Onto the Comrade Land

北京 * 中国  |  Beijing, China * An unexpected stay in Hong Kong

After about 5 months away in Taiwan and Japan, I made the unexpected return back to Singapore. As a last minute decision, I had to cancel my flight from Japan to Beijing, and returned to Singapore to settle some personal issues back home. I decided to stay on 2 weeks instead of one, when I learned how much my mum missed me. The 2 weeks were however, an emotional one for me. I was literally out-of-sorts...depression sips in and I shun going out and crowds.

On the night I left Singapore and embarked on the plane to Beijing, I was still feeling unsettled. The consolation I had was I was moving on with my travel again, and to be away for a while....

Plane was hovering in the sky for a while and not landing in Beijing. The pilot announced after a delayed 20 mins that the plane could not land in Beijing due to very bad weather. The plane will be turning back towards Hong Kong and land. Passengers in the Malaysian Airline stayed in the plane for another 30 minutes as it landed safely in Hong Kong. It was 7am in the morning and I was really hungry. Thank goodness I have this muffin baked by Ching Ling, my sis-in-law, who gave me before I left Singapore.

Hong Kong Airport. View through the glass....

M370, the Malaysian Airline flight. The airline arranged for the passengers rooms in the airport hotel and free meals at the canteen. It was another 10 hours before the night flight arranged to Beijing. I remember being very tired and dreamy as I wandered in the airport, took some naps in the hotel room. 

I arrived at Beijing at about 3am in the morning. I have always resisted taking taxis whenever I travel. This time, I have to as taxis was the only choice of transport for me. I was grateful I arrived at the hostel fine, and a male staff woke up and helped show me my dorm. In darkness, I left my backpack on the ground, climbed up to my upper deck bunk bed and fell asleep quickly without any change of clothes. I was too tired....

Some pictures in Beijing....it was summer and EVERYWHERE in Beijing was crowded with people. It was noise and noise almost everywhere.
Fortunately, the hostel I stayed in was a walking distance from the main subway station, along a long river. It was quieter and every morning, Chinese people will be fishing, doing their morning exercises or dances there.

At Bejing Train Station to get tickets to another destination...I spent one entire morning in the hostel, going through Lonely Planet borrowed from the staff and finally decided my next destination...I had some problem extending my visa to stay for a month in China. Hence I decided to travel southwards and go to Hong Kong at the end of my 15 days free visa entry.
Spend some time in Hong Kong and reenter China again, to Xing Jiang. Xing Jiang was the main reason for my journey to China.