Rolls Around the World 2007: 24 Datong to Beijing, China

Saturday, September 22, 2007

Miles for the day - 255 (410 km) Miles to date: 11,606 (18,678`km)

We left Datong at 7 AM, before traffic became heavy, and were zipping along a great four-lane expressway in no time. Highway speed in China is 110 kph (68 mph), which is the perfect speed for the Rolls. We began to see oncoming traffic on our side of the expressway, driving on the shoulder of the road. At a break in the centre divider cars were crossing to move towards oncoming traffic on the other shoulder. Figuring there must be a reason, I joined them. Marilynn was in terror, as the cars going against traffic on the shoulder were doing at least the speed limit - me along with them. I wanted to keep up with a car with four way flashers, as there are no emergency flashers on the Rolls. The reason for the exercise became apparent when miles of stopped trucks blocked both lanes on the correct side of the road. Apparently only so many trucks are allowed in the Beijing area to ease traffic congestion, and these were stopped 150 km (93 miles) from the city! Instead of pulling them to the side of the road, they turn the expressway into a parking lot.

Eventually we passed the police blockade, made a 'U' turn at the next exit, paid the toll to leave the highway, made another 'U' turn, picked up a new ticket to enter the highway and were back on expressway once more on the correct side of the road.

About 100 km (62 miles) from Beijing we once again met cars coming towards us on the shoulder. After a few miles James suggested we turn around, correctly assuming there was another traffic blockage ahead. We got off the highway onto a secondary road riddled with unpaved sections, giant potholes and masses of traffic, particularly trucks, also trying to avoid the blockage on the highway.

At the next highway entrance we could see stopped lines of trucks, so took another secondary road that led us well into the countryside, around the second largest reservoir for Beijing drinking water. The twisting road was in horrible condition, but transport trucks were not on this route, only slow, smaller local trucks. After what seemed a long time we crossed under the highway where there was no access, but saw it was still clogged with stopped trucks. After a few more miles of desperately bad road we followed a sign to enter the highway - but were disappointed to find the road was still blocked, requiring a return the rough road again. James kept me going by giving me a great shoulder massage from time to time!

The next highway entrance had no stopped trucks, but our lane was used for traffic both ways. Passing was not possible due to closely placed cones dividing the road, so everyone proceeded at the pace of the slowest truck. The road was winding, with a series of tunnels through the mountains, the longest of which was 3,455 meters (11,332 ft). Once in Beijing, the hoped for light Saturday traffic turned out to be very heavy, so it was a long crawl until we reached the hotel.

Air pollution varied from medium to heavy all day, making it difficult to see some of the beautiful mountainous terrain. According to the English language newspaper steps are being taken by the government to reduce air pollution.

Once the baggage was delivered to our large room I went with a Rolls Royce employee to have the car washed, then returned to park it in the showroom located on the ground floor of the hotel. They had a great location for the car, in the centre showroom of three. The room in front displayed a new Rolls Royce Phantom, and the one behind a Lamborghini. After a chat with Wilson Ho, the general manager of the Rolls Royce dealership, I joined Marilynn for drinks and snacks in the huge club lounge. We were both shot after driving the type of roads we had hoped we wouldn't see again, and though we hadn't eaten since 6:30 AM made do with complementary drinks and a good selection of snacks.

Sunday, September 23, 2007

Marilynn went up to the Regency Club for breakfast while I went down to the main dining room, so we had breakfast together separately. James and a driver picked us up to tour Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. The square was crawling with tour groups, each group wearing a distinctive coloured ball cap, following leaders with coloured flags on the end of telescoping antennae. The smog was too bad to photograph buildings at any distance. We skipped the Mao Mausoleum due to the formidable line-up.

Construction started on the 42 ha (4,519,200 sq. ft.) site of the Forbidden City in 1406. The 35 meter (115 ft) high main gate was built in 1420, then rebuilt in 1558 and 1617. The Forbidden City was comprised of 9,999 rooms for the Emperor's family and staff, and is rumoured to have included up to 3,000 concubines. Pretty optimistic, as this was before Viagra! The 170,000 sq. meters (1,829,200 sq ft) of buildings were swarming with people.

Lunch at the Bai Jia Da Yuan Restaurant with James and the driver was a real treat. It specializes in imperial court cuisine and Baifu dishes. The tranquil Yuejia Garden, where the restaurant is located, was once the residence of Prince Li of the Qing Dynasty. The service from period costumed staff was impeccable, the food superb and the price very reasonable.

