already left...on a jetplane

So here I am on a flight to Beijing.  We’re in the 21^st row and I’m in the middle.  Jorg is on my right and there’s a woman who is going to visit her family in Mongolia on my left.  Right now, we’ve just finished flying over Alaska and we’re on our way to the International Date Line.  There are 7 hours left in our flight.  The airplane is old and worn.  The back Lavs have stopped working and there are 2 middle ones still functioning and the rest are in the first class section and the attendant gives you a “look” when I went to use them, but what can she say?  She doesn’t want me to drop trou in the aisles, does she?  Jorg’s seat doesn’t stick upright.  The catch is broken or something and so he’s always in a reclined position.  He tried to get a different seat but he would only take one that could have us sit together.  He tried to finagle a seat in business section, but he was wildly unsuccessful in that endeavor.  So, the next leg of the trip will take us to Beijing and to Xiao Yuan’s house.  Her husband’s name is…well…I think it’s Rong Wei.  Of course I always call him “Wrongway” in my head, so I’ll call him Wrongway for my blog.  We’ve learned that in order to be legal we have to register with the local police department within 24 hours of arriving at our lodging if it is other than a hotel, guesthouse or other “public accommodation”.  So, in order for us to keep Xiao Yuan out of trouble, we’ll go to the PSB (Public Security Bureau) on Saturday.  It shouldn’t  be a problem.  Friday I’m cooking dinner for all of us.  I’m going to make Oatmeal Patties, broccoli, mashed potatoes and mushroom/onion gravy.  Xiao Yuan needs to know that this is not a typical American meal, but rather a good Adventist meal.  I think she’ll like it, though.  Sunday and Monday we’ll tour around doing something.  We may go to Tiananmen or something, who knows.  I’d rather go someplace new.  If it weren’t so cold I’d say lets to the Si Mi Tai Great Wall trip.  There’s this cool hike that my siblings did when they were here where you hire a taxi to take you to Si mi tai and then you ask them to pick you up several hours later after you’ve hiked to Badaling or something like that.  It’s too cold for that kind of thing, though.

So—if this posts it means we’re safe and sound in Beijing!!  Next post will be telling about our adventures around Beijing.