We have never flown first class before overseas so this was a first. What could possibly be different f in 1st from business? To start with we were the only ones in 1st class. That in itself was both wonderful and eerie. Sitting side by side we each had our own attendant to tend to our every whim. The beds were wider than in business class. We got pajamas to sleep in and we each had our own bathroom. A pair of Base headphones and a TV screen and we were comfortable for our 15 hour flight from Houston (where it was raining) and Beijing (where it was raining). There was a wall that slid upward between our pods so we wouldn't disturb each other.
I had pre ordered a vegetarian meal. The report at Air China gave me 4 choices when I called. Each one was a bunch of letters. She had no idea what they were. So I chose the one that made sense RAW. And that is exactly what I got for dinner and breakfast. Raw veggies and a few steamed ones. The fruit and macarons were an added bonus. But the best part was the Oolong and Pur teas. I drank so much tea that I was glad for the private bathroom. Barry on the other hand got the luxury meal and enjoyed it thoroughly.
We arrived in Beijing at 4:30am. When we got through customs our driver was waiting for us. Know that every foreign national needs to be electronically finger printed before you get to a customs officer. And then I was fingerprinted again. Barry on the other hand wasn't fingerprinted at all. Guess under 70 they still consider you a threat
The ride from the airport was very interesting. First off the airport is humongous and quite modern. We drove almost 10 minutes before we got out of the airport. And there was very little traffic. What I noticed first was how clean the roads were. The city was modern with lots of high rise buildings and some very interesting architecture.
Our driver spoke no English. We just had to hope he was taking us to the right place. A little Google translate gave us some reassurance. Finally we seemed to drive to an older part of the city and the driver turned down a narrow entrance behind an old wall. We were hesitant when he stopped in front of a building and took out our suitcases. It looked more like a museum and it was dark inside. So we went in and woke the front desk people. It was not quite 6am. Check in is at noon. So here we sit in the lobby waiting for the rain to stop and the 9am desk clerk to arrive.
So I will leave you for now and do a bit of knitting. The rest of our traveling companions arrive tomorrow. Today we'll just rest
I had pre ordered a vegetarian meal. The report at Air China gave me 4 choices when I called. Each one was a bunch of letters. She had no idea what they were. So I chose the one that made sense RAW. And that is exactly what I got for dinner and breakfast. Raw veggies and a few steamed ones. The fruit and macarons were an added bonus. But the best part was the Oolong and Pur teas. I drank so much tea that I was glad for the private bathroom. Barry on the other hand got the luxury meal and enjoyed it thoroughly.
We arrived in Beijing at 4:30am. When we got through customs our driver was waiting for us. Know that every foreign national needs to be electronically finger printed before you get to a customs officer. And then I was fingerprinted again. Barry on the other hand wasn't fingerprinted at all. Guess under 70 they still consider you a threat
The ride from the airport was very interesting. First off the airport is humongous and quite modern. We drove almost 10 minutes before we got out of the airport. And there was very little traffic. What I noticed first was how clean the roads were. The city was modern with lots of high rise buildings and some very interesting architecture.
Our driver spoke no English. We just had to hope he was taking us to the right place. A little Google translate gave us some reassurance. Finally we seemed to drive to an older part of the city and the driver turned down a narrow entrance behind an old wall. We were hesitant when he stopped in front of a building and took out our suitcases. It looked more like a museum and it was dark inside. So we went in and woke the front desk people. It was not quite 6am. Check in is at noon. So here we sit in the lobby waiting for the rain to stop and the 9am desk clerk to arrive.
So I will leave you for now and do a bit of knitting. The rest of our traveling companions arrive tomorrow. Today we'll just rest
Thanks for sharing...love hearing about your travel adventures! Wishing you and Barry a safe and wonderful journey! hugs from here
ReplyDeleteAnd so the adventure begins in high style. Love every minute as I do your posts. Thank you.
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