u    General

The training course and the workshop will be held at Beijing Climate Centre (BCC), China Meteorological Administration (CMA), 46 Zhongguancun Nandajie, Haidian district, Beijing 100081, China.

u    Accommodation and Meals

The sponsors will cover your room charges and meals during the workshop.

Beijing Friendship Hotel

Distance to CMA: 10-minute by bus

Beijing Friendship Hotel is the largest garden-style hotel in Asia. Its style is of classic elegance with traditional Chinese architectures. It offers a full range of amenities, including a large variety of services, such as restaurants, rooms, and business centre, meeting halls and recreational facilities.

Meals are served at the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) in CMA compound.

u     Transportation

Airport-Hotel -----2-3 April 2007 only

LOC members will meet you at the Beijing Capital International Airport if you arrive on 2-3 April 2007. Look for a person holding a placard displaying the BCC and FOCRAII logos. This person will guide you to Friendship Hotel.

Airport-Hotel –----Arrival other than 2-3 April 2007.

Unfortunately, due to budget constraints, arrivals on days other than 2-3 April 2007 must

make their own way to the hotel. To aid you, the following choices are available:

Taxi: Taxi is convenient at the airport. Depending on traffic conditions, it takes about 40 minutes from the airport to Beijing Friendship Hotel. The charge is around 110 Yuan RMB (US$15), including the 10 Yuan RMB highway toll.

Airport Shuttle: Beijng Capital Airport--Gongzhufen (stop at YouYi Hotel)

Airport-Gongzhufen

Stops:  1. International Exhibition Center. 2. Xibahe 3.Anzhen Overpass. 4. Madian Overpass. 5. Beitaipingzhuang. 6. Jimen Overpass. 7.YouYi Hotle (Friendship Hotel). 8. Beijing TV Station 9. Zizhu Overpass. 10.Hangtian Overpass

Operation hours: 8:00--23:00.Every 15 minutes

Airport Shuttle Station is located at Gate 11 of Terminal 2. Note: International flights arrive at terminal 2, only domestic flight of South China Airline arrives at terminal 1.

The travel time from airport to Friendship hotel is around 50 minutes to one hour.

Hotel-Conference Venue

CMA is to the south of the hotel, about 20 minutes walking distance.

Hotel-Airport

Transportation from the hotel to the airport on departure will be arranged by LOC.

The hotel details are as follow:

u    Registration

April 4, 2007 from 08:00-09:00 at the lobby of Beijing Climate Center.

There is no registration fee.

u    Time zone

In relation to Greenwich, Beijing is +8 hours.

u    Electricity, Internet and e-mail

The electrical voltage in China is 220V. Internet and E-mail are accessible for participants in Beijing Friendship Hotel by broadband or telephone line. Internet and Email accession are also available at the conference venue.

u    Reconfirmation of airline ticket reservations

Please contact the front desk or business center of Beijing Friendship Hotel if your need to call to reconfirm your airline ticket, or contact Local Organizing Committee (LOC) members to ask for help during the meeting.

u    Social events

The conference reception hosted by BCC/CMA will be held at 18:00pm in April 4, 2007. (Location to be decided). All participants and their accompanying persons are invited to join the reception.

u    Weather

Beijing has a continental climate with clearly defined seasons. The weather in Beijing during the conference will be fairly pleasant, but it is generally dry and can be occasional windy. The average temperature is about 14.2℃. The mean maximum is 20℃ and minimum 7℃. The average precipitation during April is 21.4 mm with 4.6 days of rain.

u    Medical care and insurance

The conference secretariat will be on duty all day during the conference. Please contact the Secretariat or LOC members for first aid or medical care services. The medical fee should be borne by the patient.

Participants are strongly advised to arrange their own overseas travel insurance.

u    Identity badge

During the workshop, all delegates and their accompanying persons are kindly requested to wear the identity badge. The badge serves as a pass for meetings and meals.

If participants have any questions, please contact the LOC members who are identified by their red badges.

u    Currency exchange

The official currency in China is RMB (Chinese Yuan). Currency exchange centers can be found at airport, local banks, Beijing Friendship Hotel. The currency exchange service also can be provided at a Branch of Bank of China, which is close to CMA.

Travelers’ checks are not widely used in China and are accepted only by major banks and some hotels. The Bank of China will cash your traveler check. The exchange rate for US$ and EURO fluctuate with time. Recent examples are:

US$ to RMB: around 100: 764

EURO to RMB: around 100: 1007

u    Contact point

The contact person of the Local Organizing Committee is:

Mr. Sun Yuan

Dr/Ms. YAN Yuping

Beijing Climate Centre, China Meteorological Administration

46, Zhongguancun Nandajie, Haidian District, Beijing 100081, China

Telephone: +86-10-68400093；+86-10-68406107

Fax: +86-10-68400097

Email: sunyuan@cma.gov.cn; yanyp@cma.gov.cn

u    Language assistance

If you have some difficulties in communication with taxi driver, please print the following Chinese characters to them:

☆    请送我到中国气象局，谢谢！

Please take me to China Meteorological Administration, thank you!

☆    请送我到友谊宾馆，谢谢！

Please take me to Friendship Hotel, thank you!

☆    请送我到首都机场，谢谢！

Please take me to Beijing Capital Airport, thank you!