Travelogue 2: An Examination of Beijing Airports

(This was originally going to be published in 2017, before COVID, but since I’m resurrecting this blog from the ashes, I’d figure I’d finish this. I’ll get back to the Travelouges when I can travel again.)

Before the Beijing airport, there was the flight to Beijing. Air China is no joke. When I finally got on the plane, after being raced up the plane ramp, I was floored. The plane itself was quite large, and looked like it could seat about 150 people. There were about ten seats in first class, and the rest were all for economy. They were all filled in record time. I had to help a lady work her screen. Their airline food came in 2 different flavors, a ‘Chinese’ style and a ‘Western’ style, and they were decent. They definitely have better food than United. 

When I finally got off the plane from Jersey, I was shuffled into a wheelchair after a wait of about 10 minutes while everyone else got off the plane. The stewardesses were kind of awkward around me. I knew little Chinese at that point (something that has been slow to change, even while I'm here) and trying to reassure them and keep my own cool was a bit of an ordeal. Luckily, I was able to leave the plane without much incident, besides a few stares.

The Beijing international airport is beautiful. Honestly, it could be a city onto itself. There are myriad shops and even tourist spots right outside of the international flights entrance. There are hundreds of people around the floors and it’s so loud. However, I could feel the air outside of the lane, and it makes me tear up every time. 

I don’t really get much of a chance to explore, however. The agents that helped me stayed with me, and that made it different. I suppose it was their jobs, but I was definitely chafing at the bit. Overall, the experience was exciting but limiting, which was like a lot of my time in Chengdu. Hey, foreshadowing! 

Thanks for reading

—TRR

Travelogue #1: Airport Chaos - Part 1

So, this is my first travel post. Thank you for reading this far.

I began my travels on January 12th, when I left home for the Cleveland Hopkins airport. It was raining hard that day,  and it seemed to reflect my mood.

Rain, far from being depressing, always scared me a bit. Rain put me on edge, because where there was rain there were often storms. A storm was happening on that night too. I was put on the edge. It didn't help that my mother was beside herself when I left. She was trying not to cry, but I could tell that she was breaking down. That was really the moment that it hit me. I was leaving.

When I got inside, my hands were shaking so much that I couldn't  give the counter woman my passport, so my sister did it for me. I bought her food, she finally got me on Snapchat and then she left. It was mundane, and didn't have the 'gravitas' I was thinking it would have. I didn't feel like I was changing my life, or doing anything special. (I still don't really.)

The first plane ride passed by in a blur. I remember being in a fever-like state, staring out of the window so hard that I through my eyes were going to pop. This is where I had my first taste of a german caramel waffle cake. It was pretty good! Very sweet, but cold.

Once I got to Newark, it was chaos. A harried agent helped me onto a large cart, and I went off to my resumed gate. Except, it wasn't my gate. I found that out about a half an hour before my plane was going to leave. So, I was rushed headlong to the new flight by a really nice South African woman, who stayed with me until I got to the international gate. She made my trip so much easier, and with her help I was ready to face the next leg of my journey.

In my next post, I will describe my experience going through customs, my exchanging of international money, and my first flight out to Beijing. Thanks for going on this trip with me!

-TRR