The Layover | Beijing in Less than 24 hours

Welcome to the beginning of Hawaii week(s)! I’m just getting around to blogging about our trip to Hawaii last year. But before arriving in Hawaii I had a looooonnng layover in Beijing. 17 hours to give or take. At that point, who’s counting?

Sly took a different, direct (work) flight to Oahu which meant that I flew solo, on a potentially sketchy Chinese airline. It was the cheapest flight that I could find at the time, given that it was peak summer season.

Since airports are kind of like mini cities these days, the idea of a long layover didn’t sound too off-putting. I initially planned to wait it out at the airport, maybe find a lounge, read a book, grab a bite to eat, and keep it simple. In the process of researching airport amenities at PEK (and discovering that there weren’t many), I realized that I could obtain a FREE 72 hour transit visa compared to the ridiculous $140 visa fee to visit mainland China.

A free visa?

My wheels began to turn.

The next step was to determine what, if anything, could be done in 17 hours, less once travel time and the time needed to go back through security for an international flight were calculated. To my surprise I found multiple tour agencies that specialized in trips for people with long layovers! What? In less than 10 hours (and about $150) I could take a tour to the Great Wall of China, stop at a few souvenir tourist villages, eat lunch, and be back at the airport with plenty of time! It sounded promising.

Unfortunately, my flight arrived mid-afternoon and by the time I passed through immigration, found the tour guide, and drove to the wall, everything would be closed. Damn.

My other option was to take a cab or subway (or a different tour) into the city. I immediately dismissed the cab option after reading about haggling/getting ripped off by cab drivers. In any normal situation I don’t enjoy haggling, but as a solo female traveler who knew no Chinese there was no way.

The night before my flight I scoured various travel message boards for recommendations of things to do in Beijing within a short time frame and printed out turn-by-turn directions,though strangely, not a map…

After landing, I roamed around the airport for what seemed like forever trying to find the 72-hour visa counter. Nothing I saw in person matched the images of visa counters I researched online. Finally I resorted to what I usually do in instances where I have no clue: I looked to see where the other foreigners were going. Sure enough I watched as a group of foreigners formed a small line to the left of the main immigration gates and to the right of the transfers gate. I tentatively tailed them and there it was. In plain view. The 72 hour visa booth. After filling out a form and being asked a few questions by a very stern, official-looking Chinese lady, my passport was stamped and I was on my way.

I’ll skip over the details of taking the longest shuttle ride ever to the airport express train, wandering around some more trying to find an ATM, realizing I couldn’t connect to the airport wifi, contemplating buying a SIM card but clueless as to where to find one (don’t all airports in Asia sell these in vending machines?), finally finding an ATM, purchasing my airport express tickets, grabbing a free map of the city last-minute, arriving at the subway station only to be utterly confused by the subway ticket machine that would not accept my money, sweating profusely due the heat, humidity, and steadily growing line of impatient people behind me, locking eyes with an Australian dude who was having similar difficulties and trying to figure out the ticket machine together, realizing I needed exact fare as the ticket machine did not give change, standing in yet another line to what I hoped was a ticket booth, pointing to my crinkled map to indicate the station I wanted to get off at and hoping the ticket (?) lady understood what I was trying to say, getting my subway ticket, and FINALLY boarding a train headed into Beijing proper.

It only took me a couple of hours and who knows how many clueless encounters with people who were less than amused by my confusion, but…

I was in Beijing!

Unsurprisingly, I exited on the wrong side of the metro station, and found myself on the opposite side of the street of where I wanted to be. Once again I wandered around and around, this time circling Zhengyang Gate Jianlou looking for a way to cross the street to get to the mausoleum of Mao Zedong.

not the street I needed to cross

I wonder how that selfie turned out

The heat and humidity were stifling.

And of course it rained.

And of course I didn’t have an umbrella.

I prowled around the gate, peering inside past the fences as if they would somehow hold a secret to crossing the street. On my millionth journey around the gate I decided to cross a street — one that had a cross walk — in the opposite direction to what looked like a pedestrian area full of shops and cafés.

Many of the stores on the main street were recognizable, such as Starbucks and an Apple store, and this brief moment of familiarity strangely set my mind at ease. Veering off the main strip I soon became lost in a labyrinth of dimly lit, densely packed, crumbly shops where motorbikes zipped through and around pedestrians, and where the narrow streets were lined with vendors selling all kinds of delicious, beautiful, and unrecognizable items.

The intoxicating rhythm of shops, people, and the occasional live animal, nearly sucked me into its web, never to be seen again.

Eventually I emerged, somewhat disoriented, visually intoxicated, and dying of thirst.

And yet I still needed to figure out how to cross the stupid street!

As was usually case, the most obvious solution was the correct one. Instead of spending all my time searching for a way to cross on top of the street, I should have noticed all the people crossing under the street.  I followed a few locals down a suspiciously dark tunnel and emerged on the other side. I did this a couple more times, in a rectangular pattern, until I finally reached the gate on the opposite side.

