First day in Beijing (Peking to some of you)

I left Brussels by high-speed train to Paris, which is the only way to get there via Air France because they have done away with flights between the two cities. This is actually a blessing in disguise because it was scenic and comfortable. the service is pretty similar too. I wasn't able to share any photos of this trip because of the reflection from the interior lights on the train.

The good thing about flying Air France is the comforts and the food. I was lucky enough to fly on one of the newer Boeing 777's, which was awesome, the ultimate in comfort and smooth flight! The bad thing of course is that you must go through the Paris airport. I detest this place even more than JFK. I have yet to have a pleasant experience traveling through either of those airports!

With that behind me I boarded the 9 hr flight for Beijing. It was relatively uneventful, which is always a good thing when flying. The only issue I had was that I had already switched over to Euro time (6 hrs ahead of EST) and now had to travel into a time zone that would be an additional 7 hrs into the future! I was able to catch about 3 hrs of shut-eye during the flight.

I was greeted by my driver (Mr. Guo) and then began my journey into the city.

This is my first view

Beijing is a city of between 15-17 million people. So this is actually a light traffice day. Tomorrow for you, today for me, I'll experience the real deal.

Once at the hotel I was greeted by a very enthusiastic colleague of mine, enthusiastic because he had spent the previous week here without me (my travel plans changed at the last minute due to circumstances beyond our control which I am not at liberty to discuss). Anyway he was very happy to see me and have a regular conversation with another American and, luckily for me, wanted to show me around (I'll reinforce one of my previous travel tips here. I very much felt like going to bed, but it was only 2:30PM and it's much better to stay up, get outside into the sunlight, and stay there until the sun goes down. It fools your internal clock into switching over faster!). He asked where I wanted to go, and my reply was of course "You tell me!". So off we went!

This is me at Tienanmen Square. You may recall the famous scenes of a brave student standing alone in front of the tanks making a statement against oppression. I can tell you this, after standing here myself I cannot even express my respect for his bravery and willingness to give the ultimate sacrifice for his beliefs!

Here's more shots looking around the square. I'm not sure what these buildings are, but I'll find out over this next year and report back!

We then headed to the Forbidden city. The ticket office was closed so we could only get a few shots from outside, but it was still impressive. I'm sure I'll get another chance to see the inside.

It was cold, and fierce wind was blowing. If you look close you can see the frozen pond behind me.

Just a shot from my hotel, and a few random views.

Christmas in Beijing?!

Prepping for the 2008 Olympics!

Classic city lights

Squid, Octopus, chicken, Pork, and Wood Grubs, It's what's for dinner. Andrew Zimmern and Tony Bordaine eat your hearts ou! ;-)

More to come, but it's off to work for me!