The flight to Beijing
Started out pretty uneventful. The hotel asked if we a stole a glass plate (not their exact words) which we said we didn’t. Then we had to pay 43 Yuan (7 dollars) for water we didn’t drink, then we left.
Once again the traffic was just amazing, 9 lanes down to 2 everybody edging one another out, but it never stopped moving, weird.
Pretty impressive airport to look at as you head down the approach road and they are still building it.
Our tour guide, Jack, took all of Tanners documents and got his ticket and we were good to go.
By this time Tanner was fast asleep in his stroller (actually it’s mine as I bought it, I’m just letting him use it) that was until we went through the security check. Apparently, Al Quada are now using cheap aluminum strollers and miniature suicide bombers so as a precaution I had to wake him up, take him out of the stroller, walk through the scanner thing where he was then taken, screaming, from my arms to have the little wand metal detector thingy passed all over him. He (and I) were given the all clear.
Now you have to bear in mind, the last time he was taken by somebody he didn’t know (just days earlier) it was a very traumatic experience. And now he was reaching out with both arms, screaming for me to get him back.
It got calmer after that.
Until we were boarding.
After being warned about boarding internal Chinese flights, we were prepared, we leapt into action at the first sign of movement at the gate. And Mike and I used our considerable bulks to muscle our way onto the plane first. It was a full flight and a “3 and 3” plane we had the window and centre seats and some other poor sod got the aisle. Obviously being a seasoned traveller the aisle guy spotted the only empty seat on the plane and launched himself towards it at the first opportunity (beating out the other poor sod in Mike and Cheryls aisle seat.).
The flight was delayed and started moving about 45 mins late, by which time Tanner had laughed, cried and screamed his head off. But, as soon as the plane started to taxi, out like a light, stirred a couple of times, didn’t even wake up on touchdown or when the engines go into reverse.
We landed at an airfield, yes airfield, wasn’t grass, but looked like a WW2 aerodrome, apparently used for domestic flights but mainly the military.
Got to the hotel, after a 20 minute drive, which is steps from The Forbidden Palace and Tia nan men Square.
No crib! Had to sleep with the Tanner inbetween us.
PS does anyone want to buy a glass plate?
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