Day 2: I'm in China and awake!

Okay, I'm now more awake, so I shall write all about my journey here.

On Tuesday, I flew from Inverness to London Gatwick with easyJet (why they insist on that capitalisation is beyond me). Not much fun really, but not too dull. The seatbelt sign was only off for about 5 minutes. Short flights. I like. After landing and resisting the urge to stab people in the face at Baggage Reclaim, I got the bus to the Travelodge, which could do with a refurb. After about three minutes sleep and eight hours staring at the ceiling, I　got up, breakfast, airport. Checking in three hours early for a long haul flight is okay, except for the bit once you're through security. But by the time we ate (Garfunkel's, very nice, 熙涵 could only have toast though, still suffering from food poisoning) and got things for the plane, it was time to board :D

First flight (to Dubai) was quite good. Really nice food, and the entertainment was amazing. We babbled nonsense and played Yahtzee and Trivia Challenge on the back of the seat in front for a while, then I watched Shrek 3 (Really Quite Good). Then we landed. Dubai airport was nice, although I had a heart-stopping moment where I　couldn't find the boarding passes. They were in my travel wallet (where they should be), but I had neglected to look there. Through security (I didn't set off the metal detector in London, but did in Dubai, go figure) and a "pat down" (Let's just say he now knows me rather better than I should like) we wandered for a while, buying some things with English money purely so we could have some Dubai money.

Flight to Beijing rather less fun. I watched the plane's route on the monitor for a while, and wondered why we took a massive detour at one point across Asia. Ah, to avoid Afghanistan, I see. Bored bored bored bored bored (that lasted around seven hours. I tried sleeping, with a little success, but not enough to feel rested) then landing. It was so surreal getting off the plane. Border control was easy, she looked at my passport, stamped, away I went. They have a quarantine bit though, so as long as you don't have AIDS, Leprosy or Tuberculosis, and you say so on the landing slip, they basically ignore you. Baggage claim was brilliant, we walked up to the conveyor and my bag appeared. By bag I mean trunk. Think going to Hogwarts. Actually, put it next to 熙涵's and it's basically a toilet bag size.

We found a shop to break our obscenely large notes (Note to Bank of Scotland: 100, not a small note. 100 is a big note. Just 100s is not "mixed denomination."), where the woman pulled a face at me handing over a 100元 note for Coke, which was 5元 (about 34p, AND it's 600ml, instead of 500 like in Britain). We got our bus, which took HOURS but took us right past 天安门(Tiananmen) square. Then on a public bus. How easy it should be, how easy it wasn't.

So, the bus arrived, we got on, and tried to pay. 1元 each. I have a five. I am told again, by two passengers, 1元 each. I try to hand over the five. Suddenly, it's 3元 altogether. So I　try to hand over the five. 3元！ I know, I have a five! Is it three each maybe, and their English is bad? Then I look at the note. What I have is not a 5元, it's a 5角, which is 0.5元. Oops. Get off, walk, arrive at hostel VERY sweaty and disgusting (having been in the same clothes for around 28 hours). Shower, relax. Dinnertime. Wow, what to have, do I go for "Hot sweat meet slim slice with seafood taste" or maybe something more exotic, like "Long brewed vinegar jelly fish head (cold)," "Stir fried donkey meat," "Stir fried bullfrogs," or "Sour and spicy fried edible tree fungus (cold)." In the end, I had "Fried mushroom with chicken fillet" with rice and water. 30元 and really nice, shame the portions are so HUGE that I couldn't eat it all.

Cut to this morning, got up, showered and ready, 熙涵 not enjoying jet lag. So we've had a lazy day. I go outside to read my book, but the 7000 (30) degree heat is too much, so back in to the air conditioning. Then I become determined to get a tan again, so suffer for another short while. Can't do it, back inside. And now I'm here, telling you my tales of excitement and joy and boredom and tiredness. Fin.