Beijing Xi Nan Hotel

Our flight went very smoothly and we landed safely and soundly in Beijing at 2:40 p.m. on Wednesday, 11/11. China is 13 hours ahead of us in Philadelphia so it was quite interesting to fly from day into night and then back into daytime again. After finally gathering luggage, going through customs and doing money exchange, we finally met our Phi Delta Kappa representatives as well as two other PDK travelers from New York.

We did need to do a money exchange. The currency in China is ...

... You, old lady,” they urged, “should bear with them a little, and everything will be right!” And when nurse Li saw these two arrive, she hastened to lay bare her grievances to them; and taking up the question of the dismissal in days gone by, of Hsi Hsüeh, for having drunk some tea, of the cream eaten on the previous day, and other similar matters, she spun a long, interminable yarn.

... was to a degree, but I found I was jumping around a bit).

We closed down the place at 5:00 and we took a cab back to the hotel. The rain had stopped, yeah!

We had beef, pork rolls, mushrooms, fruit, nuts and raisins, a raspberry dessert, soda and coke and Johnie Walker scotch at Happy Hour.

We used the internet until 9:00 and then went to bed.

We watched Reservation Road and two Sopranos Episodes until 12:30.

... dealings with foreign partners. The long-running litigation between French food and beverage company Danone and Hangzhou-based Wahaha is a case in point. During the legal proceedings, Internet bloggers had whipped up a flurry of public sentiment against what was perceived as the "pillaging" of Chinese assets on Chinese soil, bringing into the mind-eye of readers vivid images of marauding merchants and their fire-breathing gun boats of yore. Such ...

... was brought into the Olympic Village to be shown to the athletes. I was at the security check point and just happened to be in the right place at the right time. Now I could not believe this was happening again to me at Beijing. It was a glorious and wonderful time so I thanked Robin whole heartedly. He passed on a personal gift of some Olympic wrist bands, then we went upstairs in the shopping centre and I was shouted lunch.

... panic until a friend suggested he consider mailing his passport back to the United States. It worked. For $350, a visa agency was able to get him a multi-entry visa. Others haven't been so lucky. The problem has at times been devastating for businesspeople who have investments or clients in China. Arif Nihat Kilic, 40, exports watches and medical devices from the mainland to Turkey. He said he has been able to get a multi-entry visa the past four years but was rejected this year. So ...

... people who do leave the country to actually come back. haha. Anyway, all of this was part of a bigger adventure that started earlier than I anticipated. Some friends and I are planning a trip to Xian next week and needed train tickets. One of our friends from Beijing described how to get to the train ticket booking office by referencing the south gate of Tsinghua University. Of course we go to the wrong gate and end up at east gate, no prob, just walk ...

... global symbols is that of the Olympic rings. Everywhere throughout Beijing; construction, advertisements and references to the Olympics abound. On Monday we were able to take a tour of Olympic venues. We were able to drive by the Olympic village which is massive and still under construction. From there our buses stopped across the road from the Olympic Stadium which you will come to know as the birdcage because of it's ...

... the next day it (acid) rained. That does seem to clean up the worst of the air pollution , which is as bad as everyone says unfortunately. Orientation was busy, with ;"survival" mandarin lessons and accommodation issues being sorted. Short version: I looked for ages, all were ****, found a great place (except for the **** bathroom) in the absolute centre of town a whole 5 minutes from work if I stroll. I got all excited and went ...

... echt skiplezier. Vooral op de kleine pistes zie ik ook regelmatig mensen hard op hun spreekwoordelijke bek gaan, zelfs in de sleeplift die nog langzamer is dan de stoptrein van Venlo naar Roermond. Ook Ma Sutong is niet dat je zegt een goed geoefende skiër en hangt na de lunch zijn latten ook aan de wilgen en gaat zijn geluk zoeken op het snowboard, maar ook dat blijkt niet zijn ding te zijn. Tegen vijf uur rijden we terug naar Beijing en we zien onderweg in een stadje waar we doorheenrijden ...