Rocky start to Beijing

Our guide here in Beijing is Rocky ... We met him last night - super cool dude.

Ironically, our "Rock start" has also been ... rocky.

Our start in Bejing kinda reminds me of summer camp back in the day ... It starts with that letter home telling mom and dad the food is gross and you don't know anyone and by the end everyone is happy and best buds.

 

After Rocky dropped us at the hotel we agreed to meet the next morning at 9.

After powering through and staying awake as long as possible ... we crashed at 9 pm.  Two hours later The phone rang.  I was so tired I'm pretty sure I didn't know my own name.  When you are on the other side of the world from your 4 year old and the phone rings in the middle of the night.  You pick it up. ( ok... 11p is not exactly the middle of the night ... But I was wiped. out.)

On the other end, a women telling me she was picking us up at 7 a.m. and to meet in the reception area.  I explained we already had a guide who we were meeting at 9 and she must have the wrong number.  She was pretty insistent, saying she had other families to pick up and we had to meet her at 7.   I finally said sure so I could just go back to sleep.  I'm pretty sure she could tell I was just trying to passify her, so she got more insistent.  I said ok and hung up.   But then I tossed and turned trying to figure out if maybe she was in fact with Rocky, so I emailed Tiffany, our case manager in Portland, and the confusion of who this woman was, continued the rest of the night ... So my much anticipated night of sleep was pretty much those first 2 hours.

As 7 am approached we decided to get ready just in case ... But we're also not about to get in a car with someone we didn't know.  Then the phone rang and Rocky was on the other end.  He said he had no idea who the woman was ... it had to be a wrong number.

So I emailed Tiffany, let her know all was well and even if the lady offered up candy or a cute puppy, we would not get in the car with her!

So ... Both complete night owls ... There we were, showered and ready to go at 7 a.m.  Never. Again. Will that happen! :)

We still haven't gotten a chance to buy bottled water yet.  So once that happens and I get some sleep tonight ... Life will be good.  For now we wait for Rocky to show up at 9am.  

Lucky guy ... He gets to hang with overly tired and slightly dehydrated Americans.

View from our Beijing hotel