July 1, 2013 https://gruncleodd.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/DSCN0121-190x142.jpg

Monday 3 June. As promised, we had an early start today. (Tomorrow’s will be even earlier.) We met in the lobby at the appointed time of 07:30 and tromped around the corner as a troupe to grab some breakfast at …

July 1, 2013 https://gruncleodd.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/BeijingExt-142x190.jpg

Sunday 2 June. Roughly 22 hours after my first flight departed Dulles, I alit in Beijing and it was Sunday morning. Think about this for a minute: I left Washington between 20:30 and 21:00 Friday night. My two flights and layover …

June 30, 2013 https://gruncleodd.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/TXHillCountry-159x190.jpg

Friday 31 May. The adventure has begun. Since I squeezed three weeks of clothes and other necessities into a single – and consequently – heavy carry on, I opted to try to arrive at the airport several hours before my …