Arrival in Beijing

June 24
Arrived in Beijing about an hour after scheduled. The trip was fine with all seven kids behaving very well during the 12 hours in the air. The service on United was good (lots of water offered; important for that hydration) I was glad I brought my sling as Andie was pretty darned tired when we got there!!
After we collected our luggage and went to the main part of the terminal, we looked for the sign indictaing our tour group. There were many signs! As we got the the end of that area, I heard someone call my name. I turned around. It was Oriole, our translator last year when Claire and I went to Dianjiang (and she will be our guid e there next week as well) She was at the airport to meet with a group travelling onto Choingqing by plane. All of China, and one of the few people I know sees me at the airport. What are the chances? Slim at best?
Anyway, went on to meet our guide and headed off to our hotel on a gorgeous big airconditioned bus. An hour's drive to our Hioliday Inn, then we got a little settled in and headed out to find something to eat.
Mom still had not arrived and her flight had changed, our guide told us, and someone would meet her at the airport.
So off we went for a walk up the street in the rain to look for food. It was just Jena ,our niece, and our family of 6 as the others chose to stay at the hotel. We went to the grocery store for some snacks and water for the next day and then to KFC where we pointed at the menu to get some food.
A few minutes after we got back, I was getting the kids showered (we share adjoining rooms with three beds in one and a king and a cot in another.) when there was knock on the door. Jena had gone down to the front desk and met my Mom there. (Now you might think, if you knew my family, how so? Jena last saw Mom at our wedding almost 15 years ago when Jena was three and our flowergirl (Where is a picture of that for the blog, Jena?)She says she just guessed it was Mom. Mom had arrived and found no luggage had made it with her! She had spent some time at the airport trying to sort it out and finally got a cab to the hotel (there was someone there from our tour compnay to meet her but she did not know. Big hats off to Mom's friend Mary who was able to e-mail the tour company to tell them her flights had changed so we would know why she did not show up!) Anyway, a few minutes after Mom arrived, the tour company called worried and then promised to check out the baggage situation. Mom had a few things carry on and I lent her a few pieces!
A shower and literally fell into our rock hard bed! From which no one stirred until I heard a little mouse named Andie at about 4 a.m....