怀柔区 Hauirou...

All is well in the land of the Middle Kingdom. There have not been any updates recently because I’ve been so busy. We wake up, go eat breakfast, and then head off to wherever we are going that day. When we finally do return home I’m exhausted and often fall asleep sitting on the couch.

Anyway, I arrived safely into the Beijing Airport and managed to get both of my bags here with me. The flight, although 11 hours long, seemed to pass fairly quickly. This is probably due to the sleeping pill I took that knocked me out for about 6 hours plus the amazing in-flight entertainment. Once at the airport and with my 2 bags on a cart I managed to find Allen, Allen’s Dad, and the driver. They actually live in Huairou, about 1 hour outside of Beijing. Huairou was incorporated into Beijing in 1995 so I am still in Beijing and everything is just a bus ride away. Allen’s father is charge of the natural gas distribution in this district and therefore has workers under him. I think his driver is also a staff member at the company and not only a driver. He seems t work 7 days a week, but his freedom to do as he pleases seems to be greater than in the US.

After arriving in Huairou we stopped by the office and dropped the driver off. Then, continued on to the apartment. The family actually owns the apartment, as well as two others, so they are really more like condos. After dropping off my bag, which I’m now realizing contain more than I need, we went in search for house slippers for me. Along the way I was able to snatch up my favorite Chinese drink, which is really made by Coca Cola and taste like Tang, as well as a nice blister on my left foot from my flats…. sigh.

That night we went out for dinner at a local restaurant. In typical Chinese fashion they ordered far too much but it was all delicious.