The summer palace was very different from the sun-baked Forbidden City. It is four times the size, and consists of tree-shaded courtyards between the buildings along the shore of a large lake. I had to decline the whole 4 km (2.5 mile) walk through the grounds to the rear entrance, as there was no way my knees would do it after the Forbidden City hike. The crowds seemed a little less, although during the May national holiday James says up to 60,000 people a day go through, so everyone just shuffles after the person ahead. The temperature today was about 29 degrees.

Marilynn and I were both still full from lunch, so back at the hotel had drinks and snacks in the Regency Club again.

Monday, September 24, 2007

Today's first stop was the Ming Tombs, near the mountains we drove through coming into Beijing. Thirteen of the sixteen Ming emperors (1368-1644) have individual tombs in this large area, but only one is open to the public and many have not been excavated in order to preserve the contents. The tombs date from 1406, and the one that is open is large enough to be called an underground palace. It is necessary to descend a long way on a stairwell to visit the huge underground burial chambers with their high arched ceilings. An emperor and his two empresses were buried here, along with a lot of gold, gold utensils, silks and other precious items.

Next we visited the Great Wall at Juyong Pass. We passed through the wall here on the way into Beijing without even knowing it! A lot of the wall was rebuilt in the 1980s. This site had literally hundreds of tour buses and vehicles in various parking areas, and the wall up the mountain had a steady stream of tourists climbing it. The visitors were an attraction themselves - an Austrian marching band in full uniform (in 31 degree heat), mimes, clowns and people dressed in various unusual costumes.

Some sections of the wall were built in the 8th and 7th centuries BC. These were connected and the wall completed by the Qin Dynasty between 221 and 206 BC. The original wall was over 5,000 km (3,107 mi) long, with a thickness of 4.5-9 meters (15-30 ft) and height of 7.5 meters (25 ft). The Ming Dynasty extended the wall to 6,400 km (4,000 mi) in length.

Lunch was at a tour bus restaurant where there was a reasonable buffet. Marilynn stopped to do some shopping at a less touristy market on the way back to the hotel. Two tailors came by the hotel for fittings for pants Marilynn had ordered yesterday.

In the evening James and a driver took us to the Dadong Roast Duck Restaurant, one of the most famous in Beijing for Peking Duck. Our dinner companions in the private dining room were Marion Lu, Director, and Wilson Ho, General Manager of Rolls Royce Motor Cars Beijing; Lifeng Liu - General Manager of China Sea International Travel Service, who arranged the car importation and all travel in China; and Sandy Ma - Managing Director of Chinasonic Racing Promotion (Beijing) Limited, who arranged to ship the Rolls out of China.

The meal was superb gourmet Chinese food, the flavours indescribably delicious and the people great company. We had a lot of fun, and I left stuffed but wishing I could somehow eat more. Marion had done a marvellous job in ordering the various dishes, many of which were new to Marilynn and I. The Peking duck was head and shoulders above anything we had experienced before. Wilson and Marion drove us back to the hotel, very full and happy.

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

We took some photos of the car in the showroom this morning before the 10 AM press conference. Lifeng Liu and James came to the conference as well. Once the interviews were over we drove the car out of the showroom, and Marion and James showed me the way to the Rolls Royce repair facility, about 30 km (19 mi) from the showroom. It was a very upscale operation, with some new cars being given the final check over before delivery, including a magnificent stretched limo that cost over a million dollars.

They promptly put our car up on the hoist, and a look around underneath didn't reveal any new damage other than a leak in the differential seal. They were to change the oil and filter, top off any low fluids, replace a broken exhaust system bracket and balance the right front tire. Lunch was a Subway sandwich before taxiing back to the hotel. We'll pick the car up on the way to Dezhou in the morning.

Late in the afternoon a messenger delivered a fax with the repair shop cost so I could pay it at the dealership, as we plan to leave in the morning before the service department opens. It took my breath away! The 9 litres for the oil change was $300 ($33.33 per litre) plus $78 for labour, a minimum "vehicle inspection" charge of $312, wheel balancing $78, and repairing the muffler bracket $156. After a 15% discount the bottom line was $785.40.

I went to talk to Marion in the dealership, and she went to bat for me with the service manager. She didn't know the minimums would apply, but was told the pricing is based on the charge made to Rolls Royce Motor Cars for warrantee work. Each time a car comes in it has a full diagnostic inspection, which is where the $312 minimum charge comes in - however in my case there was no inspection but the charge applied anyhow. After some discussion the service manager, who runs both the Rolls Royce and Bentley repair facilities, agreed to reduce the price to $542, which I paid. I felt very badly for Marion, who unfortunately ended up in the middle of this. The advantage was that it drove me to drink - I downed two stiff gin tonics shortly after leaving the showroom! It was my fault for not asking for the price structure first!