Bob and Ann in Elder Hostel China Odyssey 2004

Beijing Train Station

We were up at 5, had breakfast at 6 and got on a bus to the train station at 6:40 for an 8:10 departure. We had to send our luggage the night before so our backpacks were heavy with yesterday's dirty clothes, bathroom kits, etc.

Winter Wheat

We saw lots of winter wheat that got taller and greener as we went south. We thought that we saw mustard but it turned out to be rape. The terrain was flat and the weather was nice if you forgot about the smog. We had a box lunch with rolls, ham pickles, etc. We sat with Helen Liles and Beth from Talahassee. It took us 6 1/2 hours to get to Zhengzhou where we transferred to a bus with our local guide, Peter.

The Governator Met Us

We arrived in Luoyang at the New Friendship Hotel at about 6 PM. The hotel is three stars and a little run down, but clean. We had hot and cold water but no English TV. Dinner was at the hotel at 7 - three soups and nothing else special. We walked around the hotel a little after dinner.

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