Last Thursday as I stood in line at the Beijing airport I realized that my trip to Beijing marked my tenth international flight. Which means when I head off to the UAE I will be starting a new chapter of international travel, in more ways than one.
On June 21 I awoke at 3am, climbed into a cab at 3:30am and by 4am was on a school bus with six students from WHS. Two flights, three in-air-movies and over 16 hours later we arrived at the Beijing RuYi Business Hotel. The first day of our quick trip to Beijing was spent getting to know the neighborhood and shopping at the local grocery, Wu Mart.
Taking a Dragon Boat ride at the Summer Palace.
For the next five days we hit many of Beijing’s tourist hotspots. The students in my group were not experienced travelers, but they were awesome! They tried all the food, enjoyed all the locations and rarely complained or whined about the trip. To be honest, I was worried. I don’t really have much patience for complaining while traveling, so I was blissfully happy that my students were enjoying their experience.
Climbing the Great Wall
As you can imagine, five days in a city like Beijing is not a lot of time, but we made the most of it. Thanks to our trusty guide, we were able to try local cuisine and learn about interesting cultural and historical events. We even survived the Chinese-style toilets!
Taking in the view of the Bird’s Nest.
Now that I’ve finished the Beijing trip, I need to really focus on the big move. In the meantime, I’ll continue to procrastinate by sitting on the couch watching the Olympic Trials and Wimbeldon.
Soldier at Tiananmen Square
Lots of interesting food at the Night Food Market.
Inside the Forbidden City
International flight number eleven will take me to Abu Dhabi and to many new adventures.
From ojalá to insha'Allah 
Wow–China! We’re thinking about traveling there when we’re in the UAE. What was your favorite and least favorite part of the trip?
My least favorite part of the trip was not spending as much time at certain sights and I wanted to (since it was a group tour). I really liked the Forbidden City, the Lama Temple and the Great Wall (though I would have liked a less busy section of the wall). Where are you going in China?