Our trip started at 1:30 PM on Friday, April 10, 2009. We left from LAX and I drove up with Jenny and Devon... great idea since time management isn't my strong suit;) We arrived at the airport with a little bit of difficulty but nothing major. There wasn't much traffic because it was Good Friday but LAX is a maze and the signs aren't the easiest to follow. Luckily, Devon remembered "international flights are out of Tom Bradley."
We flew China Eastern, which was quite an experience. Surprisingly, there were quite a few Americans on the plane. The flight was 14 hours long and we were served two meals... our first introduction to real "Chinese Food." Nothing spectacular to mention about the food but maybe that's just because it was airline food?
Sandy and I tried to pass some of the time away learning Mandarin. I bought a Berlitz book that came with a CD so I could hear the pronunciations. Luckily, I know a little medical Chinese which is tremendously helpful when reading Pinyin. Still, hardly anyone speaks English in Chengdu which is a little frustrating. I wish I had learned the language earlier because it can definitely be immobilizing and limiting as a tourist. Thankfully we have Tantan, Trip Coordinator Extraordinaire, and a few other students that know the language pretty well.
To see more about our awaited departure from LA, click these links below:
http://youtu.be/EmVfTS9RMyw
http://youtu.be/IyhFqBjHzec
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Planes, Trains, and Automobiles... we experienced them all during our 21 hour journey across the globe. The layover in Shanghai was almost three hours long but we arrived in the late afternoon (China Time) and I was thankful to be able to stretch out after being on the plane for so long. |