Been in China 5 minutes and already got fleeced (Beijing Airport to Dalian Airport)

After getting off in Beijing, we headed up the escalator and down various long hallways to China Border Control. There was one additional entry form to fill out and then we got in, er attempted to get in line. Apparently all the international flights had landed at once so the lines for “Foreigners” as the neon signs read were snaking around the room. This of course caused a mass stampede of various nationalities aiming to get into China first. Fortunately they opened a few additional “Foreigner” lines (each of which caused an Ellis Island style immigration to the new line) which limited the chaos and allowed C and I to operate with more polite queueing methodology. Getting through customs was easy, I think all they cared about was that you had a valid Visa and checked “No” on each “do you have anything to declare” box. My name was spelled wrong on my Chinese Visa so it was with no small amount of trepidation that I took my turn at the desk but he didn’t give it a second thought. STAMP.

After you clear the customs desk and pick up your checked baggage you have to drop off a baggage customs form. What’s strange is that there’s no real sign or line or roped off area directing you to this desk. If you try to go past the desk one of the Chinese women will politely ask you to drop off your form but they could eliminate a lot of confusion with a couple of signs and a rope line. Finally, you have to pass your checked bags through an x-ray machine before you finally escape all the customs procedures. I amused the X-ray attendant by trying to ask where Terminal 1 was (the location of our connecting domestic flight to Dalian). Well “terminal 1” apparently doesn’t mean anything in Chinese so I tried asking where “zhongguo nanfang” (China Southern – our domestic airline) was. This produced a laugh and no further information so C and I headed out to the jungle that is Beijing Capital Terminal 2. We knew that we needed to get to Terminal 1 but there was a major shortage of signs even mentioning Terminal 1.

Keep in mind as you read this next section that C and I were hauling around (without the assistance of a luggage cart) 4 bags total, each weighing about 50 lbs. Had we been traveling a bit lighter I have no doubt in my mind that we would have figured out where to go and would have successfully checked in by ourselves. Unfortunately this was not the case and we were both quite stressed carrying 100 lbs each. I was sweating like a pig and C was struggling to roll her big bag with the duffel on top. We picked an area that seemed to take us towards Terminal 1 and a uniformed man (probably in his 20s) stopped and asked what airline we were flying. I showed him our tickets and he told us to go to Terminal 1, which we knew. He realized we had no clue how to get there and he started leading the way. We were so stressed we followed him and he led us down a long corridor that connected the two terminals. Along the way he picked up a luggage cart which simplified the trip. He also spoke decent English. C indicated to me that he was going to expect a payment for his assistance so I dug out 20 RMB (about $2.50). He definitely deserved a good tip because he took us a long way and at that time we were in no condition to figure all this out ourselves. He even took us right to the China Southern ticket counter in Terminal 1 and helped negotiate our greater than 20kg bags onto the plane. We were afraid we would have to pay more so avoiding this was great news. Finally, he lead us directly to the security checkpoint. By this time I had pulled a 50 RMB note because I felt he deserved extra for all the trouble he went to. When I went to hand it to him he said “too small, try 200 RMB”. Now 200 RMB is almost $25, which is extremely steep even for the amount of help he gave us. I tried to resist a little but I was soaked in sweat, exhausted, and he was holding our passports. Reluctantly I gave him the 200 kuai and he went on his merry way. Yes, we got taken but this was not the time to practice our negotiating skills in the Chinese marketplace. To be honest, we may have even saved money as he talked the China Southern attendant out of charging us for our heavy bags. Nonetheless I felt like a complete idiot for not standing my ground. As C and I walked away (and I must warn my sensitive readers of an upcoming offcolor remark), I muttered “I’ll tell you what’s too small”. A moment of a weakness for a weary traveler – surely our readers will allow me that.

Getting through security was very easy and Terminal 1 was reminiscent of a small US airport a la Buffalo or Rochester. It was very clean and modern just like Terminal 2. We bought a bottle of water and hung out until our flight left for Dalian. It was a half hour late but overall not a problem. The announcements were in English as well as Mandarin so it was easy to navigate. To my surprise there were at least 5-10 other non-Chinese on our flight to Dalian. The flight itself was very quick, about 45 minutes. They served a brief snack that consisted of an imitation American hot dog. And we got to speak our first Chinese words to a Chinese person on the plane. The flight attendant actually said “ni hao” instead of “hello”. I must say, it’s a little annoying when everyone speaks English when your purpose for being in China is to learn Mandarin. The flight attendants wore snappy red Chinese dresses (the type where they button high along the neck) and the seats were dressed up in a bright blue fabric with a pattern that seemed to design to evoke a Chinese motif. I guess China Southern is going for that “river boat on the Yangtze” feel. It was a good flight though and our bags were ready for pick up on the conveyor within about 10 minutes. Overall a thumbs up for China Southern, Terminal 1, and clever English speaking entrepreneurs wearing fake uniforms.