Beijing

We are now in Beijing. Wednesday was a travel day and despite switching our plans from a 16 hour train ride to a 2 hour plane trip, by the time the time to reach the airports, the 2 hour early check-in and delays because of air traffic congestion, it took us nearly the whole day to make it to our destination.
When we got to Beijing, we noticed that it wasn't as cold as we feared, even if there was still some left over snow from the weekend.
It took us a while to negotiate our way to the hotel (The Emperor). The cabs here are different than Shanghai. Not very available and when you do find one, they don't want to use the meters. The rate they were suggesting were preposterous so we took the subway to the nearest station from our hotel and tried to find a cab willing to take us the rest of the way. Turns out our hotel is either not well known to the local cab operators or wasn't far enough for them to take us. We finally relied on help from one of the bell boy at a hotel right outside the subway station to negotiate for us. It required a lot of hand wringling and a call to our hotel (good thing we had cell phones and the hotel #!) for the driver to know where to go.

When we got here, we immediately realised that the trouble in getting here was well worth it. Check out this cool hotel room!
I was really happy to see that they had received my package containing all the souvenirs and some clothes that we didn't need in Xi'an. I didn't want to risk the overweight fees from the airline, so I had them shipped ahead of time. You guys can all expect to receive your souvenirs :)
My first impression of Beijing is that it is similar to Shanghai with a few less sky scrapers. There is lots of construction here too!
They also have modern looking buildings
And are still celebrating the olympic spirit if these signs in the Subway are any indication.
We walked around a bit to familiarise ourselves with our new home for the next week and dined in what was called a Tourist Restaurant by the Beijing Tourist Authority.

These noodles were a delicious start to fill our famished traveller's stomach
These crunchy duck spring rolls were also very delicious
A familiar dish came next, Kung Pao Chicken
Then this cuttle fish soup that had hints of lemon
And finally, this fried mandarin fish in sweet sauce didn't stand a chance even if it came last

Halloween travel day

What better way to spend Halloween than travelling? We got up somewhat early today and finished packing up before heading to the airport. We decided to take somewhat of a detour in order to experience what may be the fastest train in the world: Shanghai's MagLev!
The train levitates on the track, based on magnetic fields, cool!
It's actually pretty roomy too even if the journey is about 10 minutes
The only entertainment is watching the speed meter go up and up and up. The fastest I saw it go at is 301 km/h
When we got to the airport, my friend Haibao was waiting for me, all decked up in christmas gear. Even if we are 12 hours ahead, isn't it a bit early for christmas?
Flying on China Airlines was a really good experience. Check-in was a breeze and despite all our worries about overloaded luggage (we actually shipped one of the bag to our destination in Beijing to avoid surcharges) we came in under the maximum limit. Plus we got really good seat at the emergency exit. Check out all the leg room
The airport is a bit out of the way of the city but it's really well organised with a bus leaving every 15 minutes from the airport to the Bell Tower (~$5) which is in the centre of Xi'an's walled city.

The area around the airport is a mix of industrial and farms
And lots of construction. I'm starting to think the whole country is under construction!
Our hotel is right across the tower, check out the view from our room :)
This is the modest roomAnd the hotel from outside
We had a quiet dinner at a Hong Kong style restaurant where they were playing Mr Bean! Very delicious cream of corn
Followed by a duck bbq style
and a medley of seafood with tofu
And a coconut bubble milk
We walked around a bit outside and enjoyed the city a little bit. This city looks beautiful at night
And the Halloween spirit is in the air
Then, we turned in early for bed since we are going to Hua Shan tomorrow and have to get up early to catch the bus!

Quiet day at the hotel

After going out for a wonderful run where I got to explore another side of Pudong, I decided to play it quiet today and stay at the hotel.

My sister was curious about the hotel. I'm not sure if she is expecting the Japanese style bunkbeds with paper doors but to satisfy her curiosity, here's a short overview of my accommodations while in Pudong.

We are staying at the Ramada Plaza Pudong Shanghai. Here's a few pictures from outside:
There is a small gym and pool available on the fourth floor which is useful. The hotel also has a few restaurants and a lounge/nightclub that we haven't visited yet.

The room is pretty big and has everything you would expect from a hotel room anywhere in the world. Queen size bed, TV, mini-Fridge, Internet access, showertub, etc.
That little desk is where I write my posts unless Alex is using it, in which case I will use the bed :)
The washroom is pretty standard fare:
And the minibar has everything a weary traveller missing home could need, including Chinese wine!
Electrical outlets are surprisingly versatile. If you have a device that can use 240v, 50hz electricity from anywhere in the world, chances are that it will fit in the powerbar they provide:
The light switches are the opposite of North America, where up is closed and down is open. Another cool little thing is that beside the bed is a Do not disturb switch:
That will light up a sign outside the room instead of having to hang paper notices on the doorknob.
There is also a doorbell for service and guests which is weird to hear in a hotel room :)

China seems very committed to reducing its environmental footprint. Store keepers will often dim the lights when there are no customers (and open them when you walk in). This hotel features the usual green services where you can leave a card on the bed to avoid the linen being washed everyday and reusing the towels unless you leave them in the tub. It also goes a step further with this device when you enter the room:
Unless a card is inserted in the device, all electrical outlets (except for one), lights and A/C will be turned off. Now, we could play tricks with this and leave an air miles card in there but I thought the device was an interesting way to sensitise guests on their environmental footprints.