Disembarking Sapphire Beijing 12/4/07?

[Gypsy025]

If you are disembarking the Sapphire Princess in Beijing on Dec 4, 2007, are planning a few days stay in Beijing and are interested in joining my wife and me for guided tours, please email me at stingrayPBI@aol.com

[trooper 1]

We will be shipmates on that cruise. We were in Beijing last fall. Some days the air was so thick we could only make out the outlines of 40-50 story buildings just 3 or 4 blocks away. This time we are going straight to the airport from the pier. The Forbidden City is a must see. We found the easiest way visit it was to book the tour at the (Hilton) hotel desk. Plan on several hours there to see and take in all of it. We bypassed seeing Chairman Mao in his tomb. The line was looong. The taxicabs are regulated by the city. But be very, very certain you are very sure of the charge and agree in advance if you use the pedicabs. I would never again. I was quoted a price of just 4 yuan. When we got off he demanded 4,000 yuan!!! I argued and the crowd started to get unruly. I did not pay his price but I really, really got took. I lived in the Orient for a year and a half and thought I knew how to handle the situation. But I felt the best course was to get the hell out of there before WW III started. I suspect the pedicab driver retired the next day.