First Day in China

What a couple of days I've had. Yesterday's travel was seamless. I think the thing that surprised me the most was how stress-free I was. I will admit that in Shanghai and then later, in Xi'an, I stood at the baggage claim belt for an impossibly long time, and I did have that familiar feeling of dread that accompanies the thought of lost luggage. But both times, my battered bag showed up. The travel itself was easy, and that surprised me. My usual navigation method involves asking many people en route for directions, and this seems to work in China, too. Granted, it's more effort, but it works. I just trusted the directions they gave me, and off I went. Plus, I was delighted to be fed well all the way here. Even on the 2 hour flight from Shanghai to Xi'an, they fed me dinner! Of course, I slept through much of that last flight. I even slept through take-off, which I've never done before. I had a horrible disorienting moment when I woke up and looked out the window to see the plane surrounded by white. No apparent clouds, just whiteness. It took me a few seconds to figure out that we were in the air.

When I arrived in Xi'an, I was met by one of my Chinese colleagues and whisked to my hotel where I met a second colleague who came bearing a bag of apples for me. They were both extraordinarily kind, and they got me settled in for the night. My hotel is a suite with a spacious living room, a bedroom, and a bathroom. The building is old, but it's clean and comfortable (see photos below). Oh...and I have a flat screen tv in both rooms (I get CNN and BBC...and lots of Chinese stations). Slept well last night on the hardest bed I have ever encountered, and I awoke to an adventure-filled day that I'll write about later.


















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