We Made It!!

We have arrived in Beijing and it's a balmy 87 degrees outside. The plane ride was uneventful but very cold, so I was glad to be in the heat. We arrived at 2pm and it took us about ½ hour to go to the bathroom, go through health checkpoints, passport control / customs, get our bags, and then meet Michael (a guide, not ours) outside to take us to the hotel. Prayers have been answered, I have been traveling for about 21 hours and I have a mildly achy back…no severe back pain! Praise God!

After we checked in and our bags were brought to our room, Michael took us and one other couple to the grocery store to buy bottled water. He also showed us where a few local restaurants are and a Subway restaurant. He also showed us where the Metro station was for us to use while touring here. We have been warned to not use the metro from 7am to 9am and 4:30pm to 7pm…rush hour….I don't want to use the metro at rush hour around here. Chinese people are friendly, but they push a lot when trying to get somewhere…lines and politely waiting your turn is not a custom. We experienced this while boarding the plane to Beijing…most of the occupants were Chinese, didn't understand English and all tried to get on the plane at once. Fun.

We are at the Poly Plaza hotel and the room is small for a 5 star hotel, but nice…with REALLY firm beds…I mean it feels like lying on plywood! We are waiting for our kids to call soon so we can say hello and let them know mom and dad are safely in Beijing. We miss them a lot already.

We'll send more tomorrow. Goodnight from Beijing!

Click here to see a slide show of some of our "in flight" photos: