In China

We finally landed at Beijing International Airport at around 2 pm local time (2 am EST). The kids did pretty well, considering the 13-hour flight. After going through customs, we found our luggage easily. Something different from US airports here, were the SmartCarts (carts used for luggage) were free - good thing, because we don't have any Chinese money yet. Kenton's brother and friends met us with a van and car, and brought us to our hotel. I noticed that the traffic was much heavier than three years ago and that the sky was grey with smog. I don't remember smog on our last visit. The driver said that there wasn't any smog on windy days.

Our hotel accomodation is a large suite with two levels. There are beds and bathrooms on both levels, with stairs within our suite to get to the upper level. There is a huge window by the stairway that which covers both levels. Kenton's brother used 'guanxi' (which translated means backdoor connections) to get us this place. There are designated hotels for foreigners throughout the city, which this is not one of.

We went across the street to eat at a restaurant. Restaurants here usually have private rooms in addition to the main eating place. We ate in an upstairs private room set for 10 people with Kenton's brother's family and a close friend. The food was very tasty, and the dishes were set on a large LazySusan turntable. The meal was a wonderful way to end our first day in China.

The Boys: Kevin and Justin were kept busy on the flight with purchases from the airport. Kevin got a Tamagotchi pet and Justin a Diego painting book. Brian kept walking and running up and down the aisles playing with another boy his age. Kevin made friends with two brothers from Ellicott City, whose seats were in the row in front of ours. On the ride from the airport to the hotel, Kevin was looking at the city and said, 'I'm glad we're here in China.' Justin was so tired that he kept saying he wanted to go home. All three kids fell asleep after a few minutes for the rest of the trip. Later at the restaurant, Kevin ate roasted chicken with rice and 'bing' (flatbread), while Justin only ate rice with soysauce. Brian slept through the whole meal. Kevin and his cousin went and got ice cream bars for dessert.