Travel Day(s)

Ron and I left BWI Airport at 8:00 am Thursday morning. Every part of this trip got off to a late start. In Chicago we sat on the the runway for 2 hours waiting for them to de-ice the plane. The plane ride was actually not nearly as bad as I thought. I watched 2 movies, read a book and even snuck in a 5-hour nap thanks to some sleeping pills.

After 19 hours of traveling, we arrived in Shanghai and took the Maglev train to Chrissy’s apartment. After a quick showers and a meal, we left in the snow to go back to the airport.

The Shanghai Airport was jam packed full of people heading home for the upcoming New Year. Our flight was delayed for about 3 hours, so we found a place to take naps and waited. Then once we got on the plane, we waited for another hour or so while they de-iced the plane.

Now I have to admit, at this point I was actually questioning my decision to come on this trip. I hadn’t slept but for about 5 hours on the plane and was ready to be done with all of this. We finally arrived in Beijing around 2 am, and took a cab to an area with lots of amazing international hotels. The cab then went past all these great hotels and into a very local neighborhood.

It was quite obvious that our host was less than excited to have us at his establishment. He let us know that we would only be allowed there one night because his hotel did not accept foreigners. This bed was by far the hardest bed I’ve ever slept on. I think it was a combination of cardboard and concrete.

We spent a really awesome Saturday at The Great Wall of China and the Summer Palace. This really made me glad to be here. More stories and photos to follow tomorrow. Thanks to everyone for your prayers and well wishes.

Here’s the video from the first night: