[BACK] [NEXT]
English Version 57
Wednesday 28.05.08
Beijing
I wake up at 6 and feel fine. And hungry for the first time. The English
birdwatcher, who's name I think is Paul, is up too and we are having an
interessting conversation about China and Chinese traffic while we drink
his instant coffee. My f-eec-bird he can`t put an exact name on but " a
coo-coo of some kind probably an Indian one". I get a Swiss breakfast,
which tastes really good, but there`s not enough. NOW I`m looking
forward to eating a proper breakfast back home. The routines set in:
washing, shower, withdrawing money - again. I last had some in Chengdu
which should be efficient, I thought more than that - but they`re gone!
I rent a bike, a pure Chinese one, for 10RMB and sets off in direction
of the embassy area San Li Tun. Nearby is the biggest lamasery in
Beijing and I go there first. Besides text in Tibetan it doesn`t seem so
different from other temples I`ve seen. Except from the small curtains
on some walls. I have one in my bedroom 8in Bornholm which I bought in
Nepal in 1969. I recognize the pattern in some of them.
 |
 |
| I visited the tibetan monastery.... | .....in Beijing |
The flagship is a temple with a 18 m high Buddha cut in one single
piece of sandal tree. You enter the room and have to get quite close
before you can see his head up there in the height of 3 stories. It`s
pretty impressive cause there`s not much space around him. He just fills
out the entire building.
Then I continue for the embassy. Ask some embassy-a-like people if they
know Dong Wu Jie? They don`t know, "but it`s over there somewhere" - and
point. Yes sir - I know that too!
I figure out the system when I reach Xi Liu Jie - West 6 Street and just
then I have a puncture, so the rest of the way down to the middle street
and further on by Dong Wu Jie - East 5 Street to no.1 is on a flat tyre.
At the entrance I`m stopped by a security guard. It`s not like at the
embassy in Teheran in 1969. At that time you just entered an office, as
far as I remember, but that was so long ago and a lot has happened in
the world since then.
I tell him I have an appointment with both the ambassador and Mr.
Christian, I never wrote down his last name and can`t remember. They`ve
got more Mr. Christians. I give him my passport and my mobile with
Christians tel. no. And after a while I`m allowed to enter.
I speak with the ambassador and Christian and Michael who both were
involved in the search for me and we`re all interessted in finding out
how things were from the other point of view. But they do not know
whether and when there were communication between authorities in Maoxian
and authorities outside that be Chengdu or Beijing.
The ambassador has a plane to catch so he`s the first to leave. Then I
have two problems I'd like to solve, one is the bike and for that
they`ve got staff, so I prepare to wait 45 mins while it`s being fixed
somewhere. In the meantime I`m allowed to put my USB stick in one of
their computers and delete all that`s not supposed to be there. There`s
just one library I can`t delete?! Unfortunately Microsoft Active Sync
cannot run under Windows Vista which they use, so that part is postponed
till I get back.
Now I`m sitting in their courtyard and write my diary while I wait with
a glass of water and a cup of coffee. They`re busy moving because
they`re going to be 50 people instead of 42 in a short time.
 |
| Coffee and water while I wait for my bike to be ready |
The bicycle is ready, it costs 14 RMB which I pay, and I get a
glimpse of the ambassador as he leaves in his diplomacy car with a
Danish flag! That`s only for him to do!
Another positive experience with the Danish authorities here, but the
background is positive too - for me. Not for all the Danes in the quake.
On my way back I pass the Drum Tower and the Bell Tower and the White
Pagoda, but they1`re all closed at this time.