China

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China Destination Unknown
Exit Rows Mean Extra Room
September 23, 2018 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 45 °F
I'm glad that we were able to get the exit row seating again. With all the extra room around us, we have plenty of space to stretch out our legs and even get up and stand for a bit. The bathrooms are right near us too. How convenient!Read more
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China Destination Unknown
Our Flight Plan
September 23, 2018 in Canada
We've got an interesting route to Beijing. Our plane is going to fly up by the North Pole and then go south, over Russia, to get to China. I've never been so far north in my life!
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China Destination Unknown
Meal Time
September 23, 2018 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 16 °F
I never expect anything good from airline food and, once again, I wasn't disappointed. My meal was a piece of chicken sitting in a bed of some sort of gravy filled with capers. The capers gave the chicken a very strange flavor and I just couldn't eat it. The crackers and cheese, along with the brownie, were the highlights of the meal.Read more
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China Destination Unknown
Where's the Beef?
September 23, 2018 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 21 °F
Kathy ate more of her meal than I ate of mine. She went with the beef option and ate just a bit of it. Either she liked the food more than I did or she was just really hungry.
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China Destination Unknown
Please Sit Down!
September 23, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 32 °F
The thrill of having seats in the exit row is wearing off quickly. People are constantly standing in our seating area which is getting very annoying. I wish everyone would just sit down!
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China Destination Unknown
The Endless Flight
September 24, 2018 in Russia
This is starting to feel like the flight that's never going to end. I'm so uncomfortable because of these seats and very tired because I can't sleep. I just want us to hurry up and get to Beijing. Are we there yet?Read more
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China Destination Unknown
Another Meal
September 24, 2018 in Mongolia ⋅ ⛅ 57 °F
We're over Mongolia now, so I know that we're getting close to China. We just got served another meal but I just can't bring myself to eat it. It looks, and smells, awful! All I want right now is to land in Beijing!Read more
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China Destination Unknown
We're in Beijing!
September 24, 2018 in China ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F
We just got off the plane in Beijing. I can't believe that we made it! We're really in China! This is our first look at Beijing's airport as we got off the plane. It feels so good to be walking around again!Read more
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China Destination Unknown
This Way, Please!
September 24, 2018 in China ⋅ ⛅ 75 °F
We don't have any checked bags to pick up but we've still got to hurry. First we have to pass through the immigration area and then get to the proper gate for our flight to Chengdu. I'm glad that these signs have English writing on them so that we at least know where we're going.Read more
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China Destination Unknown
Surprise!
September 24, 2018 in China ⋅ 75 °F
As soon as we got into the main terminal, Kathy wanted to use the restroom and this was what she saw. She didn't expect something like this and was very surprised. Although it's not what she's used to at home, she just made the best of it and did what she had to do. This is why we travel though, to experience the sort of things we don't have or see at home. I guess that she didn't expect the differences to extend this far.Read more
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China Destination Unknown
Where's Our Gate?
September 24, 2018 in China ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F
We passed through the immigration area much faster than we expected because there was hardly anyone there waiting to be seen. The immigration process here in China was much more involved than we've ever been through before. Not only did we have our passports and visas checked, like everywhere else does, we also had to have our pictures taken and get fingerprinted. This surprised us but we just accepted it. It's not like we really had a choice or anything.
We're now heading to the gate to board our flight to Chengdu. We were worried that we might not be able to make this connection, since it was kind of tight, but our flight arriving in Beijing early and no lines at immigration really worked in our favor. We've got plenty of time to make the flight to Chengdu.Read more
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China Destination Unknown
Another Flight
September 24, 2018 in China ⋅ ⛅ 72 °F
We're at the gate, ready for the last leg of our flight. We're going to fly from Beijing to Chengdu. The security here is so tight and strict! We've been through four check points already and each one has taken our luggage apart to examine everything. At first, I had thought that they were doing this to us because we're from America but they seem to be doing it to nearly everyone. I guess that we shouldn't be surprised, since everyone who arrives is fingerprinted and photographed. I've never been to a country that's so security conscious!Read more
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China Destination Unknown
Packed In
September 24, 2018 in China ⋅ ⛅ 72 °F
Rather then just go through a jetway to get on the plane, we had to board this crowded, beat up bus. The diesel fumes were nearly choking us and you could nearly taste the fuel in the air. I'm sure that's not healthy to breathe! I guess that safety standards here in China are a lot different than what we have in the States. That's me on the video screen, by the way, taking this picture. I didn't even notice myself in the photo until I did this entry.Read more
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China Destination Unknown
Queue Up
September 24, 2018 in China ⋅ ⛅ 70 °F
After a much longer ride on that bus than we were expecting, we're on the plane, and in our seats, but it wasn't fun climbing up those steep steps with our luggage. I haven't boarded a plane this way in so many years that I thought airports had discontinued this practice. We're going to have a few more flights here in China. I hope that we won't be climbing stairs for each one.Read more
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China Destination Unknown
I've got two tickets to paradise
September 24, 2018 in China ⋅ ⛅ 70 °F
We're taking China Southern, a local airline, to Chengdu. This plane is a lot smaller than Delta but I guess, because it's not traveling as far, it doesn't need to be. As long as they get us there, I'll be happy.Read more
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China Destination Unknown
Take Us to Chengdu
September 24, 2018 in China ⋅ ⛅ 70 °F
We haven't even left yet and Kathy has fallen asleep. I can't say that I blame her. I'm exhausted too but it's so hard for me to sleep while sitting on a plane. Right now, I'm going on pure adrenaline. I'm so excited to finally be here in China!
