Getting There

You sure don't beat around the bush when planning for an extended trip abroad with 4 people with extremly disparate vacation schedules. We left the house a week after I finished exams, and a mere 3 days after my sister finished hers. With us were 8 suitcases full of presents and clothes, those requisite materials for any visit to Chinese relatives. Check-in at Hartsfield-Jackson was surprisingly quick, so we ended up waiting at the gate for over an hour. Since Mom and Lisa get airsick, I brought some Dramamine, although it didn't seem to do much good.

The suckiest part about international flights? The impossibility of getting decent sleep in those 10 inches of space they give you. That and the four connections we made (Atlanta --> Chicago --> L.A. --> Beijing --> Shenyang) helped me acquire the BEST case of jetlag in years. I was waking up at 4 am regularly in China for the next 10 days :-(

The best part about international flights? They actually serve you food. I'd forgotten how much I missed real in-flight service, as I literally hadn't had it in years (darn airline cost-cutting!). In contrast, the AirChina stewardesses (all under 30, all gorgeous) insisted on feeding us every half hour. Or so it seemed. I don't think my tray table was up for more than an hour at a time. The food wasn't crap either, which was another pleasant surprise. I still remember my 1st international flight - back in 1990 - when the pungent smell of the stewed duck they served us made me want to puke.

A picture of the Chinese plane we took (note enormous catering car nearby):