So We Made it to China

     Yep, we're here.  We've actually been in China since the 22nd, but up until now, we haven't had access to certain web sites.  The internet restrictions here are a bit strict and you can't normally get access to pages like Facebook, Google+, YouTube, etc.  Anyway, I finally broke down and paid the $45 to subscribe to the VPN service that will give us access to these types of pages.  We already have it on our desktop computer but we won't see that until after we move into our apartment later this month so rather than make everybody wait, here we are.

The Gate to the Forbidden City at
Tiananmen Square. That's not fog in
the Background, it's Pollution.

     So, on the 21st, we got on a plane and flew to China.  It took one minivan and an SUV to get us and all of our bags to the airport, but we were able to get there and get checked in with over an hour and a half to spare.  After that, we waited in line to go through the security check point for 70 minutes.  We were the last ones to get on the plane, but luckily everybody had their own seat and we had our own bulkhead row so we had plenty of space.  For a 13hr 59min flight, it went surprisingly well.  The boys were both well-behaved and the movie selection wasn't too bad either.  The hardest part of the flight was getting all of our carry-ons on and off the plane.  After we got to Beijing, we got all of our bags (everything made it safe and sound this time) we were met by one of the China Foreign Area Officers who had brought a van from the Embassy and took us to the hotel.  The next 15 or so hours were mostly coping with the jet lag, but we did wake up in time the next day to make a quick trip to the Forbidden City (紫禁城).

Another Picture from Outside the
Forbidden City

     Riding the Beijing subway system was quite the adventure and the boys were quite the attraction.  We didn't make it all the way in because we showed up pretty close to closing and didn't want to spend the money for only a few minutes.  What we did see, however, was pretty impressive and we'll definitely be back for a bigger trip later.  On the 24th, we walked around a bit to check out the area around the Embassy and the hotel and then we went out for dinner for some Beijing roast duck (北京烤鸭) at a restaurant recommended by my Chinese teacher.  That night, we figured we'd just walk back from the restaurant.  Well, apparently our sense of direction was still suffering from jet lag because after about 30 minutes of wandering around, we finally just caught a cab back.  The 25th we had our meeting with the Army attache office.  It was basically a waste of a day.  We were supposed to be there at 0900 but when we showed up, they told us that they were still trying to get my security clearance verified and asked us to come back at 1300.  When we came back, they said they still couldn't get it worked out with the Student Detachment in S.C. so they still brought me in but just didn't take me anywhere secret.  Their basic introduction was, "We won't help you with anything because you're not a diplomat, but let us know if there's anything we can do for you."  It sounds like a harsh assessment and they and the Consulate in Chengdu have offered to help as long as the services are specifically authorized in my orders.  Overall, it really isn't an issue because we're supposed to have as little contact with the Embassy and Consulate as possible, and after that reception, we don't feel tempted to try to have any more contact than absolutely necessary.

The Green Lake Hotel (翠湖宾馆)
Where We're Staying Until We Can
Move in to Our Apartment.

     The next day on the 26th, we again boarded the Embassy van (despite my earlier comments about the Embassy, this was a great help and very much appreciated) to the Beijing airport.  This time, however, we weren't dealing with the American airline companies that are used to military orders and extra baggage allowances.  They don't care how many bags you have as long as it doesn't go over a certain weight and they're not willing to take a piece of paper that says the U.S. Army says it's OK.  Anyway, we were  145kg over our weight limit and had to pay over $600 (yep, that's U.S. dollars) in excess baggage fees.  Hopefully it will all be reimbursed when I finally get to send in my travel voucher.  We did finally make it to Kunming with all the kids and all of the bags (if not all of our sanity) and after working through a little misunderstanding at the front desk, (they misspelled my name when I made the reservation) we got settled into our hotel room here at the Green Lake Hotel in Kunming.

     For now, I'll leave it at that and give you all a chance to get caught up and then I'll update our adventures here in Kunming tomorrow night.  再见！