement floor had many restaurants and my eye caught on the pizza place because I wasn't feeling brave enough to have real Chinese food, whatever that even means. After my pizza that tasted as American as Pizza Hut, I decided to be courageous and try Green tea ice cream at the Dairy Queen stand. I also decided that I do not like Green tea flavored ice cream. At least I tried it, right? (I have a feeling I will be repeating that phrase quite a bit in the next two months!)

Now, I am awaiting my other group members and going to try to sync my system up to this crazy, 12 hour time change. 

Until next time, stay vibrant!