Trip to Beijing
by John Stuart
B&F January 2006
On Thursday, 26th November, I set off with my band from Edinburgh Airport to play some gigs for The Caledonian Society of Beijing in China. The line-up was Jimmy MacDonald from Tighnabruaich on keyboard, Richard Hughes from Tobermory on drums, Stewart Reid from Dunfermline on fiddle and myself on accordion.
The trip started off okay but quickly ran into trouble when we missed our connection to Beijing at Heathrow by 10 minutes due to fog. Panic! Had to make a quick decision to fly to Shanghai instead – at least it was in China!
Duly got to Shanghai only to find that my case had been lost, which had all my music, kilt etc. in it. We then tried to get a flight to Beijing, only to find that we would have to wait seven hours for the next available flight. However, we eventually got to our destination 28 hours after leaving, and the case turned up the next day.
We were collected from the airport by Mrs Mary Miller-Bakewell of The Caledonian Society, who gave us our accommodation and looked after us during our stay. I have to say that the hospitality given to us by the Society was excellent.
The main function we were booked for was the St Andrews Ball in The Great Wall Sheraton Hotel in Beijing which was a great success. The hotel provided the sound system, complete with sound engineer, which was a great help and the guests were still dancing enthusiastically at 3am next morning.
Over and above that we played at the one and only ‘Scottish’ pub in the middle of Beijing and had a good going ceilidh, part of which was broadcast on Beijing local radio. We also played at a local school near to where we were staying. The children wanted to see our kilts and learn some dances, very enjoyable. The remaining nights we played in a bar/restaurant and then at the British Embassy House in Beijing, so a busy and enjoyable time was had by the entire band.
We also managed to fit in some sightseeing. We walked on part of the Great Wall of china, which was a great thrill, and did a tour of The Forbidden City in Beijing and learned to barter with the local shop keepers.
I am glad to say that the return journey went without a hitch and we returned home with only a bit of ‘jet-lag’ to worry about. All-in-all a great trip and I must thank The Caledonian Society of Beijing for their kindness, and for showing us a little bit of China.
The trip started off okay but quickly ran into trouble when we missed our connection to Beijing at Heathrow by 10 minutes due to fog. Panic! Had to make a quick decision to fly to Shanghai instead – at least it was in China!
Duly got to Shanghai only to find that my case had been lost, which had all my music, kilt etc. in it. We then tried to get a flight to Beijing, only to find that we would have to wait seven hours for the next available flight. However, we eventually got to our destination 28 hours after leaving, and the case turned up the next day.
We were collected from the airport by Mrs Mary Miller-Bakewell of The Caledonian Society, who gave us our accommodation and looked after us during our stay. I have to say that the hospitality given to us by the Society was excellent.
The main function we were booked for was the St Andrews Ball in The Great Wall Sheraton Hotel in Beijing which was a great success. The hotel provided the sound system, complete with sound engineer, which was a great help and the guests were still dancing enthusiastically at 3am next morning.
Over and above that we played at the one and only ‘Scottish’ pub in the middle of Beijing and had a good going ceilidh, part of which was broadcast on Beijing local radio. We also played at a local school near to where we were staying. The children wanted to see our kilts and learn some dances, very enjoyable. The remaining nights we played in a bar/restaurant and then at the British Embassy House in Beijing, so a busy and enjoyable time was had by the entire band.
We also managed to fit in some sightseeing. We walked on part of the Great Wall of china, which was a great thrill, and did a tour of The Forbidden City in Beijing and learned to barter with the local shop keepers.
I am glad to say that the return journey went without a hitch and we returned home with only a bit of ‘jet-lag’ to worry about. All-in-all a great trip and I must thank The Caledonian Society of Beijing for their kindness, and for showing us a little bit of China.