Arriving in Beijing
After a short flight from Tokyo I was in Beijing. I am not sure how long the flight was because my ticket said we would arrive at 4:00 pm, but we got there at about 2:30 pm and rather than leaving at around 11:00 am, it was almost noon by the time we left. All this combined with the time difference left me confused, so I can only guess that the flight was about 3 or 4 hours.
Just like we had used a bus in Japan, I had to do the same thing in Beijing to get to the terminal. It was easy getting through customs and finding a taxi to get to Tsinghua. While I was in the terminal there were some taxi drivers who tried to get me to use their taxis. I had been warned about these guys before, so I knew not to take them. Often times they will not start their meter or they will drive all over the place since they know that most foreigners do not know where they are going. In the end they charge really inflated prices. Tsinghua gave me good instructions on how to get a good taxi, so I only paid about 80 kuai, or about $10. The exchange rate is very good for most foreigners here. For me, for every American dollar I get 8 Chinese dollars.
When I arrived at the University I grabbed my bags and headed for Wen Bei Lou, which is where the IUP offices are located. I checked in when I got there and they told me where my hotel was. After chatting with them for a little about what I needed to get done and what I had time to do I went to my hotel. The walk is not too far. It only takes about 30 minutes, but with all my stuff it was a little troublesome. On the way I had to stop at the ATM to get some cash for the next few days. Luckily there were two nice students from IUP who helped my find the ATM and my way to the hotel. Their names are Janny and Tammy.
By the time I arrived at my room and got settled it was almost dinner time, so I opened my welcome packet and read that for a while before I got hungry. I ended up going to the local convenience store to get some food for dinner. On my trip out I also went to a small music shop and bought a cd. It came out to about $1.60. I am almost positive it is not the real deal.
I just ate my dinner and I have gotten organized, so it pretty much time for bed, since I don't have much else to do.
I do miss everyone though. I hope to be able to chat online or through email with everyone while I am here because I am sure I am not the only person having fun. Even though I am doing a bunch of new things half way across the world it is going to be the everyday things in Seattle that I will miss, so if people can tell me about that it would be great. If you want to start your own blog, I suggest http://www.blogger.com. let me know if you start one because I will put a link from mine to yours.
Just like we had used a bus in Japan, I had to do the same thing in Beijing to get to the terminal. It was easy getting through customs and finding a taxi to get to Tsinghua. While I was in the terminal there were some taxi drivers who tried to get me to use their taxis. I had been warned about these guys before, so I knew not to take them. Often times they will not start their meter or they will drive all over the place since they know that most foreigners do not know where they are going. In the end they charge really inflated prices. Tsinghua gave me good instructions on how to get a good taxi, so I only paid about 80 kuai, or about $10. The exchange rate is very good for most foreigners here. For me, for every American dollar I get 8 Chinese dollars.
When I arrived at the University I grabbed my bags and headed for Wen Bei Lou, which is where the IUP offices are located. I checked in when I got there and they told me where my hotel was. After chatting with them for a little about what I needed to get done and what I had time to do I went to my hotel. The walk is not too far. It only takes about 30 minutes, but with all my stuff it was a little troublesome. On the way I had to stop at the ATM to get some cash for the next few days. Luckily there were two nice students from IUP who helped my find the ATM and my way to the hotel. Their names are Janny and Tammy.
By the time I arrived at my room and got settled it was almost dinner time, so I opened my welcome packet and read that for a while before I got hungry. I ended up going to the local convenience store to get some food for dinner. On my trip out I also went to a small music shop and bought a cd. It came out to about $1.60. I am almost positive it is not the real deal.
I just ate my dinner and I have gotten organized, so it pretty much time for bed, since I don't have much else to do.
I do miss everyone though. I hope to be able to chat online or through email with everyone while I am here because I am sure I am not the only person having fun. Even though I am doing a bunch of new things half way across the world it is going to be the everyday things in Seattle that I will miss, so if people can tell me about that it would be great. If you want to start your own blog, I suggest http://www.blogger.com. let me know if you start one because I will put a link from mine to yours.
posted by Jon Keto at
9:10 PM
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