My way to Beijing
June 5, 2007
It takes about 9 hours to fly to Beijing. I was lucky sitting in Business Class on a nice Lufthansa 747-600 with lots of space and a good entertainment system. So time was flying by quite quickly and I arrived at Beijing International Airport at 8.30am.
I have never been to China before and just had seen it on TV or in a movie. But now, I am standing at the airport of one of the biggest cities in the world with more than 3000 years of history, that's just wow!! Beijing (chinese: 北京) translated means"Northern Capital" and now as I am finally here I can't wait to explore it :)
I have never been to China before and just had seen it on TV or in a movie. But now, I am standing at the airport of one of the biggest cities in the world with more than 3000 years of history, that's just wow!! Beijing (chinese: 北京) translated means"Northern Capital" and now as I am finally here I can't wait to explore it :)
|
|
You need to be logged in to leave comments and smiles. Becoming a member is free and easy — Join the TravBuddy Community!
These tips should help you to survive after you have arrived at Beijing International Airport:
If you wanna take a taxi into town, always queue at the taxi lane. Those are the only official taxis. If someone else offers you a ride, be careful, he may rips you off and charges a lot. Always tell the taxi driver to turn on the meter. A ride into the city center is around 60 - 80 RMB + toll fee.
Also be aware that most of the taxi drivers don't speak any English. Try to get a print out of your destination in Chinese characters and show it to the driver. I can tell you, that will help a lot :S
You only can exchange money in China! The Chinese currency RMB (yuan) is not available out of China. 1€ = 10 RMB. You'll find Currency Exchange counters right at the airport. You can also exchange money at the Bank of China as well as in bigger hotels. Be careful, if you are going to go to a bank, you may find Chinese people in front of the bank who are offering to exchange money for a better rate. Don't trust them, you never know if the money will be fake or an old, invalid currency!
Ok, that's it. Now you should be well prepared for your own journey into the land of the rising sun :) Please fasten your seatbelt and enjoy the trip!
If you wanna take a taxi into town, always queue at the taxi lane. Those are the only official taxis. If someone else offers you a ride, be careful, he may rips you off and charges a lot. Always tell the taxi driver to turn on the meter. A ride into the city center is around 60 - 80 RMB + toll fee.
Also be aware that most of the taxi drivers don't speak any English. Try to get a print out of your destination in Chinese characters and show it to the driver. I can tell you, that will help a lot :S
You only can exchange money in China! The Chinese currency RMB (yuan) is not available out of China. 1€ = 10 RMB. You'll find Currency Exchange counters right at the airport. You can also exchange money at the Bank of China as well as in bigger hotels. Be careful, if you are going to go to a bank, you may find Chinese people in front of the bank who are offering to exchange money for a better rate. Don't trust them, you never know if the money will be fake or an old, invalid currency!
Ok, that's it. Now you should be well prepared for your own journey into the land of the rising sun :) Please fasten your seatbelt and enjoy the trip!
|
|
You need to be logged in to leave comments and smiles. Becoming a member is free and easy — Join the TravBuddy Community!