I purchased the tiniest, most expensive, bottle of water from a vendor just about to close for the evening, and took a seat on a stone step looking at the edge of an open plaza. The rain stopped, and the overcast sky cleared just enough to allow the sun to poke through the clouds.

obligatory sweaty selfie

Everything more or less closed by the time I made it into town (and figured out how to cross the street). I didn’t mind though. It was reward enough to simply be in another country, experiencing a city that truly felt so foreign.

big brother is watching

I continued walking in a straight line towards Tiananmen Square, past rows of imposing communist architecture and street lamps covered with security cameras.

Tiananmen Square was filled with people, many dressed in their best clothing, having professional photos taken in front of various monuments and Chairman Mao’s photo. In front of the Gate of Heavenly Peace, now plastered with Mao’s face, people clustered five or six deep, some on picnic mats with coolers of food, waiting for I didn’t know what. (I think it may have been to watch the Chinese flag being lowered at sunset?) The mood was festive and jovial, with lots of families laughing happily while waving red flags.

Yet, all I could think about was an unforgettable image that had been forever seared into my childhood memory of a man standing in front of a tank right in this very place. And I wondered how many of those smiling faces remembered, or were even aware, of that brave, defiant soul.

Unfortunately, it was too late to explore the Forbidden City so I walked around and peered in where I could.

I followed the palace walls along a street that ran parallel to the Forbidden City. Unlike the avenues lined with imposing government buildings I was surprised to find a tree-lined street of quaint shops and hidden alleys.

According to the walking directions I printed out, I needed to continue down this street and at some point turn right on such and such street until I hit Wangfujing Snack Street. The directions I had made it seem as if it would take me at most 15 minutes walking, which would have probably been true if I turned down the correct street. 

I hardly encountered any people while walking down this dark, never-ending street which made for a somewhat nervous stroll. Occasionally I passed shop owners sitting outside of their stores, sipping cold drinks, and staring intensely at me as I walked by.

Nearly 30-45 minutes later, at the first busy main intersection, I consulted my written directions. The street names didn’t quite match what I had written down, but I turned right anyway. If nothing else I figured the main road would lead to a subway stop and, worst case scenario, I could navigate my way back to the airport.

A couple of pedicab drivers waiting on the corner offered to give me a tour of the city. Had I met them hours before I would have gladly taken them up on their offer. But, as I turned onto the busy street I could see from a distance by the lights and amount of people that I was not too far from my next destination: Wangfujing Snack Street.

Wangfujing Snack Street was a pedestrian-only street lined on one side with a row of street vendors. Some of the more popular snacks included grilled or fried seafood on a stick, fruit coated in a sticky sweet glaze, and…

Scorpions!

In all different shapes, sizes and colors!

And roach-y, especially crispy-looking, insects!

I’ll take a pound of scorpions topped with roaches to go, please!

Just kidding.

Though I did watch many a foreigner purchase a scorpion on a stick then proceed to make a huge scene in the street while eating it. All of it filmed and documented  for social media, of course. And not just by friends, but by random passerbys and locals as well.

I don’t have any food fears at all and while I wouldn’t necessarily choose to eat scorpion on a stick it doesn’t necessarily gross me out either. On the other hand, I don’t like eating food for merely shock value and I felt like the stands selling insects were aimed towards tourists interested in photos of themselves trying “weird Asian food.”

Most of the booths sold ‘normal,’ interesting, non-insect, food, Westernized-looking Chinese food, and typical fair-style fried or grilled food.

I ordered a cup of lightly fried tofu served in a spicy soy-chili sauce and topped with fresh herbs. The man serving the tofu hardly spoke any English, and I, of course, knew no Chinese, but somehow we were able to communicate with lots of hand gestures and lots of laughing. While initially awkward, connecting with a stranger over food remains one of my favorite memories of Beijing.

The tofu dish cost about 50 cents and was absolutely delicious. Simple, slightly spicy, and with a pop of brightness from the fresh herbs. I could  have eaten at least two dollar’s worth.

I greedily stuffed the pillow-y bites of tofu in my mouth while standing in the street. It was only after I finished my meal that I discovered a 7-11 behind the vendors. I walked inside, purchased three liters of water, and loitered on the steps in front of the store, enjoying my favorite activity: people watching.

I gulped down a couple liters of water and then roamed towards the bustling shop-lined streets adorned with blinking lights and flashing mega-screens.

The shops seemed slightly out-of-place, as if they had popped up overnight. I don’t know why but it felt kind of like the kind of recreated city street that could be found in an amusement park or maybe in Vegas.

In just several hours I had walked through traditional Chinese architecture, communist government plazas, tree-lined streets dotted with traditional homes, and now I found myself in a busy metropolitan commercial center.

And yet, even in this over-the-top modern part of town, glimpses of the past still peeked through, an ever-present reminder of the city’s inescapable past.

Once I walked the street from end to end I realized I had no idea where I was in relation to my subway map. I panicked just a little as I envisioned a worst case scenario whereby I missed my flight to Hawaii. I calmed myself down and made my way towards what looked to be a circle of buses. It looked like a transportation hub of some sort and I figured that there was a good likelihood that a subway station would be nearby.

