Thanks so much for visiting us during our journey, Steve, Allison, Sean, Megan and Ryan!
An invisible red thread connects those who are destined
to meet regardless of time, place or circumstance.
The thread may stretch or tangle, but will never break.
-An Ancient Chinese Belief
Wow!! What a long journey from Clarkston, Michigan to Beijing, China. We departed Friday at 3:35pm from Detroit and landed Saturday in Beijing at 9:45pm, crossing over the international dateline mid-way. We flew with the sun most of the way while flying east, so it didn't get dark until we left Tokyo during the one hour lay-over. We ate lunch at the Detroit airport, then on the first flight we ate dinner, an evening snack, and breakfast, only to eat dinner again on the second flight...all within 17 hours!
While passing through the China Border Patrol security checkpoint at the Beijing Airport, Megan got a warm smile and "Ni hao" (hello) from the officer...we felt officially welcomed to China! We were met at the airport by our guide Jane and a driver who would be with us for the two days in Beijing. She recommended that we all sleep good Saturday night at the hotel to be ready for a relaxing day at the Great Wall tomorrow. We think we will since the River View Hotel is very nice and in a quiet residential part of town.
Looking forward to site seeing before the next long flight, paperwork, and having Ryan Tian in our arms! We all miss Sean and know he is taking care of the house, pets, and grandparents (and busy with fun activities).
