:: My Friday Night Files

2004-09-04: arrival

So we landed on time in Beijing. In the waiting lines for the immigration I met Matti, who had come via Stockholm. Three or four international flights had arrived at almost the same time, so it was quite a long queue. And of course we took the wrong queue: ours seemed by far the slowest.

I had to pick up my luggage and check in again. There are these nice ladies on the airport that approach you and try to help you. Is this airport personnel? They don't have a uniform. No, it is a kind of trick. First they help you, and then ask for money. So I felt a bit cheated, but they really do help -- because they speak English --, so I really didn't mind that much.

We had a couple of hours in between, so we went to a restaurant and had some coffee and something to eat. Matti and I played a game of go, much to the amusement of the waitresses. I lost badly, by the way.

To Guiyang City

Now I feel we really are in China. The flight to Guiyang is again almost full and we are the only Europeans on it. And what is that guy with a big television camera doing on board? After a flight of 2 hours and 20 minutes we will find out.

After landing we are picked up at the gate. "You will be met at the airport", it had said in the last e-mail. But I had not expected this welcome party. In the group of people I recognised Chen Zude (a famous 9 dan professional who is also the head of the Chess, Weiqi and Bridge department of the Ministry of sports) and Yu Bin, another 9 dan professional. Nobody spoke much English, but we understood that we should not worry about our luggage; instead we were walked to a VIP room where a group of young children stood ready for us with a lot of bouquets. So we had been on the same plane as a number of important other guests from Beijing, and we were included in the same welcome. And the guy with the camera was all part of it. I shake a lot of hands of people I do not know.

Lost luggage

After the welcome we went back to pick up our luggage. The only suitcase left on the belt was mine: Matti's luggage had disappeared. Fortunately the girl in the lost luggage department spoke better English than our hosts. She managed to trace Matti's luggage: it would arrive 9:00 this evening and it would be brought to the hotel. Which it was.

The hotel, the Howard Johnson Plaza Hotel is half an hour by taxi from the airport. There things became a bit more clearer. I had assumed that the opening ceremony would be the same evening, but it will be Sunday evening. Games start on Monday. My fault? Maybe, but I picked the playing dates from an internet site, and I was never given the details, even though I asked about it. We were also given some spending money, which, quite frankly, is so much that I doubt whether I can spend it all without buying some expensive souvenirs.

Waiting for the taxi to the hotel. Matti with flowers but without his luggage is looking worried.

Local cuisine

Matti and I had dinner in the hotel. Maybe I should excuse now to him already for my peculiar tastes in food. It was delicious what I ordered, and it certainly was not spicey. But what were these vegetables that we were eating? I have no idea. Soup with lots of Koriander in it, prawns, vegetables with beef, fried rice with scallops. Very, very good. On the table stood a small bowl with freshly sliced green and red pepper in soy sauce. I surprised even the waiter when I started tasting it. Yes, I just love peppers (and these were not very hot). And what did it cost? Five euro's pro person for the food and four euro's for two beers. In a five star hotel. What will it cost down town? I understand the little hustling of the girls at the airport better now. It might actually give them a very good income.

Diary

• On my way
• 2004-09-04
• 2004-09-05
• 2004-09-06
• 2004-09-07
• 2004-09-08
• 2004-09-09
• 2004-09-10
• 2004-09-11