We arrived safely to our hotel room in Beijing at approximately 11:45 p.m. on 4/14. We were exhausted having been up for about 32 hours with 26-27 hours being all flight related. Our first flight out of Milwaukee we boarded the plane on time and had a short taxi to the runway, but after waiting around 20 minutes or so they announced that we had to go back to the gate because they detected an issue with the de-icing equipment – not good. Once at the gate they asked that we stay on the plane until they determine whether or not they could fix the problem. After about 20 minutes they had us de-board the plane and announced they hoped to have it fixed in about an hour and a half. That would have still had us to Chicago in time for our connecting flight, but we decided to get in line immediately upon de-boarding to discuss our options with the agent. He gave us three: a bus to Chicago (no thanks), wait for our plane to be repaired, but if that didn't occur he also reserved two seats on a United flight that would depart Milwaukee within 2 hours.
So, we hung out, grabbed a coffee and a bagel to share and made a few phone calls. Suddenly, the ticket agent began yelling at us to run next door to board another American Airlines flight headed to Chicago so we grabbed our boarding passes and ran. Our original flight to Chicago was to be 45 minutes and the one we ended up taking was only about 15 minutes – super fast! We made up for some missed time, but that really wasn't necessary because we still had time for our layover.
Once at the gate in Chicago, we met another couple who was also traveling to Beijing to adopt a daughter and they also happened to work with the same partner agency as us. This worked out great because once in Beijing we connected again to meet up with our guide and drivers who would take us to the hotel. The other couple also has their 6 year-old son with them and boy was he a trooper through all of the travel! Their daughter is from the Jiangxi province so once we leave Beijing we will not see them until we meet up again in Guangzhou.
I felt a cold coming on the day we found out that we should book our tickets and over the course of travel yesterday it really hit hard although I have been taking airborne steadily for days. I was really worried once we were getting ready to leave Japan because they dispersed a medical form to complete and submit upon entry to China – all H1N1 related. Then I remembered that they also have the temperature screening upon entry and I certainly did not want to be placed in quarantine; even though both Jerry and I did receive our vaccinations. I didn't receive anything to show proof so it would have taken time to gather that and prove that what I have is a basic cold. I took some ibuprofen about two hours prior to landing in hopes of keeping any fever at bay. Fortunately, we made it through each of the areas just fine.
We went to bed around midnight, Jerry slept until 3:15 and I slept until about 5:15. We will get a wakeup call from our guide at 7 a.m. to start our day. We (along with the other couple we met and one that arrived earlier in the day) are to meet him at 8:30 in the lobby. Today, we are going to the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, and Summer Palace. I will post pictures later today. Until then, have a great day!
No comments:
Post a Comment