The Story So Far

All stories, whether good or bad, must have a starting point. I should probably begin this one with a word or two about my friendship with Paul.

Paul and I met at a company we used to work at while converting an old mutual fund trading application to a new one. Through many a bitch and moan session about the perils of our conversion, we became wonderful friends. He has bragging rights to being the only person who made me cry by submitting his resignation.

The day he left the office for the last time, it actually felt like one of those sit coms where one of the actors on the show decided not to renew his contract and had to be written out of the plot. That day I kept envisioning all we had been through together. We had seen the good, the bad, and the ugly - the ugliest being my divorce. When he was leaving I felt a kind of transformation, like he had been there long enough to make sure I was ok and that it was alright that he was leaving because I could finally stand on my own two feet.

But alas, try as he might to escape from me, I followed him to the new company where we both now work. I also hang around his apartment quite a bit because his TV is nicer than mine. And he keeps feeding me.

So one would think that with the amount I hang around and drive him crazy that he would see his trip to Beijing as the perfect opportunity to escape from me for a couple of weeks. When he first announced that he was going to Beijing I was plotting ways to break into his apartment so that I could continue to watch my favourite shows on his super cool TV. I just wasn't sure how I was going to eat. Then one day late last year he said to me "My initial travel companion to Beijing can't make it. Do you want to tag along?"

I agreed. And our trip was born.

January's activities consisted of booking 2.5 weeks of vacation. Luckily I booked it before my boss realized how busy things are going to be while I am away. Even more lucky for me is that David sees how excited I am about the trip and does not have the heart to ask me to cancel it.

March consisted of making some final arrangements for the event tickets.

April-May-June consisted of me lamenting to my friend Chunling about trying to find accommodations while staying in Beijing. She, being from Beijing, suggested a place to stay and provided me with the phone number to call. Chunling also warned me that their English might not be the best so I should speak slowly.

The intial challenge with calling Beijing was the 13 hour time difference. When I am sleeping, Beijing is awake and when I am awake, Beijing is sleeping. Except that one night I had to work at midnight and seized the opportunity to make the phone call. The conversation went something like this:
***phone rings, someone picks up***
Hotel person: ???????
Me (remembering to speak slowly): "Hello, do you speak English?"
Hotel person: "??????? No ???????"
Me: "Olympics, room, hotel"
Hotel person: "??????? No ???????"
Me: "Ok, sorry to bother you, thank you and have a good night"
Hotel person: ????????

It was at this time that I decided to end the hotel person's misery and hang up the phone. The new challenge was how to learn enough Chinese to book a room at the hotel.

The next day I spoke with Chunling, and she offered to call on my behalf. It was probably easier for her to offer to book the room than it was for her to teach me Chinese in less than a week.

I gave her some questions I wanted to have answered, she added some questions to the list that I would never have though of on my own, and hooked us up with accommodations. Her father is visiting in Beijing right now, and even went to the place to check it out for us. I owe Chunling and her parents a huge debt of gratitude! And the deposit for the accommodations.

It was around that time that it started to sink in - I really am going to Beijing. The next challenge - finding a way to get there.

My travel agent's name is Andrew. I have used him 3 or 4 times in the past, and I have always been extremely satisfied with the service I receive from him. So I wandered across the street to inquire about flights only to find his office is not there anymore. I found it very perplexing considering the fact that I walk by his office every day and had no idea that he moved. Luckily, after meandering around the new business that is there I managed to find some flyer with Andrew's name on it and found his addresss. The next challenge was finding Toronto Street. I was starting to feel like Andrew's stalker.

I was about to give up, and resorted to calling Paul to ask him if he new where this elusive Toronto Street was. Just as Paul answered the phone I looked at a street sign that clearly said "Toronto Street". I heard Paul say "Hello", to which I responded "Never mind. I found it." and hung up. I imagined Paul staring at his phone with the rumple-faced look of confusion he quite often shoots at me. However, I was on a mission and would have to explain to Paul later what that was all about.

I walked into the office, and lo and behold, Andrew was standing in the middle of the room. He didn't even mind that it appeared that I was stalking him. In fact, he even thanked me for tracking him down.

The flight is basically a done deal as soon as I remember where Toronto Street is again so that I can hand Andrew a big wad of cash in exchange for an e-mail stating that I am allowed to board a plane.

I have one more step to go to be able to travel to Beijing. Obtaining a Visa to enter the country. That is left to come.