Beijing

Let me try to start at the beginning.  We left for China at 10 AM on Aug 1, and with the time change we arrived about 11 PM on Aug 2.  When we got to the airport the first thing I noticed was it was HOT in the airport.  After I asked Mike if it was really hot, or just me, he told me that most public buildings in China do not have air conditioning.  Mind you, summers in China are very hot and humid where we were.  We went through immigration coming through the airport and then went to get our bags.... only to find one was missing.  Now we flew out, with a layover in Atlanta, and another in Seatle before arriving in Beijing, so WHERE could our bag be?  Anywhere.  Good thing I took heed of some travel advice of packing a little for everyone in each suitcase so if any bags were lost, everyone would still have some clothes, thank goodness.  Now to report our missing bag in a country we didn't speak the language, or could even to read signs directing us...  and ours was the only plane load of people in the building at that hour, and all the others had already gotten their bags and left the area.  Mike finally found the right place, luckily they spoke some English and our bag was reported.  They were able to send someone out to tell our giude who met us that we were there, but delayed, so he waited for us to take care of that.  By the time we were ready to go through customs, we were the only family left and the  lady working just waved us through without checking anything.  I don't think she was supposed to do that.  Good for us though, as it saved us some time.

We got to the hotel around 1 AM on the 3rd.  We were exhausted, but we had a tour planned for the next morning (meeting in the lobby at 8:30 AM) to see Tianamen Square, the Forbidden City, and one of the old parts of Beijing where we got to tour the neighborhood from the back of a bycicle rickshaw, and even go into someone's house to look around.  Very cool.  Although we were tired and did I mention how HOT it was there?  Many people in China carry umbrellas to keep the sun off them.  We ended up buying an umbrella hat from one of the venders in the square for Zach.  We learned a lot about the culture, especially while we viewed the old city.  Then we napped.

The next day we took a bullet train down to Tia'An City, where Mike was helping set up an RV factory while he was working in China, so he could see the progress that had been made.  His business associates took us to lunch at a Chinese restaurant and ordered a variety of food.  The dishes are all placed on a giant glass lazy suzan that covers most of a round table, only about a foot of the edge of the table is not taken up by the lazy suzan for our plates and cups.  This is the way the food was served in every restaurant we went to unless it was a place serving Western food.  Now, I am not particulary fond of Chinese food, but I was sitting by Zach helping him put food on his plate. I thought that would be my out, since I was busy with him, no one would notice what I didn't I did eat.  Not so.  Since I was busy and I was sitting next to Mrs, She, the president of the company, she was putting food on my plate for me.  It didn't look promising when the first thing out looked like a pig's foot.  I was able to find some things I liked though, and everyone took pity on my chopstick skills.  First they gave me toothpicks to stab the food with (you know I was bad, since stabbing your food in China is awful table manners - sorry Mom, I'm even an embarassment to you in a foreign country), then they found me a soup spoon to use, shaped more like a spoon rest in the US, only small, then finally someone from the restaurant brouoght me a Western spoon.    Have I mentioned it was hot?  I was felt sorry for there too, because I was simply melting.  The heat was bringing on hot flashes which just made it worse.  They gave me the best seat in the private room of the restaurant, where the air conditioning was blowing directly on me.  Oh, and in Tia'An, I had to do what no woman should have to do.....use a "Squatty Potty".  Basicly the toilet bowl is level with the floor and you must manage to squat over it to pee - with out peeing on your shoes or pants.  Luckily this was the only time in China I had to break down and do this.  Some other public places have Western pottys in the handicapped stall, or I would just wait - I am NOT to proud to be thought of as handicapped if it meant peeing with dignity).  And did I tell you that there is no toilet paper in these potties?  You either bring in your own, or you do without....... I won't tell you which I did.

The following day we left Beijing for our next destination.  We were getting worried since our bag had not yet shown up, but the night before we left,  we finally got ahold of someone from Delta who told us our bag would be arriving about 10 PM that night to the airport.  We would just pick it up the next morning before we boarded the plane to leave Beijing.

We had good quality time (when we weren't exhausted from the jet lag) with just Mike, Zach and Me.  Good thing to have before we picked up the baby.  More to come from our next destination...on anohter post.