We have arrived in China! After a 13-hour flight we arrived in Beijing. I figured we would all be rather tired and cranky after flying all night and that we might need some time to adjust before immersing ourselves in Chinese culture; so I booked 2 nights at an airport hotel in Beijing to help us settle in with something a little more familiar and easier to navigate. As an added bonus, the hotel had a swimming pool and I thought that would help the boys (plus Clay and I) to keep busy and get over jet lag, without having to venture too far.

Getting to our hotel proved to be very simple. I had reserved the airport shuttle ahead of time and they sent very clear directions explaining how to access it. The hotel was very nice, with our room being a little small (which we expected!): 3 small twin beds just fitting side-by-side. The pool was a real hit with the boys and was beautiful –you could swim from the inside pool to the outside one. There was also a pool table and ping pong table. The hotel served a breakfast buffet with a mix of Chinese and some American-style food. We did head out and walk around the area and tried to find some lunch but we had not yet withdrawn any local money (mistake: we should have taken money out and purchased a SIM card at the airport) and no one accepted credit cards, nor could they even understand what we were asking! We could tell the boys were getting a bit overwhelmed with their new environment and they were starving, so we ended up heading back to the hotel and having lunch at the café. The next morning we were off, ready to experience “the real China”!