10-17-2005

10-18-2005 Beijing 7:30 AM: This is the beginning of the longest day. It will be well over 24 hours before we get home yet our clocks will say the same day and about the same time as our departure. Now that it is time to go I’m wishing we had an early flight rather than or 4:30 PM departure. I fear the worst of the trek will be a 3 hour wait between flights in Chicago. … Leslie and I decided to take a taxi into town for a final walkabout. We were dropped off near Tiananmen Square; the fare for a 30 minute trip was ~$3.00. Finally I get to walk the area at my own pace! We notice that by not being in a tour group we are not badgered by the vendors nearly as much. This is the largest public square in the world, over 1/2 mile long and nearly 1/3 mile wide. Besides the mausoleum of Chairman Mao it has communist monuments of the revolution and is bordered on the east and west by large government buildings. At the north and south ends are two huge “gates” from the Quinq and Ming eras. The north gate begins the entrance to the Forbidden City and has the famous portrait of Mao. Mao body is on display and the line to view him was easily 1/2 mile long. People line up four abreast and are marched quickly through the viewing area with no chance to stop and gawk. Needless to say we didn’t get in line. From TS we set out to find the hotel we stayed in during our previous visit. After a walk of a few blocks (Beijing blocks in this area are about 1/4 mile) we found it. It was just as spectacular as we had remembered and we wished we could have stayed there again. We did visit their “happy room” – the door is opened for you, the water is turned on and off and you are handed a fresh towel. It was now time to get a cab and head back to begin the long trip home. … Our flight was delayed in Beijing which eliminated our wait in Chicago. None of luggage made it to St. Louis. UAL delivered them the next morning. Thus ends our journey.