Back in Beijing
Next morning we took a taxi to the airport for a Northwest flight departing at
9:10am, arriving in Tokyo about 2:00pm. Got on a connecting Continental flight
leaving Tokyo at 4:20pm and arriving at Newark, New Jersey, at about 3:45pm
the same day. Through the miracle of the international date line and different
time zones we arrived before we departed! The end of our five-week trip to
Japan and China.
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9:10am, arriving in Tokyo about 2:00pm. Got on a connecting Continental flight
leaving Tokyo at 4:20pm and arriving at Newark, New Jersey, at about 3:45pm
the same day. Through the miracle of the international date line and different
time zones we arrived before we departed! The end of our five-week trip to
Japan and China.
Click here for the next page, "China Trip Comments"
Click here to return to the "China Trip Menu"
Click here to return to "Our Travel Journals Main Menu"
21 to 24 October: Our overnight sleeper train from Nanjing arrived at the Beijing Railway
Station about 9:15am. As usual the train ride was an interesting experience as it gave us an
opportunity to meet locals not in the tourist industry. From The Beijing Railway Station we
took a taxi to the nearby Novotel Xinquiao Hotel and were able to get into our room
immediately. This hotel was very modern and pleasant, and although in Beijing’s central
district its location was not quite as good as the Novotel Peace Hotel, in which we had stayed
upon our arrival from the USA, but which now had no vacancies. Also staying at the Novotel
Xinquiao Hotel were a group of about thirty American couples, each couple carrying a
Chinese baby they had come to adopt.
We walked to Tianamen Square to visit the MaoTseTung Mausoleum; to get into the
mausoleum I had to first check my small backpack before getting into line to enter. Upon
getting into the building the line split into two single files, each passing Mao’ embalmed body
on an opposite side. Then a short walk to the huge Great Hall of the People but found it
closed. Visited a nearby Internet café, bought pancakes from a street vendor, and took the
subway to the Xiushut Silk Market where garments of all kinds were for sale.
Station about 9:15am. As usual the train ride was an interesting experience as it gave us an
opportunity to meet locals not in the tourist industry. From The Beijing Railway Station we
took a taxi to the nearby Novotel Xinquiao Hotel and were able to get into our room
immediately. This hotel was very modern and pleasant, and although in Beijing’s central
district its location was not quite as good as the Novotel Peace Hotel, in which we had stayed
upon our arrival from the USA, but which now had no vacancies. Also staying at the Novotel
Xinquiao Hotel were a group of about thirty American couples, each couple carrying a
Chinese baby they had come to adopt.
We walked to Tianamen Square to visit the MaoTseTung Mausoleum; to get into the
mausoleum I had to first check my small backpack before getting into line to enter. Upon
getting into the building the line split into two single files, each passing Mao’ embalmed body
on an opposite side. Then a short walk to the huge Great Hall of the People but found it
closed. Visited a nearby Internet café, bought pancakes from a street vendor, and took the
subway to the Xiushut Silk Market where garments of all kinds were for sale.
The following day, after a buffet breakfast at our hotel, we took a taxi to Wang Fujing
Street, a very attractive clean and wide pedestrian street with modern sculptures and lined
with upscale shops and a couple of shopping centers. Then a walk to Tianamen Square where
we visited the Wax Image Museum with figures of Chinese notables. Near our hotel we found
a large supermarket where we bought several good-tasting items for snacks in our room.
Street, a very attractive clean and wide pedestrian street with modern sculptures and lined
with upscale shops and a couple of shopping centers. Then a walk to Tianamen Square where
we visited the Wax Image Museum with figures of Chinese notables. Near our hotel we found
a large supermarket where we bought several good-tasting items for snacks in our room.
Supermarket near our hotel in Beijing. (Salespeople in red jackets)
On our last full day in China we took a subway and bus for a full-day excursion to
the Summer Palace. This is a very large and well-tended park in the outskirts of
Beijing. It contains a number of highly decorated traditional buildings formerly
owned by the imperial family, beautiful gardens, a lake with excursion boats and
rowboat rentals, etc. A very pleasant place to spend several hours, which we did.
the Summer Palace. This is a very large and well-tended park in the outskirts of
Beijing. It contains a number of highly decorated traditional buildings formerly
owned by the imperial family, beautiful gardens, a lake with excursion boats and
rowboat rentals, etc. A very pleasant place to spend several hours, which we did.
A Beijing subway (Metro) station.
A Beijing subway train.
Lake at the Summer Palace, Beijing.
Covered walkway at the Summer Palace.
"Marble Boat" at the Summer Palace, Beijing,
Summer Palace Buildings.