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I admit feeling somewhat apprehensive in the hours before leaving Montreal, as I have immediately prior to my other backpacking trips. But as soon as I left the arrivals area at Beijing airport and was confronted with a throng of shouting and jostling Chinese, many offering me "deals" in a strange currency on a taxi to a strange city, I felt a smile creep across my face. This is a feeling I know. This is a feeling I love. By the time I reached my hostel, I had completely reverted to backpacking mode

China Postcard 1 - Beijing

Mark Morin
2006-04-29 14:27:18

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I admit feeling somewhat apprehensive in the hours before leaving Montreal, as I have immediately prior to my other backpacking trips. But as soon as I left the arrivals area at Beijing airport and was confronted with a throng of shouting and jostling Chinese, many offering me "deals" in a strange currency on a taxi to a strange city, I felt a smile creep across my face. This is a feeling I know. This is a feeling I love. By the time I reached my hostel, I had completely reverted to backpacking mode.

Standing in Tian'anmen Square, barely 18 hours after leaving Montreal, I could hardly believe that I was in China. The direct flight from Toronto to Beijing, which flew almost directly North from Toronto, over Hudson Bay and Victoria Island before returning South over North-Eastern Russia, took a mere 13 hours, two thirds of which was over Canadian territory. Resetting my body clock to the 12 hour time difference also proved surprisingly easy after 30 hours without sleep.

First impressions
Beijing is big, bustling and brown with smog. The air pollution is made worse by 95% humidity and temperatures nudging 40 C and the ubiquitous coal-fired power plants. Beyond that however, Beijing streets are kept clean by an army of tricycle-riding cleaners and sweepers. There is an impressive number of green parks and carefully groomed and watered shrubs bordering major streets.

The city is easy to navigate on foot (but don't expect cars to stop on a red), on the excellent subway and by taxis which seem unusually honest once you manage to communicate your destination. I found it best to figure out and draw the Chinese characters of the destination name on a piece of paper before hailing the cab. While English speakers are rare in Beijing (and almost non-existent in smaller cities), many signs are bilingual with at least a semblance of English that can take some head scratching to decipher.

Beijing is more expensive than other Chinese ...