Beijing Airport Still World's Second Busiest; Sad Sri Lanka

We reported last week that flights between Beijing and Las Vegas would be starting soon. Those flights have now been approved by US regulators, and will commence December 2. Viva. 

It's not really news when nothing changes, so we won't go into great detail, except to say that Beijing Capital International Airport is still the world's second-busiest airport, still trailing Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Here's the previous story we wrote about this for your reference. 

BCIA is, however, one of the world's "20 most impressive airports," according to Popular Mechanics. "Spanning more than two miles in length, Beijing's Terminal 3, opened in 2003, is one of the longest buildings in the world. At 14 million square feet, the terminal designed by Fosters + Partners was meant to symbolize a dragon and use colors native to China both inside and out. The sustainable lighting and natural airflow design uses a roof that allows sunlight through, bouncing red and yellow lights on the interior. Other portions of the roof include a garden visible to the planes from above."

In late June, I visited Sri Lanka. I went to a very specific area (Batticaloa) for a very specific purpose (technical wreck diving), so I doubt my experience will be relevant to most of our fine readers. However, I will make a couple of general observations that may assist travelers interested in this island destination.

Potential for tourism here is massive. The northeastern coastal areas of Sri Lanka were battered first by decades of civil war, and hit hard by the Indian Ocean Tsunami. The legacy of the latter is obvious. A stroll around the area we stayed revealed Buddhist, Christian, and Hindu memorials to local residents who had died. One could also easily see staircases that once led to houses that now ended abruptly and square foundations where homes no longer stood. Sri Lanka struck me as a sad country. Not as in pathetic, not at all, but as in a country emerging from an unhappy period, an emergence that is far from over. 

That said, in the same area, I went running on a beach and saw not a single other human being during the 45 minutes I was on the sand, except for a few guys passing by in boats. Coconuts rolled in the waves up and down it. The opportunity for resort operators who would be willing to overcome local obstacles, such as the choice between traveling there by small aircraft or a seven-hour road journey from the international airport in Colombo, could do well in the long-term. Wild elephants live within an hour's drive, and can often be seen from the road. There's some diving in the area, although high winds make it seasonal at best. 

Colombo, which I visited only briefly, seems like an up and coming place, with new restaurants, new construction, and a young population that could make it a cool destination in the future. The Economist, not normally given to hyperbole, absolutely gushes over it in this video, although it's sponsored content from Turkish Airlines, so take it with a cube of sugar. Regardless, it's about an eight or nine-hour flight from Beijing on Air China or Sri Lankan Airlines, or you can connect via Malaysia, Singapore, or Thailand for about the same amount of flying time. 

I'm currently waiting for United Airlines to deliver a suitcase that apparently never boarded my flight from Beijing to Newark. More on the resolution of that matter on Thursday.

More stories by this author here.

Email: stevenschwankert@thebeijinger.com
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Photo: Steven Schwankert/the Beijinger