Beijing: A Dubious Arrival

Since we have arrived, we've found to our surprise that we can't see our blog. Of course, given its seditious nature and history of inciting conflict, this is hardly surprising. In any case, we're not sure if this will be broadcast or not.

That said, we're almost too tired to write anything anyway. It's mid afternoon here, and 11ish on the West Coast. We were also bold enough to forget the taxi ride and try to get here by bus, subway, and a short walk. We made it, barely, and it wasn't our fault

I'll give you our hotel's instructions to explain:

1. Take number 2 bus to Deng Zhi Men
2. Get off bus, continue for 30 meters to subway.
3. Get off at Jishuitan Station, exit and turn right for 20 meters, then right again. Walk along bank of Xihai Lake for 7 minutes.
4. Hotel has a beautiful terrace that overlooks the lake.

Here's the actual instructions.

1. Get a ticket for the number 3 bus, because the ticket lady is adamant that that's what you want in spite of your best efforts to convince her otherwise.
2. Explain to the bus driver that you really want number 2, and convince him you're correct.
3. Get off atDeng Zhi Men, continue on for not less than 100 meters.
4. Get off at Jishuitan Station, exit, turn right for 20 meters then walk along the bank of Xihai Lake, which is really a pond. Watch men fishing in this glorified puddle with poles capable of hauling out a shark.
5. Get lost, because 7 minutes is an absurd instruction and the stupid hotel isn't on the bank of Xihai Lake anyway. Circumnavigate the puddle, arouse the curiousity of the fisherman.
6. Finally, show your printed instructions to everyone and learn that your hotel is actually in an alley alongside a canal about 2 minutes walk (give or take) from teh lake.
7. Hotel is a bunker with a concrete roof, where you can sit and dimly view the puddle.

Actually, Beijing is very very very interesting, and we'll have much more to say about it when we've got our brains back.