Yesterday was my final day in Hong Kong, and today’s itinerary was scheduled for arriving in Beijing. I found that the cheapest flights from Hong Kong to mainland China were to depart from Shenzhen (just outside of the HK border). The hotel was situated 20 minutes away from the nearest MTR, and with all the luggage I was dragging around I decided to flag down a taxi for today. I read up the quickest way to get to the Shenzhen was by bus which takes you across the border and right to the airport.
There was nothing really to photograph or talk about that morning until the incident on the bus. I was in a bit of a hurry and didn’t get time to stop for a bathroom break. It was a 30 minute bus ride that didn’t seem too long at first, but it wasn’t until I was actually sat I knew I was in deep trouble. The soft suspension felt like I was sitting on a water bed, and the last 15 minutes of the ride seemed like an eternity! I was in so much pain; I was seriously looking into going into a bottle! Scared to even stand up because I thought my muscles would simply let go. Upon arrival I was the first to push and shove my way to the front of the bus, waiting for that door to open so I book it to the bathroom! I broke down a stall, dropped my carry-on’s, leaned up against the wall and give out that huge sigh of relief.

The rest of my day wasn’t all that interesting; I was constantly transferring between buses, planes, and taxis before I finally arrived at the hotel in Beijing (situated only 15 minutes from Tiananmen Square by foot). Beijing was the coldest city I visited thus far, much colder than Vancouver the day I left. During the day, it was roughly -2C and at night the temperatures plummeted to an unbelievable -12 degrees Celsius. Most annoying part of Beijing was the running nose, and at night if you forgot to wipe, you’d be faced with a face filled with frozen snot! That first night in Beijing I dressed accordingly and proceeded to explore the sights and sounds of the city!

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