We Have Arrived!

Our flight ended up being 13 hours!  As we boarded with our brand new neck pillows, we realized everyone had them and it was the latest trend apparently!  We flew a Chinese airline so we got a good cultural experience right away!  We all kept busy with t.v.shows, movies, and video games on the screens in front of our seats. Wren had his tech working on his screen right away, as opposed to me, and I asked him how he did that and he said with a kidding smile, "I hacked it".  Josh, in a seat across the aisle from the three of us, played Kale in a ton of strategy games.  I would hear Kale hiss, "Yes!" as he beat Josh.  I'd look over at Josh and he would be focusing hard on the screen trying to beat Kale at his next move.  We ate a couple meals with meat, rice, and noodles (which Wren said tasted like Beijing Garden in downtown Burlington) dabbed our faces with hot cloths, and got some shut eye as well.  The air crew was all Chinese and would talk in Chinese first and then follow it with English.  I was cracking up at Josh before we boarded because while the boarding crew was talking in Chinese, Josh had a serious look on his face and  his ear tuned to them like he could understand.  We were picked up from the airport by a Chinese guide named John.  The air was humid and smoggy.  He loaded us into a van and off we went with a silent driver who only knew Chinese to a 40 minute drive to our hotel in downtown Beijing. We chilled at the hotel and had to warn and remind the boys not to drink the water - not to get any in their mouth in the shower and not to use it to brush their teeth.  The boys watched some wrestling on t.v. before bed - the only channel in English.  Wednesday and Thursday were one whole day for us - losing Thursday to the plane ride.