I arrived in Beijing late yesterday afternoon and travelled with the main Singapore contingent. We were privileged enough to be passengers on the Airbus A380's maiden voyage from Singapore to Beijing. For those that don't know what that means, the A380 is the latest commercial plane that is out at the moment. It features a double-decker, which means more cabin room, etc. The Singapore Airline's economy-class seats feature larger LCD screens in each seatback, as well as an AC power supply in most seats, composite video, USB and ethernet connectivity. I was definitely impressed, and SQ always has the best movie selections for you to choose from! I usually catch up on my movies when I fly home!

 

In the business class, the seats are 34-inches wide and can lie flat for sleeping! Unfortunately, I was in economy class, but it was still a rather pleasant plane ride. I was told that the plane engines were 50% quieter than normal planes, and that is supposed to reduce the fatigue that travelers experience. I don't know if I noticed a difference, but I was also too engrossed in my movies to notice anything else. =)

 

Arriving in Beijing, I was expecting customs and processing to take awhile, but the total time from disembarking the plane to arriving at the village took only 2 hours! The air quality was not as bad as I expected, but even if it was bad, I can't control that, and I am choosing to not focus on things that I cannot control and focus on the things I can, like my preparations.

 

The building that the Singapore contingent is housed in is shared with the Hong Kong contingent and part of the Australian team. My room is spacious, and my roommate and I lucked out, and we have our own private bathroom in our room, which means not having to share a bathroom with anyone else!!!

 

I haven't had a chance to check out the rest of the village, but I've liked everything that I've seen so far!