Well, technically, I guess this was day 2, since we
arrived the night before, but the adventure of finding our hostel pales in
comparison to the tale of being in China, so, On with the story!
To welcome us fully into the notion of no longer being in
a tropical country, Beijing very graciously decided to have a “cold,” damp
day. It was about 60* so I do feel
justified in labeling it as cold. To me,
it felt like it was freezing. Seriously. I was wearing my warmest clothes, which admittedly
were not all that warm, and just tried to keep moving.
Our first morning was spent by being introduced to the
Chinese public transportation system. For
2 RMB (6 RMB = 1 USD), you can ride the rather extensive subway system,
including as many transfers as you need.
It was a rather efficient and inexpensive way to get around, crowded
though it may be. At the time we were
doing it, however, I felt very commiserative of rats in a maze as we traveled
the walled corridors that twisted underneath the busy streets of Beijing. Thank goodness we were traveling with
someone very familiar with the system.
Having him there spared my certain fate of being a lonely foreigner
wandering around with wide eyes pleading for someone to help me find my way
home. It was even more confusing for me
than Hwy 1.
Anyway, after the labyrinth of walkways and transfers, we
again emerged to the topside to make our way quickly through the crowded
streets. Apparently, people in China
really like to make their whereabouts known audibly by employing horns and
bells with great gusto. They certainly
preferred using a horn more than using their brakes. As our friend told us, ‘using the crosswalk
really just means you have slightly better odds of making it to the other side.’ Interestingly, there were few raised
walkways, so you really just had to take a deep breath and go for it with eyes
wide open. Yes, Mom, I looked both
ways. The traffic was going in the other
direction from Thailand; it was a necessity.
Finally, after much hard-paced walking, we arrived at our
destination. Church. Yes, you read that right. My first day in China, I was able to openly
go to an international church. Of
course, the reason why it was out in the open was because only foreigners were
allowed. No Chinese were permitted. It was enforced by the Chinese police, and we
had to bring our passports to prove we were in fact not Chinese. I know, I know. Looking at me, you’d never be able to guess
at my Caucasian lineage.
The service was, in a word, awesome. The worship band was mostly comprised of
Africans who had just returned from a worship camp and had determined that they
were going to bring us all to Africa with them that day. We must have spent about 10 minutes singing
the same song in a dozen different languages.
It was really cool. I love
hearing our God worshiped in different tongues. It’s like a glimpse of what Heaven will be
like.
After the service, we went to Subway (eat fresh!) for
lunch. Yum! There’s nothing like traveling all over Asia
and eating at Western franchises. Oh
well. It was still nice to have a real
sandwich.
By the time we were ready to head back to the hostel, it
was drizzling. I have to call it
drizzling, because after 3 monsoon seasons in Thailand, I just can’t call it
actual rain. It was interesting being
cold after the rain, though. I hadn’t
felt that in several years. I haven’t
really missed it.
We were all fairly damp after walking back, so the idea
of wandering around the area for a bit was scrapped. Instead, we played some cards in the hostel,
ate some dinner, and then ventured out to do some KTV. Oh, yes.
Karaoke Television. It was epic. What really made it, though, were the 2
tambourines in the room. Between them
and the two mics, we were all participants.
And that was the end of Day 1.
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