We left Montreal last Monday October 10th and flew to Toronto to catch our flight to Beijing. There are direct flights from Montreal but the cost is almost twice as expensive. Our flight out of Toronto with Air Canada left on time. I had booked us into premium economy which put us in the emergency exit row with about 2 meters of space in front of us which was great. The flight was 13 hours and we both got a few hours sleep with the help of little pills.
After arriving in Beijing, we took the airport express train into Beijing as it was rush hour and the roads would be clogged even on the dedicated airport express road. We got to our little inn in and old Hutong about 8pm and were shown our room. I had wanted to spend our first days in China in a traditional inn so that Monique could get a sense of where China has come from in the last 50 years The hutongs which still exist in Beijing a small areas which have on story buildings also small narrow streets built centuries ago. Most of these hutongs have been destroyed to build high rise apartments and modern office buildings. These hutongs have their own Chinese characteristics and form strong communities which have resisted being displaced. The housing is basic and small and most have no indoor toilet facilities. They rely on toilet facilities which are found spaced out along the hutong streets. It is a mode of life which is gradually disappearing. Our inn was located in a trading family home which is built around a central court yard leading to the 6 rooms of the inn. We had the biggest room which had its own bathroom and a fairly rudimentary shower facility but one which worked. The inn is very nicely situated within walking distance to many of the attractions of this city.
On Wednesday, one of my Mandarin teachers, Lee came to our inn to take us out to lunch at a little restaurant close to our inn where we had a hotpot lunch consisting of a boiling pot of water in which one puts rolled pieces of beef and lamb along with spices and greens. One is then given a peanut based sauce into which
We were up this Saturday morning at 4.30 to catch our plane to Tibet. The taxi we had ordered last night was waiting for us at 5.15. We drove through the heavy smog of Beijing to the airport. At 0600, the airport was full of people going places. It is a huge airport with some 250 check in counters spread over a terminal which is close to 500 meters in length. A daunting sight so early in the morning. I had not been able to check in on line so I was a little worried whether our booking with Air China (or as Trump would probably say, Air Jina...) was still on the books.
To go to Tibet, which is part of China, you need a special Tibet permit in addition to the China visa. So we lined up behind 70-80 people at one of the check-in counters and waited our turn. The line moved ahead smoothly and we came to the counter. I presented our passports and Tibet permits and waited while the agent typed in our information. After waiting a few minutes, out popped our boarding passes. What a relief. Travelling these days with only electronic tickets can be a little nerve racking. Off we trotted to security; again with 30 lines of many people but the lines moved ahead smoothly.
Our flight departed on time in a very foggy airport which is huge. Our flight was only 1/3 full which is something I have not seen in many years. One reason is that it is rather expensive to fly to Tibet and also it is off season. It was a beautiful flight on a clear day so that we could see the landscape below as it unfolded. The most impressive part was flying over the mountains of western China and Tibet. One flies for over 2 hours over mountains which are for the most part snow covered.As one approaches Lhasa, the mountains rise higher and higher as these are the foothills of the Himalayas. The approach into the airport of Lhasa is impressive as all one can see are huge mountains and one wonders where one could find an airport in this terrain. But we made a sweeping approach on a clear sunny day and we were on the ground after a 4 hour flight.
We were met by our 2 Tibetan guides who drove us the 60 kms to our Sheraton hotel in Lhasa. It was really great to see the blue skies and brilliant sun after 5 days of smoggy and dark weather in Beijing. It was also great to be in a modern hotel room after our days in Beijing in our little inn in the Hutong . Very traditional old Chinese.
The first impression of Lhasa is one of a city which was built last week. Everything is very modern Chinese with large streets and roads and huge apartment and office buildings lining the streets. The Tibetan people seem genuinely friendly but our guides warned us that the locals do not like using Mandarin as there seems to be a lot of tension between the Chinese and the Tibetans who still resent the invasion and control of their county by the Chinese. However, my first encounter was when I went out across the street to get some bottled water in a little store. The owner was a Tibetan and we were able to communicate in Mandarin with no difficulty. Interesting for me to find that I can converse with Tibetan because I can speak a my basic bit of Mandarin.
One is warned to take it easy for the first days in Lhasa which is at 12.000 feet. It is so high that the hotel provides oxygen bottles in the rooms which one can use to compensate for the lack of oxygen at this altitude. We both noted the light headiness which the altitude produces. It is a bit of the sensation that the ground is moving and one feels pressure in the head. After a light lunch, we retired to our room and slept for a couple of hours. I had been warned of this so that I set up our schedule here with no fixed visits today and tomorrow to give us time to acclimatize. This evening we will not even go out of the hotel but rather stay and rest for a day on our own tomorrow. Our official tourism starts on Monday with visits to the local sights. I presume by then we will be on our feet and ready to go.
- For now from Lhasa good night.
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