We made it on the plane with all of our stuff (I was nervous about overweight-overstuffed bags), and almost immediately had the feeling that we were already there; the plane was crowded, people were pushy and noisy, and we, as tall fair-skinned folk, were definitely a minority. There were no spare seats, so we were stuck as five in three buckets but… it actually wasn’t that bad. The kids were as good as gold – Hendrik didn’t sleep too much (maybe a total of three and a half hours) but stayed busy with tv time, books, his new water bottle (with straw) a huge sticker/colouring book and an activity pouch assembled by Grandma B, full of mini dinosaurs, post-its, crayons and more. I had Alana for most of the trip, and she fed, slept and fussed, and I watched a few movies sans sound - Ted (horrible), Finding Nemo (classic), Toy Story (also a classic) annnnd maybe that’s it. So yeah, the time passed and with three meals and all aforementioned activities, we arrived feeling fairly tired, but better than expected. Steve was there waiting, and it was soooo good to see him. The air was thick and smoggy and the traffic was bad and there were crazy drivers following their own set of chaotic rules – and then an hour and a half later we were home – to an immaculate lobby and 24 hour doormen and marble floors and fancy fancy. I semi-frantically got the kids set up and in jammies and fed and then we ate and crashed… sort of. Because Hendrik didn’t sleep much (during the trip) and I didn’t sleep much, we were/are a few steps ahead of the jet lag (I think). I mean, we were all up several times that first night (and second night and third night), but I expected it to be worse. Alana has been feeding every three hours around the clock, so after a fairly consistent routine we had going in Vancouver (which was amazing), that felt/feels a bit … mmmmuch. Ohhhh well….at least Hendrik is on his way to being on Beijing time, and hopefully the little babe (and in turn momsy-me) isn’t too far behind.
The apartment is new and nice and gets cleaned and outfitted with new towels and sheets twice a week; this means… next to no cleaning for me - yes! We’re way up there on the 17th floor, and I’ve already thought about those scenes in Lost in Translation where Scarlett Johannsen looks way way out over the expanse of Tokyo, and being so super high up ourselves, I can see something similar going on with me… except – except – there are buildings blocking most of the view, Beijing is not Tokyo, and I have kiddy noise replacing any and all deep-in-thought moments… at least for now. Maybe once we get the sleeping thing down (hopefully soon please please please) I can snatch a few moments to think, and have a conversation with Steve. Anyways, also - the Club Oasis downstairs is off-the-hook fancy. Yesterday’s only outing (for me and the kids) was to check out the pool and workout room and it is luxe… just wait until I get some pics. The facilities belong to the Grand Hyatt Beijing, but as residents of the attached apartment complex we are granted access… ah-mazing! There’s more to write about but both little ones are sleeping and I need to get to bed myself. Just need to note that we did get out today to walk around a bit – we hit one of the nearby pedestrian shopping streets, and branched off for a look down an alleyway where there were strange looking things such as scorpions (live scorpions) skewered and ready to be deep-fried and chewed (ew). We live right in the centre of the city, so even though the subway system isn’t tops, we can get to quite a few interesting spots on foot – I think. I’m looking forward to getting settled in – learning about where to go for what and how things work and yadda yadda yadda… but right now…. it’s time to sleep!
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| where we live in the city... and our afternoon walk - we're central! |
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