22 Days in Beijing

Introduction. We were the only ones in the Beldia family who had not gone to China to visit Nubs' eldest sister Twink and her husband Warren who worked at the Philippine tourism office in Beijing. We, meaning my father-in-law Judge Beldia, my husband Nubs, my daughter Indie and myself. The Judge was fresh out of retirement and 28-month old Indie was deemed fit, physically as well as emotionally, to travel abroad. We all agreed it was time to go where the others have gone.

The Beijing Four

The Planning. First step was to call our friend Eng a.k.a. Elaynne Policarpio of Spin Travel and Tours to book our flight. We got a September 2 departure and a September 23 return booking via Philippine Airlines. Then the visas. (Yes, they require these things too in China.) Ours arrived a mere 2 days before our flight which would have been fine except that all our visas stated that we were to stay for 14 days only when our tickets said 22 days! (The side story here was that the Chinese Embassy, which issued 30-day visas on a regular basis, allegedly did this in retaliation after the Philippine government banned some candy imports from mainland China. Hence, the cut-down on Visa-allowed days for Filipino tourists. Of course, this was hearsay.) The Spin people panicked that we might be questioned at immigration that they did not sleep a wink on the eve of our departure up to the time we were safely aboard the plane.


The Packing. As expected, Nubs and I didn't get any good night's rest before the flight, packing Indie's stuff that were all categorized as essentials—sterilizer, feeding bottles, 3 900g cans of powdered milk, vitamins and medicines, more than 5 dozens of diapers, lots of clothes, jackets, shoes, slippers, the list went on and on. As for our own, I must say we did wise up a bit there. We didn't want to bring too many clothes. It was not a hotel we were staying at so we could always wash and wear at no cost. No need for heavy jackets either; it was between summer and fall in Beijing. I even packed our toiletries in zip bags. (The real thing weighs at least half a pound, you know.)

And surprise, our luggage fell below the minimum weight allowance.


The Flight. It was an early 7am flight so we left home at the ungodly hour of 3am. Poor Indie woke up when we got to the airport but was too excited to go back to sleep during the 3.5-hour wait. Among the activities she invented to keep herself in high spirits was the camera game where her Lolo was the subject and she the photographer. She demanded that subject smile at her every click and the old man was close to a locked jaw, saved only by the call to board.

Indie entertaining her Lolo

The camera game

Pretty obvious we didn't get any sleep

On board, Indie showed all the moves of a seasoned traveler. She said hello to the flight attendants, climbed up her seat unassisted, put on her belt by herself, scanned the emergency instructions briefly then pretended to read the pages of Mabuhay magazine. Such a character, our daughter.

It was Indie's first 4-hour plane ride. She was in a jovial mood that morning so there were no tantrums to worry about. She ate like she enjoyed the airline food, slept without fuss, even entertained a couple sitting across us. The flight was uneventful, highlighted only by a near hysteric scene involving a middle-aged stewardess and 2 Korean passengers whom she caught tinkering with the emergency exit door! By the time Indie began to show signs of irritability, it was touchdown. Thank heavens!

Day 1. The airport was vast. There were walkalators all throughout though so we had no cause for complaint, especially Indie who saw them as oversize toys. The immigration lines were quite long despite the adequate number of counters. People were flocking to China it seemed. And why not?

Grandfather, father and daughter on the walkalator

(By the way, we didn't have to adjust our watches, China being in the same time zone as the Philippines.)

Out of the airport and into the highways of Beijing, we could already sense China's emergence even from the car window. There was progress at every turn. And there was culture. The Chinese were deeply attached to their roots I thought and it was apparent everywhere in this highly urbanized city.

Per our hosts Warren and Twink, who fetched us in a rented van, our first stop was Holiday Inn Hotel. From the lobby we went straight to a store selling branded rejects that told us we have indeed arrived in the land of the counterfeit and overruns. No matter, there were Nine West, Anne Klein and cK flats and heels, original I'm-not-a-plastic-bags by Anya Hindmarch, RL bags, high-end men's shoes and apparel and many others. All at a fraction of their market prices. But guess what, I bought not a single piece! Not that I wasn't tempted but I was still a bit sleepy to go shop crazy.

The old boy trying out branded overrun shoes

Next, our welcome-to-Beijing meal which was funny because it was not Chinese but Thai, in a plush restaurant within the hotel where only authentic Thai dishes were served. It was very good though. Indie loved the tender chicken pandan; Nubs, the shrimp and walnut salad; and me, the curry, of course. What I found funnier, Thai food in Beijing seemed better than its Bangkok counterpart. Or was I just too hungry? Too hungry, in fact, that I forgot to take pictures of our first lunch!

Last stop, Ikea. The Beijing branch, the second largest in the world at 43,000 square meters, was like a big playground for the tireless Indie but was too huge for my energy-deprived body. It was well-planned though so it was not at all hard to cover each and every department. In spite of our fondness for Ikea goods, we shopped very little. For my part, lack of sleep, coupled with the big Sunday crowd, made me lose touch with my inner shopaholic.

Kids can use the toys that were for sale

Indie took a nap on the drive from Ikea. The plane ride and the mini tour had taken their toll on her little body. It was dark by the time we arrived at our home for the next 3 weeks. The Palacio abode was a cozy 3-bedroom unit on the 23rd floor of the building filled with beautiful Chinese pieces. Indie, refreshed, was instantly at home and was back to her hyperactive self then immediately fell asleep when dinner was over. After unpacking, it was wine and cheese time during which I just took a moment to check on Indie but was off to dreamland as soon as my back hit the bed.

The door behind Indie was our room, to her right is the masters'
and to her left is her Lolo's

To be continued in my next post.