A very long day...

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There's not much interest in relating the seemingly never ending airport/flying/waiting process of getting somewhere overseas but I did learn many things . One very important thing I learned is that at LAX airport, not all international flights leave from the international terminal and when I didn't know that China Airlines and Air China are different airlines and fly from different terminals at LAX and the lack of this knowledge means the difference of having a lot of slack time to get to your plane and having to hurry when you finally figure this little detail out.

Other insignificant details...
Chinese airlines airplane food is only slightly better than when American airlines used to feed you. Chinese airlines tend to board early, can take off early and will do everything like make you put away your electronics, tray tables and adjust seats long before you ever land. Even on domestic flights within China, the signage and all instructions are given in both Chinese and English. I suspect that even if you are flying without a single English speaking person on a plane, the instructions will be both in Chinese and English. I think that English is rapidly becoming China's second language.

The Beijing airport is incredible in every way. Marble floors, incredibly high ceilings, glass everywhere and so many people endlessly cleaning everything. The Chinese people seem to be very respectful in always putting trash in trash cans so it would seem that little cleaning would be needed but they are cleaning anyway. I saw many workers who only wiped glass.

One of the things about the Beijing airport is the immense size. I have to believe that from our gate to the baggage claim was perhaps as far as 10 football fields which was very tiring because I was now not only carrying my computer bag, my shoulder bag with ipod, glasses, camera, etc. but also had alcohol and cigarettes from the duty-free store. After all of my worries about customs inspection and H1N1 testing, there was hardly any inspection at all. They never bothered taking my temperature, no one looked inside my bags and in fact, I was able to get my bags and leave the terminal without encountering any security at all. They provide free carts to move your bags around but only just before the baggage claim which would have helped greatly about 8 or 9 football fields earlier but you take what you get.

Since we had to catch plane to Chengdu, I did not see anything in Beijing beyond the airport itself.

有没有太大的兴趣有关的似乎永无止境机场/飞机/等待过程中获得的地方，但我没有海外学习很多东西。一个非常重要的事情我学到的是，在洛杉矶机场，并非所有的国际航班离开国际机场时，我不知道，中国航空公司和中国是不同的航空公司，并从不同的终端悬挂在洛杉矶国际机场和缺乏这方面的知识手段的差异，拥有大量疲弱的时间找到您的飞机和不必急于当您最后的数字这个小细节了。

其他无关紧要的细节...
中国航空公司的飞机粮食只有略优于美国航空公司时，用于饲料你。中国航空公司往往局早期，可以起飞初期，并将竭尽全力想使你放弃你的电子产品，托盘和调整座位表很久以前你去过的土地。即使在中国国内航班，所有的指示牌和指示有中文和英文。我猜想，即使你没有一个单一的飞行讲英语的人在飞机上的指示，将在中文和英文。我认为，英语正迅速成为中国的第二语言。

北京机场是难以置信的各种方式。大理石地板，令人难以置信的高天花板，玻璃到处和如此多的人不断地清理一切。人民似乎是非常尊重的总是把垃圾在垃圾桶所以似乎没有清洁将是必要的，但无论如何，他们正在清理。我看见许多工人只有谁抹去玻璃。

的事情之一的北京机场是巨大的规模。我相信，我们的大门行李也许至于10个足球场这是非常累人的，因为我现在不仅携带我的电脑包，我的肩袋与 iPod ，眼镜，照相机等，但也有酒精和香烟的免税商店。毕竟我担心海关检查和H1N1病毒测试，但几乎没有任何查阅所有。他们从来不考虑我的体温困扰，没有人看我的书包内，事实上，我能够让我的书包和离开码头没有遇到任何安全的。他们提供免费的手推车将您袋左右，但只有前行李认领这将大大有助于大约8或9足球场较早，但你什么你。

因为我们已经赶上飞机到成都，我看不出有任何在北京以外的机场本身。

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Comments

[Jen]

Finally
Well....I've got to say you seem to have faired much better than I thought you would. Good job Dad. I've read your blogs so far and they're interesting, but what about Lisa? Are you going to share more?

[Jingjing]

It's always interesting to read an American's point of view on traveling to China. I guess we both agreed that Big airport is not a good airport :)