Monday, September 8, 2008

Beijing Trip


Just got back from my Beijing trip, which was quite the experience. Believe it or not, we stopped in Alaska, China, Mongolia, Vietnam, and Washington DC; all in the span of eight days. We stayed three nights in China, one night in both Hanoi, Vietnam and Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.


Notable events were a Great Wall tour, a Tiananmen Square visit, and a chance to walk through the infamous "Hanoi Hilton", a prison where U.S. pilots were held during the Vietnam war.


During the flight back, we flew one flight that took 16 hours and 42 minutes, and included an air-refueling, which culminated in a beautiful arrival into Anchorage, Alaska. Because of crossing the international dateline, we actually landed in Alaska before we took off in Vietnam...try to wrap your mind around that one!


All in all, it was an amazing experience. So amazing, in fact, that it took me 15 hours of solid sleep to catch up from!