Thankfully, my instincts were correct.

I found the subway, went through the rigmarole of pointing to my subway map to an annoyed lady in a booth in order to purchase my subway and then, airport express tickets, and made it back to the airport with plenty of time to spare.

The craziest thing though? Even after a 17 hour layover, a 9 hr flight, and several countries in between, by the time I arrived in Hawaii it was still be the SAME DAY.

But first…I had to get through my flight…a flight where, no joke, I was the only non-Chinese person, and where nobody, even the flight attendants, spoke English.

It was all be worth it though.

Hawaii always is.

DETAILS

If you have a 7 hour or more layover, I would highly recommend leaving the airport and experiencing Beijing, or, if you arrive early enough, taking a day tour to see the Great Wall of China located several hours away. Another option is to extend the layover so that you can fully utilize the 72 hour (FREE) visa. Note: There are restrictions on the Visa — only passports from certain countries can apply and you cannot leave the city, and say, board a train to somewhere else and come back. You can obtain a 72-hour visa from many airports throughout China, not just Beijing. For more information, and for planning in general, refer to this extremely helpful site.

I have included a google map of all the places I visited above. It’s actually quite simple and easy to get around Beijing (once you know what you’re doing), not to mention cheap.

Here’s a brief summary of my Beijing in less than 24 hours itinerary:

• Arrived at the international terminal, passed through the quarantine gates, and obtained my 72-hour visa, which at the time was located at a singular booth in between the main immigration gates (on the right) and the transfer to connectin flight (on the left) gates.
• Once I had my visa I proceeded through immigration, boarded the airport shuttle, and got off at the end of the line, which I believe was the baggage claim area? There are money exchange places here, restaurants, an info booth, and just by the stairs, some ATMs. Continue across a walkway to reach the airport express.
• You can purchase tickets for the airport express either via a machine (I think you’ll need exact change though) or via the person at the ticket booth. It’s pretty obvious at this point and there is really only one train you can board (I think). Before boarding the train there are a few kiosks with travel guides and maps. As I had no other guidebooks or access to internet, I kept it old school and found the free TimeOut guide to be extremely helpful.
• Take the airport express to Dong Zhi Men Zhan. Purchase your subway tickets either via the machine (exact change needed) or from a ticket person. Transfer to the #2 Subway line toward Jishuitan
• Get off at Qianmen Metro Stop. If you’re not interested in seeing/passing through Zhengyang Gate Jianlou and the street of shops behind the gate, exit via the North exit. Otherwise you will need to cross the street via a series of underground tunnels to get the mausoleum side.
• From the mausoleum to the Forbidden City is a straight, obvious shot, with many things to see and places to stop along the way if/when open. The Forbidden City itself is quite large and could probably take hours on its own. Be prepared to wait in line to go through security checkpoints at the mausoleum and at the Forbidden City.
• If you end up going through the Forbidden City, you’ll want to leave via Dong’anmen Street, right in front of the Palace Museum. I walked from Tiananmen to Dong’anmen, turned right, and then turned onto Wangfujing Street. I didn’t have a map at the time so I totally overshot and backtracked to Wangfujing because I didn’t want to get lost on a smaller, potentially dead-end street. With an accurate map you can probably find a shorter way from Tiananmen to Wangfujing on foot. Once you’re on Wangfujing Street you’ll start to notice a bunch of food stalls and if you continue down the street you’ll see an ornate gate (see last photo above) that leads to even more stalls. If you don’t want to eat street food, there are plenty of other restaurants in the area including many that serve the famous Peking duck.
• Alternately, you could try to rent a pedicab for the day/by the hour and take a tour of the city, stopping along the way.
• To get back to the airport I walked to the metro at Wangfujing station, boarded the #1 line, transferred to the #2 at Jianguomen, and then boarded the airport line at Dongzhimen which took me straight back to PEK.
• It took me just under an hour and a half each way to get to/from the airport into Beijing. I don’t recall the exact fare but I want to say it was under $10 total for the round trip fare + subway, less than half than the estimated cost of a one-way fare from the airport via a taxi. If you do plan on taking a taxi make sure to negotiate the fare ahead of time, especially if you plan on visiting a touristy place. Many taxi cab drivers throughout Asia have a tendency to have a ‘broken meter’ when a tourist is involved. For more info on taxis, click here.
• I travel with a small carry-on bag and a decent sized convertible hip pack. In this instance I sent my carry-on bag ahead with Sly so that I had one less thing to worry about in Beijing. In my shoulder/hip bag I carried a few toiletries, my big camera, and a change of clothes. There are storage lockers at PEK (supposedly) if you don’t want to carry your luggage into the city.

VERDICT: Definitely worth the excursion, especially considering the visa was free instead of $160! If I were with a group of people or with Sly, I would consider hiring a private driver for the day to explore the city and the Great Wall. Make sure you leave a healthy buffer for travel time, getting lost, and for checking back into your flight. The line to go through security was painfully long and slow, not to mention hot. I wouldn’t recommend leaving the airport with less than a 5 hour layover, and that’s cutting it close.