你好 (Nǐ hǎo) or hello from Beijing!
Eighteen brave NAFAns have converged today in China’s capital city as we begin our tour. As you might imagine, just getting to China and can be an adventure in itself. Coming from Los Angeles, I opted to fly China Eastern Airlines from LAX to its hub in Shanghai (PVG) and then connect to a domestic flight to Beijing (PEK). I’m a (somewhat) adventurous traveler and wanted the experience of flying a Chinese airline and taking a domestic Chinese flight on my own — plus, I happened to find a great fare.
When I checked in for my 1:05 AM flight, the agent let me know that my bag would be checked all the way to Beijing. Great -- how convenient! The Boeing 777 that we boarded seemed just as well equipped as any transoceanic flight that I had been on, and perhaps even slightly newer and shinier. Seatback entertainment, check. Universal power outlet in economy class, check. And, what's this? The air travel gods were surely wishing me an auspicious start to my journey by seating me beside an empty middle seat on this mostly-full flight. Hooray!
The slight amount of extra room proved quite conducive to the kind of half-sleep that one gets on a long flight in steerage, but I was able to watch Pixar's Coco, which I hadn't managed to catch in theaters, before I fell "asleep" for the majority of the 13-hour flight. The seatback entertainment system featured an impressive amount of American, Chinese, and other foreign films...as well as an eReader app with a bizarre selection including one of George R R Martin's novels (I'm sure many people would enjoy spending an entire flight reading epic fantasy on the seatback in front of them) and, for some reason, a digital copy of the French newspaper Le Monde, dated August 14, 2013. You do you, China Eastern. You do you.
One of the highlights of flying non-US airlines is, of course, the food. While I imagine that a Chinese passenger would find the fare just as impressive as we find the rubber chicken served on United AmeriDelta, it was a treat to have a choice of a Chinese option (pork noodles and dumplings) or an American option (an "omelette") for breakfast. There is, naturally, only one correct choice here (photo right).
China Eastern is a major airline and part of the SkyTeam Alliance (which also includes Delta), so I was never particularly concerned about safety or fraud, but I was slightly concerned about being able to successfully navigate Shanghai's Pudong International Airport and make my connection with my complete lack of Chinese. Luckily, I had little to worry about: everything around the airport is well signed, and even if not every employee speaks English, there are plenty who do -- it is, after all, a major international airport. After fingerprinting, I cleared immigration easily, and was let into the pre-customs baggage claim.
While many of my fellow passengers eagerly grabbed their bags and proceeded through customs, mine hadn't shown up after about 20 minutes. Hmm. True, the check-in agent at LAX had told me that my bag would be checked all the way to Beijing, but surely I would still have to claim it here and re-check it at a transfer counter? That is, after all, the dance that travelers generally have to perform when they arrive in a new country and switch to a domestic flight -- and I could even see that there was domestic transfer counter set up outside customs expressly for that purpose.
Despite my concern, two separate employees reassured me that my bag would indeed proceed automatically to Beijing -- no need to claim it and re-check it. Putting my faith once more in the air travel gods, I proceeded through customs, back through security, and onward to my next flight, a quick 3 hour hop to Beijing. Since I was no longer flying on a big, fancy, international flight, our gate, in fact, led to a bus, which took us to our plane, a shiny Airbus A321, outside of which I experienced my first Chinese queue (photo left), which can be charitably described as a rabble. The flight was, again, comparable to or superior than typical American domestic flights.
I landed at Beijing Capital Airport's Terminal 2, and was delighted to retrieve my bag unscathed, just as promised. The lesson, I suppose, is: trust! From there, I found a shuttle bus to take me to Terminal 3, the (much fancier and more impressive) international terminal where most other NAFAns would be arriving. Terminal 3 was a good 15 minute drive away, and the bus had to drive on the highway briefly, giving me my first taste of Chinese traffic (think Los Angeles traffic with more motorcycles and fewer rules). At last, the oasis of the Starbucks in Terminal 3, where I met Christine Swenson, Assistant Resident Director of the CET/Middlebury in Beijing program, and our on-the-ground logistics partner for the study tour, along with Brian Souders (University of Maryland, Baltimore County). Christine helped us Brians get a cab to our hotel, the modest but convenient Ibis Beijing Dongdaqiao, a mere 40 minute drive away. The fare was only 70 RMB (roughly $11), and I only thought we were going to crash three times (kidding! right...?).
After checking in, I had a quick shower, grabbed some lunch with Brian, and then settled in for an almost-too-long nap, before reconvening with the other seventeen intrepid NAFAns, plus Christine, and making the long, 97 meter journey down the block to the delightful Caigenyuan restaurant, where we enjoyed a bountiful welcome banquet! (photo right). It's been delightful as I start to get to know the other NAFAns here, and I'm thrilled that we get to explore these new opportunities for scholarships and fellowships in China together. Tomorrow: Tsinghua University and Schwarzman College.
Tonight: meatballs and jet lag.