The Trip of a Lifetime - Day 1

I have been asked by several people to blog about our recent adventures in China, so here goes. On the 29th of August we flew from DFW to San Francisco to make our connection on JAL to Beijing, China via Tokyo. Since we were flying in the front of the plane, we didn't have to wait in any lines and were escorted to the Executive Lounge as soon as we arrived. That was especially nice as there was a big crowd waiting to fly overseas. The Asian airlines are wonderful and they are there to make you happy. What a pleasant change! They had all sorts of food and beverages in the Lounge, so of course, we partook!

Once we were on board they immediately started pampering us with food and drinks.

Frank even used his chopsticks on the plane. We needed to get used to using them as you don't have utensils once you get into the interior of China. He did really well, but we use them here at local Chinese restaurants all the time so that made it easier.

We each had our own beds on the plane, so when we finished our meal, we watched a movie, played a little Gin Rummy and decided it was time to sleep. I slept quite a bit but Frank stayed awake most of the time.

When we arrived in Tokyo, we had nearly an hour and a half before we were to board our final flight to Beijing. We were escorted to another JAL club to wait and while we were at the airport in Tokyo. We decided to go to the Duty Free shop and purchase a bottle of Kettle I so we would have it in Beijing.

We arrived in Beijing and when we were going though security, we were stopped and they took our Kettle I from us because you are not allowed to carry on more than 4 oz. of liquid. Wish they had told us that in Tokyo. We could have saved $40. Bet the security people had a good party that night!

When we arrived in Beijing we were greeted by a hotel representative and a driver. Once we got through Border Control, she helped us bypass all the lines as well as customs. We were then taken to our car by our driver and were on our way to the Shangri La China World Hotel. The drive from the airport took about 45 minutes due to heavy traffic (there are over 12 million people in Beijing), but once we arrived we had several members of the hotel staff waiting to greet us.

After a light supper in our room, it was now after 11:00 pm on the 31st of August, we took a shower and literally fell into the bed. You don't rest nearly as well on a plane as you do under cool, clean sheets.

We lost an entire day traveling due to the time change but our real adventures will begin tomorrow. Until then ..... Happy Dreams!

Pcasso