Beijing

There is no experience like arriving at the Beijing train station at 10 in the morning with no idea of where to go. As soon as I got off the train, a local teenager took one of my bags and motioned for me to follow him. He maneuvered our way out of the station, and as I gave him a tip, I saw a place to check my bags. I took one of those bicyle taxis after deciding on the Hotel International. I could have walked there from the station, but I didn't know that at the time amid the confusion.

Beijing differs from Shanghai in its wide tree-lined avenues. This was the scene at the street running past my hotel. Business goes on whether you can afford a car or not. This is the street -- "Dongchang'an Avenue" -- that leads to Tiananmen Square.

The Hotel International. The driver of the bicycle taxi parked out on the street, not by the entrance door with the other taxis. Is it possible that I arranged transportation with an unapproved taxi?