I'm flying to China in a couple days and I decided to keep a log of my trip through a blog (this is it). Even writing this first post, I'm almost entirely convinced that this'll just devolve into a couple sparse posts without much interesting stuff to read... but even if that's all it ever is, it'll be because I'll be too busy to bother with writing a blog.
Planned Itinerary
Saturday, 1/29: Wake up at 4:30am to shower up and catch a bus to Logan airport. The woman I spoke with over the phone at Logan Airport advised showing up 3 hours early for international flights, which I really don't like the sound of, but will tolerate because I've got no other choice. My flight will touch down in Chicago at (hopefully) 10:30am, where I'll spend the afternoon sightseeing and getting an appropriately American lunch Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse. By the time 5:00 rolls around, it'll be time for me to catch the L back to the airport for my 7:50pm flight to Beijing. Thankfully, all the international check-in crap will have already been handled at Logan and I'll have my boarding pass with me. Once I get on the plane, I have no idea what I'll do for 13 hours, but that's how much time I'll have. Setting my watch to China time (take EST and add 12 hours) will probably keep me busy for a few minutes.
Sunday, 1/30: Touch down at 11:30pm, check into the hostel, get a drink and some food, then try my best to get a good night's sleep at what my body will think is the middle of the day.
Monday, 1/31: Temple of Heaven, Tiananmen Square, Gate of Heavenly Peace, Forbidden City
Tuesday, 2/1: Great Wall day trip (I’m going to try to get an early start and see the sun rise over the Great Wall if I can)
Wednesday, 2/2: Bei Hai Park, Lake District, Tobacco Alley, Drum Tower, Lama Temple, Confucius Temple
Thursday, 2/3: Peking University, Old Summer Palace, Summer Palace, Da Zhong Si, Wangfujing Dajie
Friday, 2/4: Rural Day, visit one of the villages outside the city? Come back, then head to Tianjin
Saturday, 2/5: Tianjin
Sunday, 2/6-Friday, 2/11: Fly Air China (flight 1453) from Beijing to Harbin at 7:50am. Fly back at 12:55pm on Friday (flight 1644).
Saturday, 2/12: Fly back to the U.S. at 7:55am, land in Chicago at 6:45am (an hour earlier than I took off!), then fly from O'Hare to Boston at 8:35am, landing at 11:45am.
I'm a little worried that I haven't any plans for the entire week in Harbin, but I'll be there during their annual ice lantern festival, so there should be enough to keep me busy for at least a couple days.
