Ni Hao everyone! We made it. We left Sugar Grove this morning around 8:45. The kids and Grandma gave us a send off with kisses and hugs. Aaron said “Good bye, I will miss you, now get out!” Yes, they will miss us. We got to the airport around 9:30 and got everything checked in and just hung out with the travel group that was taking the same plane as us. I absolutely love our group. We just seem to get along so well, and we just have a comfortable chemistry about us. Our plane left around 12:35 and then came the longest plane ride that I have ever been on. I think it was around 5 hours into the flight that I realized that we were not even half way there and I was pretty much ready to be off the plane. Jason is very antsy, but in his defense he was trying to pack a tall body into an itty bitty space. We both took a few catnaps, but weren’t able to get a really good stretch of sleep in.
We arrived in Beijing around 2:20 in the afternoon on March 27. The flight was about 13 hours and was actually sunshine the entire way. We flew up into Canada and then West over Alaska and to China from there. The Beijing Airport is the largest airport in the world. They just added on for the Olympics and just opened the one area that we went to yesterday. It is very modern and overwhelmingly huge. I am not really sure what happened to Wednesday or most of Thursday, but I hear we will find an extra day on the way home. The entire group was pretty much exhausted from the trip and while we were going to the hotel via bus, our guide would ask us questions, and we would just stare at her without answering. Our lights were on, but nobody was home.
We have already bought a new camera within hours of arriving. Our camera wasn’t working, and we can’t go without pictures. Our guide Bill helped us get one. Thankfully he was with us because he did all the interpreting for us. When we were flying into Beijing, it just looked like any city in the U.S., but once we were in the bus getting to the hotel, it was becoming very clear we were no longer in the states. The majority of the cars are compact cars. The Chinese people are fearless drivers. There was merging going on and near misses, but it all just worked out. Jason would be the first to tell you that I am a back seat driver, and I must have been too tired to care about the driving. There are approximately 5 million cars in Beijing, but what is so surprising is how quiet it is. Bill, our guide told Jason and I that honking is forbidden. I was also amazed by how clean the air seems. I know that is one area that they have been required to work on as they prepare for the Olympics in August. One thing about coming here at this time, is that the city is getting a facelift for the Olympics and we get to see the progress.
Three things I am thankful for:
1. An uneventful flight.
2. Our travel group.
3. This adventure God has allowed us to have.
Three things I miss:
1. Easy access to drinkable water.
2. To be able to communicate and be understood by everyone.
3. The kids.
I will post pictures tomorrow. We are waiting for our new battery to charge. Thanks for checking in with us. We will be going to the Great Wall tomorrow so the entry will be a lot more interesting. Kids, we love you and miss you and hope all is well with you. We are off to bed, we will be starting very early in the morning! |
