Moving Day

Saturday, June 19, 2010

So this picture is Jake saying goodbye to the hutong we spent the last 4 or 5 days in, where our hostel was. The nice young woman at the front office found a small bathroom scale we used to distribute the weight among the bags. You are allowed to check 2 50 lb bags (22kg) each so there was plenty of room. The hardest part (as it turns out for Jake) is shuffling the bags through the subway. We finished packing and left a pile of leftover stuff like toilet paper and shampoo, which the same woman said would not go to waste, and headed out for one last walk-about to find some breakfast. We found porridge and steamed rolls, then walked a few circles around the neighborhood to say good bye. Jake found a small shop that sells misc stuff for cheap and bought a few last minute trinkets (thankfully not Ming vases or swords).

We paid the hostel bill with a cash / credit card combo to use up all the RMB money we had left, with a little RMB left for the subway and airport. Brave Sir Jake huffed the heaviest bags out of guilt (a useful parental tool by the way, don't tell the kids) through the subway which was not very busy, thankfully. The subway to the airport is 10 times more expensive, but to be fair, it does go a long way, so we had a scenic last tour of Beijing from the above ground train. We thought we had plenty of time, but by the time you get through all the layers of customs and security, the 2 hour buffer was gone and we had about 20 minutes to find something to eat before my plane left. We returned on 2 separate airlines, me on Continental (94 movies through Newark) and Jake on United (3 movies through Chicago). Somehow I lucked out this trip and got an aisle seat with nobody sitting on the other side of me, and alternated between reading (Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (needs to read at least once every year or 2)), watching movies and napping. Four hour layover in Newark, then puddle jumper to Burlington, and Deb and Jake were waiting for me at the gate. So half way round the world in one 36 hour day with 4 or 5 20 minute catnaps, and actually not feeling too bad.

Once again, it is great to hear that the weather was bad the 2 weeks we were gone. We caught Deb up on China on the way home and as always happens to us lucky Vermonters returning home, the appreciation of this beautiful state, in this messy but great country, and this time with markedly wonderful clean pure air, unlike the perpetual polluted Chinese air. Hannah met us at home and I got the little 2 week hug and Jake got the enormous 5 month hug. It is sweet to see your squabbling kids grow up to be best friends. Jake sat on the same stool at the same counter and had the same good old bowl of real cereal with real cows milk he has been sitting at since he could clamber up there, showers for both of us and deliciously crawl into bed. It is good to be home, in all respects.