Big excitement. We are going through the International Date Line.
We wonder..Is there some electronic revolving door we have to go through? Or a membrane in the sky of some kind? Or does someone righ a bell, or what?
About twelve hours of flying time later there is an announcement "The time is 8pm on the 26th December.."
We have lost a day.
Strange thing Time. Our lives are totally regulated by it .We respect time-based appointments and manage our daily agendas very carefully.
We all believe 'Time is Money'
So have I just had 24 hours of my time-capital whipped away from me?
We look forward to Beijing, and have chosen it as our stop in China, rather than Shanghai, because having visited China last time, twelve years ago, we think Shanghai is too much like New York. On crack.. more or less.
So our first impression of Beijing is the spectacular Norman Foster, Terminal Three of Beijing International Airport. Breathtaking.Vast. Like being under an expanse of starlit sky, with massive pillars holding the whole thing up.
And then into the downtown area to our hotel close to the Forbidden City.
But there is nothing traditional here. Down the main drag it is more like Las Vegas or Dubai now. The booming face of China, no doubt prepped for the Olympics, but very impressive. In a totally capitalist way.
Is this really still a communist country? What has happened? Have the bright lights of consumerism cut off capitalist ideology at the knees?
Are these people confused about their country and what it stands for? And what about the old people who went through the Mao years and the Cultural Revolution? Do they see themselves fitting into this?
Our hotel, the splendid new Regent, could be in Singapore or Los Angeles or ..anywhere.
We were met at the airport with whooping and squeels of delight from Madeleine who has joined us with Michelle for three days from Taiwan.
We continue the celebration.
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