Fleeced in Beijing

Those amenities which simplify our lives also tend to cost a premium. Although I am quite happy with the hotel, and would recommend it to anyone in a similar situation, I am feeling fleeced by our driver and having trouble overlooking the fact that the money is a sunk cost. His daily rate is over double the daily rate of our English speaking driver in Shanghai, and he asks us to pay his entry fee into the sights and cover the cost of his lunch. For ease and convenience, he can not be beat. But his prices are astronomical, and he nickel and dimes us on top.

Still, we are thoroughly enjoying our time in Beijing. We toured grounds of the Temple of Heaven this morning. The park is popular with retirees in the area, and the large exercise area was covered with some very fit men and women. Our guide cajoled my parents into trying everything out, and they often were guided by the locals. It was quite a sight, with the girls often trying everything out in a toddler version as well. The beautiful weather only added to the fun of playing exercise in a lovely park. The temple was lovely, and our jaunt afterward to Tiananmen Square was interesting as well. Our guide sung Mao’s praises and detailed his hatred of the Japanese – quite interesting on both counts. Mao’s tomb is a mausoleum in the middle of the square, and apparently people regular queue for hours to catch a glimpse of his entombed body.

The girls and I grabbed McDonalds and a nap back at the hotel while my parents ate hot pot for lunch and then toured the Forbidden City. We all grabbed Peking Duck for dinner. I have to assume its not the best roast duck on offer in Beijing – we gather he’s getting kickbacks from everyplace he’s taking us, hence the quick service and the ridiculous prices. So far, both of the meals he has guided us to have been by far the highest priced Chinese meals I have eaten – and the cost of living is much lower in Beijing.

We have just discovered that we can not power my laptop in our hotel room, so this must be kept brief. Hopefully we can post more tomorrow.