Day 1 (or two or three?),

I cannot tell if this is the first, second or third day of our China trip. We left Seattle for Los Angeles on October 19. We flew to China from LAX just past midnight on October 20 and now that we have landed it is October 21. To add to this my body has physically crossed the International Date Line but not yet mentally.

Because Ann and I are not known for over-spending on any of our trips we were in transit portal to portal, Woodinville to our Shanghai hotel for 34 hours: Seattle to Oakland; Oakland to LAX; LAX to Seoul; Seoul to Shanghai. (SeaTac to Shanghai should be no more than 13 hours nonstop).

It is with not a wee bit of trepidation we have embarked upon a new adventure for us – The Organized Tour. Never have we done this and we will see if we ever try it again. But we immediately met our first tour compatriots at LAX in line at Korean Air followed soon by another couple. They seemed quite nice. Then on board the plane Ann sat next to another tour person, a single. He is a Romanian born and educated physicist about 50 years old living in Dallas. Ann and Eugene became fast friends (well, duh). They even planned excursions to go on outside the tour during our free time. I think I am invited but I will wait and see!

Now for my positive rant of the day. Can a rant be positive? Anyway, my best friend ever is Susan who lives in Redmond. In true ghetto style, Susan is my “supplier”, a drug dealer. My new drug of choice is Ambien and I get it from her under a streetlight on a street corner on the mean streets of Redmond Ridge.

Just WOW is how I describe this outstanding sleeping pill for all-night flights over the frigid North Pacific. I was warned by Susan that the pill is best taken no more than a few steps from a bed. Since we were to have a meal served 2 hours into the LA-Seoul 13 hour flight and Ambien is best absorbed when not taken with food, I took the pill on the plane 30 minutes before dinner was to be served. The dinner, as I remember in a haze, was some Korean concoction of “interesting” aromas. I took one bite and awoke five hours later with all the airplanes interior lights off, my dinner tray gone and everyone else on the plane asleep. So, I went back to sleep. That makes for a shorter flight than expected since this is the first time I have successfully slept on a plane. Kudos to Susan!

We arrived in Seoul then on to Shanghai three hours later. We met our entire group and were driven to our hotel – no searching for the hotel as Ann and I usually do. This is so easy! We then got back onto our bus for a short orientation tour of the city and walk along the Shanghai waterfront, the Bund, followed by a dinner with the group. Again, there was no hunting for a decent restaurant. I like having people do the work for me since I am exhausted at present. Perhaps also is it because I am getting old? NO.

Shanghai is cosmopolitan, modern, frenetic major world city. Tomorrow I hope to see more of this interesting place through the eyes of a well-rested tourist. I am now sitting in the dark hotel restaurant at 5 am, alone except for the service workers making ready for the day. I am rested and ready to take on the land beyond the Bamboo Curtain!

Thought for the day: Ambien, when on vacation, like the old Visa card slogan – “Never leave home without it”.