As soon as we boarded our flight from San Francisco, I knew we were in for a culture shock. Most of the passengers on the flight with us were Chinese, and the conversations carrying on around us were for the most part unfamiliar to me. The kids did suprisingly very well on the flight, which was one major obstacle I had been stressing over for weeks. I should have relaxed a little on that note, as our kids have ALWAYS been very good travelers. United Airlines didn't help us one bit on this front, however. I must say that with all my power I will avoid and advise others to avoid ANY United Airlines flight...EVER.
Let's put it this way, there was one flight...ONE FLIGHT...leaving the Monterey Airport that morning...the flight which was to take us to our international connecting flight in San Francisco a whopping 2 and a half hours early. Well, the 20 passengers and their luggage on our flight must have been too much for the United staff and crew to handle, because we missed our wheels-up clearance and had to sit in the airplane, on the runway, just long enough that we arrived in San Francisco after our Beijing flight had already left. United Airlines' idea of customer service is the automated kiosks at the terminals which electronically rebook your flight and don't allow you to speak to an actual human being anywhere along the way.
Nevertheless, we were rebooked on another flight, this time with Air China. But the flight was full, and we were nervously waiting at the gate when an attendant finally told us that we would all be able to make it on the plane, but not sitting together. Are you kidding? My husband and I and our two kids are all supposed to sit apart. The poor souls that will be sitting next to our unattended children! Luckily we met some very friendly and understanding folks who were willing to switch around so that we could sit together and at least get the kids in a spot where they could sprawl out a little.
When we finally landed in Beijing, we were so happy top be done with that day of travelling. It could always be worse, but the unanticipated delay definitely left me a little frayed at the edges and upset. But we made it, and ever since we've been too busy house-hunting, getting our bearings in and around the Chaoyang District of Beijing, and of course catching up on sleep and resuming a new schedule with the kids.
This is us, BEFORE the flight fiasco
1. Our new toy, the iPad. Hands down the greatest thing for our 5-year old. She didn't even break into her backpack stuffedf with toys and books. When she wasn't watching movies, she slept. And thanks to the rental option on iTunes we were able to stock up on never before seen (to her at least) movies, songs, and books on iBook.
2. Think your packing too many snacks? Think again. With the unexpected delay, the apocalypse I apparently had planned for really paid off when we were stuck in San Francisco for an extra 5 hours I hadn't planned for. If your kids are still in Diapers, also plan to pack at least a couple of days worth of diapers. If you're stuck on a layover or experience delays that take you into a second day, this worst case scenario planning may be KEY!
3. Hydrate! My kids really don't like drinking water. Not that I blame them, water doesn't hold a candle to the sweet sugary apple juice in a kid's mind, but starting about a week before our flight left, I was forcing liquids of all types on the kids. I've always done that trick where I give the kids fruit juice where the glass is half juice, half water. We haven't had any dehydration problems at all since we've arrived. This is key for folks going to Beijing, as the air was really dry and the air pollution was obvious immediately after landing.
4. Wash hands, sanitize, use wipes, oh MY! I also thought we were going a bit overboard with the number of antibacterial wipes, hand sanitizer, and soap we had packed, but boy am I glad we did! And the clean-freak awareness didn't stop when we left the airport. I noticed right away after adventuring out of our hotel just how dirty everything seems compared to what we're used to. The combination of the air pollution and common public hygeine habits has left us almost contantly walking into smells that only the most neglected port-a-potties call home. I feel better when we're armed with all this cleansing goodness!
5. Try packing some new toys your kids have never seen before. We won't be receiving our shipment of household goods for another month or so. That means that what we've packed in our suitcase is what our kids will be entertaining themselves with anytime we have some down time. Packing a couple of "presents" escpecially for the trip will help these toys keep their newness and hopefully the kids will hold interest in them longer.
Like I had said before, we have ALREADY done and seen so much in Beijing! So I think I'll leave this post strictly to the trip getting here. I'll be reposting again soon though. My husband has posted picture of us on facebook from our flight and our first few days here both in our hotel and around town (look at tagged photos of me if you're not his "friend", and you should find them). Look out for another post VERY soon! For now, it's only 7:50 pm, and after a TsingDao, my biological clock says it's time for bed. I can count on my 20 month old son to be bright eyed and bushy tailed at about 3:00 am, so I'd better get going.
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