Tuesday, July 12, 2016
Tour day 5 of 15: a travel day. Beijing with Leo, then Xi'an with Harry. Breakfast buffet at Marriott Beijing City Wall. Today we visited the Temple of Heaven followed by the Bird Nest Stadium (exterior only from a far distance). Another 11-ish-course Chinese food lunch feast at Tian Yi Xiao Guan, another restaurant located in a shopping mall. Afterwards we rode in the bus to the airport for this tour's first domestic flight. Weather before leaving Beijing was 99 degrees Fahrenheit, clear with some haze, and very humid. Rode in the bus to the airport. We passed through security check. Air China evening flight 1235 from Beijing (PEK) to Xi'an (XIY). Small inflight snack: mushroom beef pastry, water. A woman in my row in the seat across the aisle fell asleep on her tray, and when the flight crew prepared the plane for landing three flight attendants tried unsuccessfully for several minutes to wake her by nudging her shoulder and arm. Eventually the woman sat up suddenly. I learned that you're not supposed to use your cellphone at any time during the flight even in airplane mode, which is different than flying in the United States. At baggage claim we discovered that Air China had lost Rob's large, checked bag, so Lani (who spoke Chinese) spent some time arranging for its return. Exiting baggage claim, we found our Xi'an guide Harry Wu, and Harry introduced us to bus driver Mr. Guo. From airport to hotel took about an hour. Lani, Dex, and I stayed up late with Dad to discuss health issues. This time I noticed cigarette smoke in the hallway and the room more readily than at our Beijing hotel. Again, it does not bother me, and I am surprised at that. To bed. Weather at arrival at Xi'an was 88 degrees and mostly cloudy. Number of steps walked = 11,723.