Day+1+First+Impressions

Beijing airpot just appeared out of the cloud. it was as though there was a thick mist. Once we finally got to the stand and the doors doors were opened there was that smell of hot and humid. They said the temperature was only 29C sot it did not feel too bad.

The building is enormous. It looks like constructed lengths of materials joined together in sort of dragged out triangles. so big and airy, in orange and white. apparently it had been extended for the Olympic Games. The immigration staff were very efficient and they kept scooping people off the back of queues to go through Chinese nationals gate, so that no-one needed to wait. Going through a temperature gate was odd though. Each terminal is connected by a train, baggage reclaim was quick and the airport was not too crowded.

I was met by several Chinese from the tour company. (I passed people with ISME signs but they were not for me). It took a leap of faith to go off with strange men, who were wheeling my luggage away purposefully. We had already met this at Johannesburg! Anyway I did and he was quite trustworthy. Our guide is called Kevin and he has been very helpful, offering his number if I have a problem. He had brought his younger brother with him, who I had thought his son. (he has just finished high school and is on holiday before he begins his building course. I fear I may have given Kevin some misleading ideas about Britain and Winchester in particular. it cannot be helped. We are doing our best.

After a snoozette,I went out for a little walk. It was hot. There is a 4lane road outside the hotel which intersects with a large road (2 lanes go over it and 2lanes lead on and off). The big road has 16lanes I think but w I'll need to check this in the morning. There is a footbridge over it. This had been closed with sheets of corrugated iron,as they were repairing it, but the locals had moved one each side so that you could get through and therefore across the road. The flat of the bridge was obviously. Being resurfaced but it was OK if you were careful. I walked along past the Olympic Park with the indoor stadium and bird's nest construction.

Decided to have something to eat at the hotel as it was easy to find. The upstairs restaurant was strange - I got shown to a room with a mixture of silent Chines and westerners. I retreated and went downstairs to a wholly Chinese place which was packed full of families eating heartily. I selected 2dishes & 2 drinks, which proved too much for me. The bottle of cream of jujube was very heavy! All the waitresses were scared to serve me cos I have 2 heads but eventually one brave one did. There were also a group of girls performing folk dances -a bit like the senior class of the Kim Ellen School.

And so to interact with the technology. Could not get onto mail.com but could get into Winchester. Could get onto wikispaces so here we are.

Then to download an alarm so that I could wake me tomorrow!