Home Sweet Home

Yes--Home Sweet Home it is! From wake-up call in Shanghai at 5:00 a.m. their Saturday morning to final arrival to Kalispell it was about 34 hours--one long day of traveling!

We departed Shangai for Beijing for the first part of our journey home. With some down time there, many of us found an airport cafe in which to wait, have a bite to eat (they served burgers. . .sort of. . .and BLTs with egg???) and a last round of Chinese beer for the road. You see us here laughing about the good times we have spent the last week, and horsing around with the leftover toilet paper we had carried along. (It's a long story. . .but the smelly squat toilets, sans t.p. in most cases, for the ladies in China were definitely a topic of discussion, and a "not-so-favorite" part of the trip. More detail sometime when you view our pictures and have time for the whole story. . .!!!)

We left Beijing on time, and the flight to Seattle was pretty good--many of us caught some much- needed shut eye, others just chilled with a book, movie or music. Arrival at SeaTac about noon on Saturday, Pacific time ( that would be about 3 a.m. Sunday China time!). We arrived with a known layover time until our flight home to Kalispell of about 8 hours. No problem. We did various activities to pass the time. . .some had a burger and a "cold" beer then sacked out for 4 hours. . .some spent quality time with kids/relatives living in the greater Seattle area. . .and others (like us) checked our bags and caught a bus to the wharf area of Seattle to walk around in the fresh air, enjoy the sights and sounds of Pike Street Market and then eat some familiar American food at Ivar's on the wharf. The warm rolls & butter were really tasty, and the seafood, crab and Bob's steak hit the spot with our taste buds and tummies!

Meanwhile back at the airport. . .departure time neared, we were all ready to board and make the short trip back home. Still an hour until boarding time--in the vicinity of Gate C2D you could spy nappers (like Bob here) catching a few winks to fight the fatigue and jet lag before the final leg of our excursion. Was that Keith Ori snoring from the floor in the corner--head nicely propped up on backpack and coat??? For those of us not opting for a snooze, we kept moving to stay awake. . .talking all the while, although not really making much sense at that point! Ok then, time to board Horizon for Kalispell. With a touch of second wind, we all climbed aboard, found our seats and chatted about times spent on the bus, the interesting Chinese food on the lazy susan each lunch and dinner--you get the picture?--we were headed for the barn and enthusiastically recalling fun times spent on our trip! Hiccup. . .plane problems. . ."de-board the plane please" (is de-board a word?). De-board we did. . .wait. . ."another plane on its way". . ."oops, plane #2 doesn't work either". . ."plane #3 coming soon". . ."thanks for your patience, we are ready to re-board the plane for Kalispell". . .Three Cheers!!! A little late, but still happy to be headed home, we settled into our seats once more. Arrival time in Kalispell was about 12:30-12:45 a.m. Sunday morning--bags arrived, hugs were exchanged, our favorite Chinese one-liners were given--"Hey Lady", "Hello Hello", "One Dollar"--and we all headed out for our very own beds once more!

So ends our China trip. What an adventure! The trip of a lifetime! Friendships strengthened, renewed and made anew in the course of a magnificent excursion to another part of our world. This experience will forever change the way we view the world--the way we see our tiny place in the world--the way we think of ourselves in relation to the millions of other people in the world. I hope I speak for the majority of our group, but I know I have a new appreciation for the "Made in China" labels we see on so many items! I now have seen some of the Chinese people working tirelessly on these products, experienced parts of their country and have at least a taste of their living conditions, beliefs, social and economic climate, food and environment. China is an amazing country--so big I still can only begin to fathom the size and breadth of the huge population inhabiting their thirteen provinces.

I'm glad to be home. I love it here in Montana, U.S.A. China is home to our new friends, Lily and J.J. from Kal Bus 1. They too love their home. And isn't that great and just as it should be. What I think is really cool is that we can experience each other--take a Rickshaw ride like Bob and I and many others did in the Hutong part of old Beijing--visit the Dragon Well tea farm in Hangzhou--stroll back in time at amazing temples and gardens of Emperors, Buddhas and legends of Chinese history--see time-honored craftsmen create jade, silk and enamel works of art--feel the atmosphere of modern Shanghai, a city of millions, half a world away. Almost hard to believe we were there! Hope you have enjoyed following our adventure with us on this Blog--we have thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to share! And now. . .my jet lag is perhaps catching up with me too. Again I can report that Bob is asleep. . .but joins me in wishing you all well and offering up our Thanks--"Shay Shay"--for traveling with us on our China Tour 2009! Kim