So today is Monday, some two days since I arrived back from our trip to China. I am still feeling a bit rough and am not sure if it is to do with fatigue, having caught the flu or something I ate. Having the window open in my office to warm it up is getting me some strange looks!
Wednesday was our ‘rest’ day, where we visited several construction projects and managed to cram in Tianemin Square & the Forbidden City. We were treated to Peking duck for lunch. In the evening dinner was followed by more drinks at the KTV bar. (KTV bars are basically Karaoke bars but you sit in private rooms and play dice and attempt to sing in between getting served drinks.)
Dinner was at a hot pot restaurant. The food was great. The restaurant even had a waiting room holding up to 100 people, serving small snacks and drinks to people waiting to get a table!
Thursday we headed to Tianjin an hours drive away. We eventually arrived with the aid of the GPS on my phone, having earlier got lost due to one of the expressways being closed. Doing a three-point turn on a motorway and driving along it the wrong way is an interesting experience! Never mind the undertaking down the hard shoulder or other weird crazy manoeuvres.
We spent about six hours at the glass factory before heading back. We freshened up and then headed out to dinner where we feasted upon an overwhelming array of fare.
Dinner was followed by some more KTV.
Friday we spent at the curtain wall factory. After another exhaustive meeting and tour around the factory we left for the airport. Heading to a traditional Chinese massage parlour along the way we experienced a foot massage that lasted nearly two hours. It was painful in places but by god we felt great afterwards. It was almost as though they had given us a new set of legs each.
The new Beijing Airport Terminal was empty. Most shops were shut, so we were glad to retire into the Emirates Lounge to a plentiful supply of food and drink.
It was not long before we boarded, jumped into our lay flat bed/seats and crashed out.
We got out of Dubai airport quite quickly. In fact it was a surprise to how few people were leaving the airport here – most were in transit.
After grabbing my 5L of duty free spirits I jumped into my Limo and headed home.
There was thick fog along the way and I was happy to sleep – except for me being woken by sharp breaking as we nearly drove into the back of a bus.
It took a while to find home, as it was pitch black and the fog was thick.
Catching a Taxi is different here to most parts of the world. There are no street names to guide you. Directions to your drop off point are by describing a well known landmark and giving directions from there onwards.
