Looking for Luke, March 25-26

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Or: Before you can begin, you must abuse your body by staying in something like the fetal position for 14 hours and eat really bad food.

Hi everyone,

Finally arrived in China. All I can tell you about the flight is that it was 14 hours long and definitely something to be avoided. When we checked in at Dulles Airport in DC, the airline offered us upgrades to Business Class for $640 a person and to Economy Plus for $120 a person--and although Becky and I both agree it was a good idea to not spend the money, by hour 6 I was wondering whether spending the two grand wasn't the right thing after all.

The worst thing about the flight is the time difference. Since China apparently does not have daylight savings time, the time difference is exactly 12 hours. Meaning that we arrived at 2 am DC time, arrived at the hotel at 4am DC time, had dinner at 5:30 am DC time and collapsed (and immediately fell asleep) at 6:15 am DC time. As a consequence, Ian and I were prowling the hotel lobby at 2 am Beijing time, drinking hot chocolate and playing dominoes.

We had been told that our flightpath would cross the North Pole, and Ian and I were all excited. Turns out that was an exaggeration, although we did cross much of the Arctic. As you can see from the pictures, it is mostly white.

Fortunately, we had brought our Lego's and Ian and I spent much of the flight reenacting scenes from Star Wars (only the first three movies, we are purists).

As you will see from our next post (this is called foreshawdowing), China is a giant with a self-image problem. First sign: we arrive at the new terminal in Beijing Airport, being frantically completed in time for the Olympics. We are told that the small snafus are all because this is the first day of the new terminal (natural enough). But this is immediately followed by multiple statements that this is the "biggest passenger terminal in the world, bigger even then Heathrow in London." As we all know, size matters.

Tomorrow: real stories from China. I promise.

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Photos

Arctic
Flying over the Arctic

Ian happy
Ian ready for takeoff

SW1
Ian enacting a scene on Endor

SW2
This is a stormtrooper on Hoth--note the white dixy cup, clearly indicating ice planet

Ian and Daddy
Still smiling in hour eight of 14