I'm going to write a bit in english today as my husband has been quite lazy lately...
After an overnight ride on the Shanghai / Beijing express, we finally arrived in the Chinese capital this morning. The ride was pretty smooth in comparison to the transiberian -- which I've have started dreading (more about that later)
We were really lucky as we booked a hotel for about $60 and were upgraded at no cost to the Beijing Regent hotel which cost over three times more. Let's enjoy the luxury while it lasts...
Both Nick and I have been to Beijing before. Nick was there in 2000 and I was there in 2003 where I visited my brother who was studying there for 6 months. Just like Shanghai, the place has changed TREMENDOUSLY in a few years. We could barely recognize some of the areas. In the Forbidden City, for example, they have added tourist stores, trees everywhere, paddle boats... The taxis also are different; they used to be rusty tiny chinese cars, and now it's only VolksWagen... They are building shopping malls like crazy and destroying the hutongs.
On Monday, we are taking the transiberian train, and today I had my first breakdown, as I had the bad idea to look at photos on the Internet. I feel that Nick and I are paying for 10 days of dirt, smell, disgusting food, rudeness, sleepless nights whereas we could be resting on a nice resort by the beach instead... Are we masochist?
I think my friend Raphaelle here would say that I should just enjoy the moment, instead of thinking of things to come... Maybe she's right... but still, I think the transiberian train is going to stink (literally)
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