The arrivals hall was lined with about 200 people holding welcome boards – it would have taken someone a good 20 minutes to read them all and find your name amongst the scribbled greetings.
We headed for the taxi rank and got piled into a little Volkswagen and sped through the outskirts of Beijing in the 32 degree heat. The 4-6 lane roads are impressive and the driving technique seems to be lean on the horn and pull out in front of the car, bus, taxi as quickly as possible. It’s then the responsibility of the driver behind you to slam on the brakes and avoid the collision. Quite brilliant really, and used successfully by Italians for decades!
Took one photo of an Olympic countdown clock before checking in to our room and sleeping until 5am the next day.
