The initial flight to GuiLin

Friday, June 24th we were supposed to fly out to Gui Lin.  So we pack
our bags and leave early that morning to arrive at the airport around
7:30am.  At check-in the attendant told us that the flight was delayed
and we could not check in until 10am.  So we waited and waited, and
finally checked in around 10.  We get to the gate, and waited around
until about 11:30 to find out that our flight was again delayed.  The
airline was not sure how long the delay would be, so they sent us, and
the rest of our tour group to a hotel while waiting.  This was very
strange to me, but was something our tour host had negotiated with the
airline.  At the hotel, Kamala and I sat around for a while admiring
the amenities.  The beds for instance, were miniaturized.  It wasn't
that they were that small, about the same size as a twin, but they
were very thin, and very low to the ground. 

I think the picture does it justice. 
The bathroom was by far the best part though.  The shower
and toilet shared the same space.  Basically, there was no shower area,
just a shower head in the wall of the bathroom. 

Thankfully, we wouldn't be staying the night.  Around 1pm, they served us
lunch.  I won't go into details, but it is in the top 3 worse lunches
in Beijing…  Afterward, we waited around until about 4pm.  At that
point, they told us the bad news that our flight had been delayed
until the next day.  The good news, was that we could stay the night
in the hotel…  right…  So Kamala and I hopped a taxi back to our house
and spent the night at home.  We did call up some friends and had
dinner at a local Southern style BBQ place.  It was awesome!  Finding
a place in Beijing that sells a pulled pork BBQ sandwich is like a
small glimpse of heaven.  The next morning, we started the whole
process over, luckily to be met with success.

-JASON