15.12.18 Break in Beijing

Saturday 15.12.18

At the end of the finger in Beijing, there are two ladies holding a sign with my name! I am picked up and accompanied through the fingerprint scan control, first and second passport control, and to the baggage claim, which I don't need since I checked my luggage through to Auckland. The bag is now circling somewhere for 13 hours and hopefully will be on the right plane tonight. But I still have to go through baggage screening, where everyone in front of me has to put their suitcases and all their hand luggage on a conveyor belt - and I have to put my backpack and body bag. After a short airport train ride, I arrive in Beijing's huge, confusing arrival hall with my escort, and if the woman had not guided me to an exit door - I would not have found the shuttle to the Crown Plaza Beijing Airport for sure. The shuttle leaves every 30 minutes and waits with open doors for the remaining 2 minutes after I have boarded (brrrr!). 1 hour and 10 minutes have passed since landing. A really quick processing, thanks to the assistance of Air China.

At the hotel, I am charged 500 RMB as credentials, which will be refunded to me at check-out. The room is large, there are 2 bottles of water, a kettle, tea/instant coffee, a huge bed, and - single glazing. After the sun slowly disappears around 15:30, the room gets freezing cold. But there are thick curtains and of course an air conditioning that can be set warmer. As an American hotel chain, they at least have CNN on television here, and the free WLAN works with WhatsApp, which is otherwise blocked in China. After a shower, I sit relaxed in the lobby around 21:00 and soon after I take the shuttle back to the airport. The journey takes about 15-20 minutes to Terminal 3. I enjoy some dim sum from the business lounge buffet, as the last meal this morning was breakfast on Air China and that was about 15 hours ago.