Harmonious Beijing

Money wasn't pouring in quite as fast as we had hoped so we trashed the decoder ring idea. (You can decode the previous entry's title by substituting letters for numbers (A=1, B=2, C=3...).

Our journey began at 7:30 Wednesday morning. Scott Bruno graciously (was) volunteered to provide personal taxi service to the Charlotte airport. We started our trip off right by ignoring the suggestions to arrive at the airport 2 hours early for international flights. That turned out to be a good idea since our flight to DC was delayed for just over an hour. Boarding began just as we were trying to decide whether to look for alternate flights.

We arrived at Dulles with plenty of time to get to our connecting flight which thankfully was in the same terminal. The flight was overbooked and we were last in line, but we managed to get seats, although they were not together. We decided getting to China to adopt Leah was more important than sitting together on the plane so we took what we were given without fuss.

If lounging on a Caribbean beach sipping cocktails is a 0 and being drawn and quartered is a 10 on a pain scale, I would rate a fourteen hour trip in coach as a solid 6.5. If you don't believe me, I have developed a way for you to experience the trip without leaving home:

1) Empty your refrigerator of everything (shelves included).
2) Place a small microwave on the fridge floor.
3) Add two frozen meals, a pack of Ramen noodles, and 2 Cokes in the fridge.
4) Place a vacuum cleaner in the fridge.
5) Place a chair in the fridge and sit down.
6) Close the refrigerator door and turn on the vacuum cleaner.
7) Sit in the chair for fourteen hours straight. You may microwave one meal after two hours and the second 13 hours into your adventure.
8) If you can do all of the above during an earthquake you'll have a fair replica of the trip!

Sleep was spotty though out the overseas flight that once again took us into the northern tip of Canada, north of Alaska, and then down through Siberia and Mongolia before touching down in Beijing. I remember thinking when the pilot told us we were 30 minutes outside Beijing how pretty the blue sky was. That was before we began our descent. Once on the tarmac, we tried to determine if the gray, overcast sky was smog or fog. Our guide seemed to suggest that it was a little of both.

After all the families were assembled in the terminal, we took a bus ride through heavy traffic (the DC morning commute pales in comparison) to get to the hotel. We arrived at the Downtown Holiday Inn around 5:30 PM Thursday (4:30 AM EST). By about 6:30 we had our bags brought to our rooms and were ready to set out to find something to eat. Note that up to this point I have foolishly hoped to stick to a "no flour, no sugar" menu on this trip. I ate VERY sparingly on the plane to adhere to my diet so I was famished once in Beijing. For our first night out on the town, we opted for Sizzler. An 8 oz New York strip with a side salad and a glass of mineral water for about $24. I think I'll be dropping the original plan and going with the (cheap) fried dumplings for breakfast!

Our guide, Barbara, explained to us during the bus trip how the Chinese government was so incredible for being able to control the weather and the flowers' blooming cycle during the Olympics. Apparently they were able to sprinkle "magic Chinese dust" in the sky to keep it from raining during the opening ceremonies, and managed to keep the local flora in bloom long after their normal cycle. She sounded quite enamored while Angela and I just rolled our eyes. It's interesting to see how a story can be seen through two different sets of eyes.

We spend the next two days touring Beijing before flying to Zhengzhou on Sunday morning. Tomorrow will be spent touring Tienanmen Square and the Forbidden City. Saturday will include a trip to the Great Wall and a chance to see some of the Olympic architecture. We'll be sure to post pictures of our outings.

Overall, we're glad to be in China safe and sound. We are both extremely tired, and Angela is already snoozing on the bed at 8 PM. Several families once again brought children with them. Although there would have been many good reasons to bring the boys with us, I don't think I could have dealt with them on a day like today when the travel had me completely worn out. We are very glad to have my parents available to watch the boys while we are overseas. Keep us in your prayers -- especially Angela who has to deal with all the stresses I am dealing with in addition to dealing with ME!