Beijing: Day Seven

Ni hao!

Iris and I woke up bright and early and quickly got dressed. After stopping at the ATM for cash and the pharmacy for some cold medicine (Iris started feeling a cold coming on the night before), we took the subway back the local market…our third stop of the trip.

We had our breakfast at Starbucks, and we were delighted by the empty shop and the fantastic, smiling service of the baristas. This Starbucks location was very interesting, and although it was small on the first floor, it had two higher floors of nothing but tables and wide lounge areas. I ordered my favorite drink, a Vanilla Bean Frappuccino, and tried their Black Forest Muffin. It was delicious! I wish my local Starbucks locations had the yummy treats they had here.

We bought our silk dresses and shirts, but we had to get an XXL for each of us! I’m still trying to figure out the sizing system in China, but I don’t think it’s consistent because some places I’m a medium, and at others I’m getting into the X’s. Yeah, I know I’m not a tiny Asian girl, but still, I’m NOT an XXL.

We returned to our hostel, where we quickly packed up our suitcases and checked out of the hostel. Since we had such a bitter attitude toward taxis at this point, we decided to take the subway’s Airport Express Line. We paid our normal 2 Yuan fare for the single-way ticket (USD $0.30) and were delighted at the money we’d saved.

It was a pain to walk our suitcases down the long street to the station, but Iris and I didn’t mind. Iris had brought only a small duffel bag, whereas my suitcase was on wheels. Margarida wasn’t so lucky, so she improvised and paid a local boy to give her a lift on his bike’s small trailer!

However, once we got to the Airport Express Line station, we had to pay another 25 Yuan just for this line. In the end, the price of our tickets combined would have been the total fare for a taxi, but it was too late. The subway for the airport was very, very nice and clean, and I figured it was built to make a good impression on tourists. Think back to the Beijing 2008 Olympics, and how much China did to make a good impression on the world (even if they did go too far at times).

We met up with Nanja at the gate, and we caught up and shared stories of our experiences in Beijing. All of us agreed that it was definitely worth the trip, even if there was an obvious negative attitude toward Westerners here.

The flight went well, and our trip from the Zhuhai airport, through the Border Gate, and back to our apartment was smooth. It felt great to finally be back in Macau, where I now feel a sense of familiarity. Beijing made me appreciate what I had in Macau, and I was glad to return to the comforts of my (temporary) home.

I have some great memories of Beijing, along with some not-so-great ones. But overall, it was definitely worth the trip. How could I say I studied abroad in China without visiting the capital, or climbing the Great Wall? I couldn’t have picked a better place to spend my Easter Holiday, and school seemed to start only too soon after our return. And now to get back into the weekly routine of classes and homework (plus cramming for my Management midterm the very next day)!

Bye-bye, Beijing! Nei ho, Macau!

Kati