As soon as we sat in our seats, a stewardess came over and offered me a seat belt extender. I was surprised by this and showed her that I didn't need it because my seat belt was already fastened. I know that I'm bigger than the average Chinese person but I didn't really like her offering that belt to me. I'll give her the benefit of the doubt and think that she's just trying to be helpful. Right now, I'm too happy to let anything bother me.Read more
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China Destination Unknown
It's Time to Eat
September 24, 2018 in China ⋅ ⛅ 66 °F
Although this meal looks like a step up from the typical airline food that we've been seeing, Kathy assured me that it tasted just as bad as all the rest. I didn't even want to take the meal that was offered to me because I didn't find either choice appealing. All I had was the bottle of water that I was given. It was enough for me. Right now, all I want to do is get to Chengdu. We're both exhausted from traveling so much!Read more
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China Destination Unknown
Nobody to Meet Us
September 24, 2018 in China ⋅ ⛅ 70 °F
We landed, at last, in Chengdu and our long journey to China is over. We'll still be doing a lot of traveling while we're here but at least our plane ride to get here is done.
We were supposed to be met by a car service, which we arranged through American Express before we left home, but there's nobody here. I hope that they didn't forget about us!Read more
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China Destination Unknown
Stranded at the Airport
September 24, 2018 in China ⋅ ⛅ 70 °F
We've been waiting here in the airport for a long time and the car still hasn't come to pick us up. Kathy has been sending the company emails and having her brother, David, call them up but nothing seems to be helping. Their answer is always the same. "The driver is on the way. He'll be there in about 15 minutes." Unfortunately, he hasn't arrived yet despite it being long past 15 minutes. We're going to have to face the fact that no driver is coming for us.Read more
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China Destination Unknown
Getting Directions
September 24, 2018 in China ⋅ ⛅ 70 °F
Having decided that we're just going to take a taxi to the hotel, we had to go to the information desk on the fourth floor, since that was the only one open, and have the person working there write our hotel's name and address in Chinese so we could show it to the driver. Apparently, most of the taxi drivers here can't speak or read English so we would have to show them a destination written in Chinese. Fortunately, the woman working at the information desk spoke fluent English and knew exactly what we needed. It's the first thing that has gone right since we've landed in Chengdu!Read more
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China Destination Unknown
ATM Confusion
September 24, 2018 in China ⋅ ⛅ 70 °F
Now that we have our hotel's location written down in Chinese we were ready to go outside and get a taxi. Before we could do that, we had to find an ATM machine and get some money in the local currency.
Finding an ATM was easy but finding one that is in English was very difficult. We did find one, run by the Bank of China, but it took us a while. Now that we had some money that we are able to spend here, let's go get that cab!Read more
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China Destination Unknown
At the Taxi Stand
September 24, 2018 in China ⋅ ⛅ 70 °F
With local currency in hand, we were ready to go out and get a cab. Since it was kind of late, there wasn't a big line at the cab stand and we were inside a car in a matter of minutes. Unfortunately, it didn't last too long. We only rode in the taxi for about a hundred yards when one of the tires went flat so we had to get out of the cab, gather up all our luggage, and head back to the taxi line. What else is going to happen to us tonight?Read more
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China Destination Unknown
A Second Try
September 24, 2018 in China ⋅ ⛅ 70 °F
Fortunately, we didn't have to wait at all for a new cab. The man running the taxi stand saw what happened to us and got us another car right away. He even helped us get our luggage into the cab's trunk. Finally, we're on the way to our hotel!Read more
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China Destination Unknown
Bye, CTU!
September 24, 2018 in China ⋅ ⛅ 70 °F
At last, we've left the airport and are headed to our hotel. Our driver didn't question the address that we gave him so we're assuming that he knows his way to where we are going. We still don't know whatever happened to the car that was supposed to pick us up but we're too tired to worry about it right now. We'll contact them once we get back to New York City. It would be much easier to communicate with them when we're back in America anyway.Read more
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China Destination Unknown
Stuck in Traffic
September 24, 2018 in China ⋅ ⛅ 70 °F
The taxi seemed to know where he was going but, unfortunately, there was quite a bit of traffic. I'm surprised, because it's well past the traditional rush hour times but, then again, we have no idea what the usual traffic patterns are here in China. As long as we keep moving towards the hotel, we're happy.Read more
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