The Beijing to which we returned
It was a rough flight most of the eight and a half hours between Frankfurt and Beijing. We had been experiencing cold and windy weather right at the end of our trip, and so it was no surprise we hit all kinds of turbulence even as early as take-off.
I hadn't been checking the Beijing weather while we were away, and I had to delete the Asia air quality app off my phone to free up some space. We saw this headline on a China Daily on the flight, and laughed a little. We weren't sure if we could believe it or not.
More after the jump
I had been following in the news some of the measures being instituted in anticipation of APEC, including more car restrictions, even extending into areas (like Changping) where they don't normally apply, extra vacations awarded to Beijing-based government employees to encourage them to leave town, school shut-downs, and factory closures even out in the surrounding provinces. Randy's customers had also been following this news, but his employer was not included in the mix of silenced factories for the week. His English-speaking customers, though, called him at all hours seeking assurance about production schedules.
Once we started our approach into Beijing, we hit fantastically smooth air. In our long, low approach, we could see the mountains north and west of Beijing spectacularly. I was sitting in the center group of seats, but I could see the window, and saw the unmistakable snaking lines of the Great Wall. In five and a half years of living in Beijing, I had never seen the Great Wall from the plane before, either due to where I was sitting, or, often, the visibility wasn't there. I pointed it out to the Dutch tourists sitting across the aisle from me. From that side of the plane I could hear gasps and shutter-sounds from digital cameras. So often I feel sorry for the first-time tourists on the Beijing flights who sit at the window, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Great Wall when I know they have little chance through the smog I'm anticipating. Yesterday, though, I was among them, and just as excited to see it since it was my first time, too.
While that was a pleasant surprise, we now have to deal with the APEC inconveniences. Randy's no-drive day was today and Saturday. We were scrambling to find an even-numbered plate so we could get to the kids' sports this weekend. Today, though, we learned that these are cancelled now, too. We would like to make a grocery trip to Shunyi, but we can only go when our plate allows. I can walk to the local stores to get a few things, but for staples like fresh, organic milk, cheese, and coffee beans, we need to go where the foreigners live.
The APEC Summit closes on November 11. Hopefully it won't get much colder before that, because there is likely no way the municipal heat will be turned on before then.
I hadn't been checking the Beijing weather while we were away, and I had to delete the Asia air quality app off my phone to free up some space. We saw this headline on a China Daily on the flight, and laughed a little. We weren't sure if we could believe it or not.
More after the jump
I had been following in the news some of the measures being instituted in anticipation of APEC, including more car restrictions, even extending into areas (like Changping) where they don't normally apply, extra vacations awarded to Beijing-based government employees to encourage them to leave town, school shut-downs, and factory closures even out in the surrounding provinces. Randy's customers had also been following this news, but his employer was not included in the mix of silenced factories for the week. His English-speaking customers, though, called him at all hours seeking assurance about production schedules.
Once we started our approach into Beijing, we hit fantastically smooth air. In our long, low approach, we could see the mountains north and west of Beijing spectacularly. I was sitting in the center group of seats, but I could see the window, and saw the unmistakable snaking lines of the Great Wall. In five and a half years of living in Beijing, I had never seen the Great Wall from the plane before, either due to where I was sitting, or, often, the visibility wasn't there. I pointed it out to the Dutch tourists sitting across the aisle from me. From that side of the plane I could hear gasps and shutter-sounds from digital cameras. So often I feel sorry for the first-time tourists on the Beijing flights who sit at the window, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Great Wall when I know they have little chance through the smog I'm anticipating. Yesterday, though, I was among them, and just as excited to see it since it was my first time, too.
While that was a pleasant surprise, we now have to deal with the APEC inconveniences. Randy's no-drive day was today and Saturday. We were scrambling to find an even-numbered plate so we could get to the kids' sports this weekend. Today, though, we learned that these are cancelled now, too. We would like to make a grocery trip to Shunyi, but we can only go when our plate allows. I can walk to the local stores to get a few things, but for staples like fresh, organic milk, cheese, and coffee beans, we need to go where the foreigners live.
The APEC Summit closes on November 11. Hopefully it won't get much colder before that, because there is likely no way the municipal heat will be turned on before then.
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